The German name for Anti aircraft fire ?

[carrick58 23]

The question came up in another forum but it did make be think. What did the Central Powers call the Anti aircraft fire thrown up against them ? The British called it Archie , The French cal ed it ? The Americans had some not so nice names for it ($##@! ^%$%$##)

[Olham 164]

The Germans called it "Flugabwehrkanonen" (Anti Aircraft Cannons; French: Canon antiaérien); short: "Flak".

[JFM 18]

I can't state definitively but I've read "flak" (yes, even in WW1) and "shrapnel clouds."

 

Edit: Olham pre-posted but I'll leave this here for the second half.

Edited July 21, 2012 by JFM

[+Muesli 2,161]

I think another name was 'Ack-ack', English or American??

[Flyby PC 23]

There's triple A, - Anti Aircraft Artillery, but I think that's later - WW2.

 

 

 

 

Edit - According to Wiki, Ack Ack is WW1, taken from the phoenetic alphabet for AA.

Edited July 21, 2012 by Flyby PC

[Hauksbee 103]

The Germans called it "Flugabwehrkanonen" (Anti Aircraft Cannons; French: Canon antiaérien); short: "Flak".

...and their chaplins were called "Sak". (anti-sin cannon)

[hood 2]

Ack was the word for A in the English phonetic alphabet in use in WW1...ack beer charlie don etc. Hence ack-ack =AA=anti aircraft.

[hood 2]

Sorry Flyby PC, I just read your post.

[Hasse Wind 46]

...and their chaplins were called "Sak". (anti-sin cannon)

 

In Finland, military chaplains are known as piruntorjuntaupseeri, which means anti-devil officer.

[Capitaine Vengeur 263]

The French usually say "DCA" (Défense Contre Avions). The term has been used in orders of battle from 1930s to that day, but I don't know if it was used during WW1.

[Hauksbee 103]

In Finland, military chaplains are known as piruntorjuntaupseeri, which means anti-devil officer.

Good one! I wonder if it worked?

[MikeDixonUK 5]

It's funny, when I play online flight sims and people in my Squadron say, for example 'Our Flak is firing east' I always resond with 'Mr <Insert Name> We do not possess FlaK! FlaK is German! Archie or Ack Ack if you please!'

 

I'm an 'Archie' chap myself.

 

And I always found it ammusing in the series Battlestar Galactica how title ship would fire off a 'Flak field' anti-spaceship barrage - those pesky Space Germans!

 

But then you could say the same about hundreds of other words that wouldn't really be used if they didn't come from Earth based languages, such as Latin and Greek and this that and everything else...

 

And in the MMO Star Wars Galaxies you could buy furniture for your house, and one of the items was an 'Ottoman' from the Galactic Ottoman Empire no doubt!

Edited July 22, 2012 by MikeDixonUK

[Olham 164]

While the ancient Greece will live on forever in words like "democracy" or "marathon",

Germany will perhaps remain in the world of languages with "Blitzkrieg" and "Achtung!".

Fame is a strange beast.

Edited July 22, 2012 by Olham

[Creaghorn 10]

And in the MMO Star Wars Galaxies you could buy furniture for your house, and one of the items was an 'Ottoman' from the Galactic Ottoman Empire no doubt!

 

there is something like that, when obi wan tells luke that his uncle never wanted him to follow to this idealistic "crusade" like his father did. i mean, crusade is rather something christianrelated which is probably rather unknown in the universe.

 

same goes for the emperor and vader being the rulers of the galaxy. so their systems also looked like a "milky way"?

[Hauksbee 103]

Germany will perhaps remain in the world of languages with "Blitzkrieg" and "Achtung!".

...and let us not forget 'hamburger'. A term that will out live us all.

[+elephant 36]

You know that "marathon" is the name of a herb in Greek actually?

 

(Sorry for the off topic)

[Flyby PC 23]

Olham, the Marathon word doesn't always live forever.

 

In the UK, a 'marathon' was changed to a 'Snickers' bar in 1990 and what was pretty cool chewy bar of chocolate was universally ridiculed afterwards, - but the new name stuck. They're now called snickers, but I've never understood the marketing ploy...

 

 

(Sorry, even further off topic than Elephant).

[Olham 164]

Creaghorn you opened my eyes here - I had always thought, Luke Skywalker was a human creature?

But he may only just look absolutely identical???

 

Good point, Hauksbee!

 

Didn't know that, elephant - I only knew it is a town some 40 km off Athens, I think? Can one smoke the herb?

 

 

FlybyPC, I didn't mean the choc bar, I meant of course the run.

Or don't you say "Marathon" for the 40 km distance in England???

 

(Sorry for also being off topic, but the topic question was answered, wasn't it?)

[RAF_Louvert 101]

.

 

Interesting thread Gents, and interesting wanderings as usual.

 

To the original topic I can add that in the writings of American pilots who served with the French the term éclatement appears fairly often, (e.g. "The éclatements suddenly appeared directly in front of me!"). It translates to 'explosion' or 'starburst' or 'crump', all of which have been used to describe AA over the years. Other terms used in the contemporary writings of American pilots of WWI were 'shell' and 'anti-aircraft fire'.

 

.

[Olham 164]

Max Immelmann called the Flak puffs "Sprengpunkte", which in translation would be "detