I'd like to ask a question; Military unit 'nicknames' ?

[bradw77]

Hi,
I have been wondering, along the lines of USMC: 'Leathernecks'/'Jarheads', and British Army 'Desert rats' what slang/nicknames are there for modern SF/Rapid reaction type units?

Even if it is a case of posting a link to point me in the right direction.
I would greatly appreciate it.

Many thanks in advance,
Brad.

[Resevoir Hogs]

We call our JTF2 things like secret squirels?! I can't remember what other ones there are off hand though.

[moughoun]

JTF2: Dwyer hill ski team
SAS: Desmonds
ARW:Fraggles

lot's of them about.....I just can't remember:oops:

[Para]

The Red Devils, the British Parachute Regiment, this did not come about as the popular rumours dictates through the Red or should I say the Maroon beret that they wear. It was a name given to them by the Germans in the Western Desert during the very early part of WW2. The desert in this part of North Africa was covered in a very fine Red Dust and and when the Airborne put in attacks with such ferocity they were covered from head to foot in fine red dust and got the name The Red Devils from these actions.

[Royal]

SAS - The Hereford Gun Club, The Regiment, H,
SRR - Geeks
SBS - Shaky Boats

[fantassin]

I have heard the following in the UK:

Daft & Dozy (Devon & Dorset)
Di's Guys (PWRR)
Royal Latrines (RM)
Parasite Regiment (Para)
Sports and Social (SAS)
Planks (artillery)
Bleeps (Signals)


to name but a few....

[Para]

The old Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment which was formerly 50th Foot was nicknamed at one the filthy half hundred. This came about when the Regiment was in India during the Mutiny. The uniforms were Red Coats with black cuffs and after putting in a devastating attack all their faces were black were they had wiped the sweat from there faces with their selves, and the black from the cuffs ran and stained there faces.

[Para]

The Welsh Guards were known as the sheep shaggers

[Para]

The Royal Army Medical Corps RAMC got the title of Robbing All My Comrades, this was due at times when they removed personal items from the dead.

[DnA]

Heres a few Canadian ones

Signals - Sig Pigs, Jimmy
Airborne - Lawn Darts
Armour - Zipperheads
Service Battalion - Circus Battalion
Medics - Pecker Checkers
GGFG- Gustov Gone For Good, Gods Gift For Gays
GGHG - Good God He's Gay
Supply - Bin Rat, Box Kicker
Infantry -Death Tech
MP - Meat Head
R22eR- Quebec Mafia, Teflon Regiment
Air Crew - Zoomies
JTF2 - Dyer Hill Ski Team
PPCLI - Please Protect Canada's Little Idiots
RCR - Run Chicken Run
Weapon Tech - Gun Plumber
MSE Op - Me Start Engine Operator

[Para]

Royal Artillery,the twelve mile snipers

[fantassin]

Royal Army Service Corps: run away, someone's coming
Royal Corps of Transport: Rickshaw, cabs and taxis
Army Catering Corps: Aldershot's Concrete Company
Royal Logistics Corps: Really Large Corps

[Para]

RASC....The Galloping Grocers

[Hydro]

Di's Guys (PWRR)


Or more cynically, Camilla's Gorillas :) (Or to toe the official line, The Tigers [*miaow*])


SAS - Hereford Sports And Social club.

One for Argyll: The Argyll and Bolton Wanderers

RMP: Monkeys
REME: Ruin Everything Mechanical Eventually (Saw a Warrior recovery vehicle nicknamed "Bodgit and Scarper", ho ho ho)

[Mines On The Road]

REME: Royal Engineer Minus Training

RAF Regiment (of which I am part): The Rock Apes - So called as when we were based in Gibralter in the 50s a pair of Regiment officers aquired a pair SMLEs and went out hunting for Gib's famous apes. They became separated during the night. One man shot the other after confusing him for 'One of the rock apes'

The name stuck.

SBS: Shaky Boots

Queen's Regiment of Lancers: My mates and I used to call it the Totenkopf Regiment, as their cap badge is a skull and crossbones.

Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders: Messtin cap badges.

(no offence Argyll)

[miguelencanarias]

I am ROFLing indiscriminately here, please continue. There is nothing better than servicemen's ability to invent nicknames. Don't stop, keep them coming.

[Chops]

SBS: Shaky Boots

Actually Royal is correct as always- the Shaky Boats

C

[Mines On The Road]

I'm not so sure about that, we in the rock apes have always known them as Shaky Boots. I have worked with them doing whats combat recovery exercises, usually reserved for aircrew but that's another matter (don't worry this is all public knowledge)

We always called them shaky boots...

However I am more than happy to stand corrected.

Int. Corps: Green Slime

Royal Corps of Signals: Scaleys

RAF Fighter Controllers (or any other air traffic related trades): Scopies

[Chops]

Either way they're shakey! ;-)

I've never heard 'boots' but with some regional UK accents it's hard to tell!

cheers mate

C

[bradw77]

Great!
Thanks :)


Any semi-serious/non derogatory ones out there also?
..ones that units are given/designate themselves that are used in a *positive* way? ie: 'screamin eagles' aka 101st Airborne?

Thank you in advance :)

[SHAM]

Great!
Thanks :)


Any semi-serious/non derogatory ones out there also?
..ones that units are given/designate themselves that are used in a *positive* way? ie: 'screamin eagles' aka 101st Airborne?

Thank you in advance :)

"Semi serious/ non derogatory" whats the point lol wouldnt they be embarasing nick names?

[bradw77]

'screaming eagles' is famous, and the unit is known as that more commonly than their unit number..
same with the 'desert rats'.

The embarassing ones ARE cool, don't get me wrong, but I'm also interested in the geuine 'handles' that arise out of fearsome reputations/deeds etc..

Hope that helps clarify what I'm asking.

[Hydro]

'screaming eagles' is famous, and the unit is known as that more commonly than their unit number..
same with the 'desert rats'.

The embarassing ones ARE cool, don't get me wrong, but I'm also interested in the geuine 'handles' that arise out of fearsome reputations/deeds etc..

Hope that helps clarify what I'm asking.


The Princess of Wales' Royal Regiment: The Tigers. So called because the 67th (South Hampshire) Regiment (one of the Regiments forebear Regiments) was authorised by King George IV to bear the figure of the Royal Tiger superscribed "India" on the Regimental Colour after returning from India in 1826 after 21 years continuous service in India. When the Royal Hampshires and the Queens Regiment were amalgamated in 1992 to form PWRR, the honour and nickname followed.

We wear the Royal Tiger on our right sleeves of our CS95 shirts.

[Laconian]

Some from the US:
USMC - Uncle Sam's Misguided Children
Army - Ain't Ready to be Marines Yet
101st ABN (Air Assault) - Pukin' Buzzards, Choking Chickens, Dopes on Ropes
82nd ABN - Jumpin' Junkies
25th ID - The Electric Strawberry
7th ID - Crushed Beer Can Division
1st Cav - The patch signifies the horse they never rode, the line they never held, the color is the reason why...
28th ID (PA National Guard) - The Bloody Bucket
1st ID - If you're gonna be one; you might as well be a Big Red One

Field Artillery - You can't spell fag with FA

[foxtrot023]

In Spain

Legion Extranjera legionnaires- Legias

The Legion nickname for any trooper not a legionnaire- Pistolos

[bradw77]

thats more like it :)

....any more for any more?

Thanks in advance.

[Digital Marine]

82nd ABD - All American.. don't know if it's a nickname because their patch also has the letters ''AA'' in it.

The US Armoured Divisions have funky names on their patches...
http://airplanesandmore.com/prodimages/small1st%20Armored%20Div.jpg

http://www.basher82.nl/unit%20emblem/2%20Arm%20Div%202.jpg

http://www.aleut4u.com/3rd%20Armorred%20Div.JPG

[Laconian]

The 42nd ID (NY National Guard) - The Rainbow Division (because it initially took members from three states)

5th Inf Regt - "I'll Try, Sir" for Calvin P. Titus the Bugler whol climbed the walls at Peking to mark arty tgts in the Boxer Rebellion. Titus was later a plebe at West Point when he received the MOH.

6th Inf Regt - "The Regulars" for the Battle of Chippewa in the War of 1812. The British thought they were militia because they were in gray instead of blue uniforms. the British commander remarked, "Those are Regulars, by God!"

[Graspol]

Infantry- zandhaas : (sand hare ?)
Tankbatt - tankslet : tankslut
AMB - Bloedblaar: blood blister or Aardbeien: strawberry's
Marines-vissticks :fishsticks
Navy-vlootbalen (fleetbale)
Commando's Green Beret's - graspol : clump of grass :)
Reme - fietsenmakers: bicycle mechanics.
Female medic - verbanddoos not translatable
Reserves- weekend warriors or S.W.A.T -Some Weekends And Tuesdays

[Mines On The Road]

well I know what 'doos' means rofl ;-)

[c62]

Here are some navy ones:
U.S.S. Forrestal = U.S.S. Forrest Fire
U.S.S. Saratoga = Sorry Sara
U.S.S. Ranger = Danger Ranger
U.S.S. Independence = Indy

U.S.S. Kitty Hawk = Sh*tty Kitty
U.S.S. Connestellation = Connie

U.S.S. Enterprise = Mobile Chernobyl

U.S.S. Nimitz = Numb Nutz

U.S.S. Vincennes = Vin-senseless

All I can think of now.

P.S. Does this board have some sort of filter that will automatically remove bad words? I put in the S-bomb and it substituted **** for it.

[Daniel]

One for Argyll: The Argyll and Bolton Wanderers


Where abouts does that nickname come from? My grandfather was British and Served with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlander division in WW2, and came from the Bolton area. Were there quite a few from that area?

[Cabbage]

Some from the US:
USMC - Uncle Sam's Misguided Children
Army - Ain't Ready to be Marines Yet
101st ABN (Air Assault) - Pukin' Buzzards, Choking Chickens, Dopes on Ropes
82nd ABN - Jumpin' Junkies
25th ID - The Electric Strawberry
7th ID - Crushed Beer Can Division
1st Cav - The patch signifies the horse they never rode, the line they never held, the color is the reason why...
28th ID (PA National Guard) - The Bloody Bucket
1st ID - If you're gonna be one; you might as well be a Big Red One

Field Artillery - You can't spell fag with FA

LOL...these are cruel.rofl

[bradw77]

LOL..
Some good ones.

thanks!

[woofer]

woofers =1WFR 1ST BATTALION THE WORCESTERSHIRE AND SHERWOOD FORESTERS
Soon to become part of the Midland Regiment one less for the nicknames
http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/albums/1WFR-NORTHERN-IRELAND/aah.sized.jpg

[Jimmy C]

Where abouts does that nickname come from? My grandfather was British and Served with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlander division in WW2, and came from the Bolton area. Were there quite a few from that area?

Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders

Those Sexy Kilted Bastards

[EvanL]

Not military but the RCMP.
Queens Cowboys
Donkey Whompers
Donkey Wankers
D'arcy

[Roy Batty]

Also from Canada:
PPCLI - Ping Pang's Chinese Laundry Incorporated.....also Mickey Pickleys
RCR - Run Chicken Run...also Chicken Fvckers

[Slater]

USS Intrepid: The "Evil I"

The old 5th Fighter Interceptor Squadron based at (I think) Minot AFB, having a snarling wildcat on their unit patch: The "Spittin' Kittens".

[MichaelF]

53rd Infantry Brigade = "The Cleanup Crew"

The 53rd is the major Combat Element of the Florida National Guard.

Guess what they will be spending the Fall doing....

[ajpigger]

3RD Battalion Royal Australian Regiment (Para) - Old Faithfull

[msnger]

Some from the US:
USMC - Uncle Sam's Misguided Children
Army - Ain't Ready to be Marines Yet
101st ABN (Air Assault) - Pukin' Buzzards, Choking Chickens, Dopes on Ropes
82nd ABN - Jumpin' Junkies
25th ID - The Electric Strawberry
7th ID - Crushed Beer Can Division
1st Cav - The patch signifies the horse they never rode, the line they never held, the color is the reason why...
28th ID (PA National Guard) - The Bloody Bucket
1st ID - If you're gonna be one; you might as well be a Big Red One

Field Artillery - You can't spell fag with FA


those are awsome!! :)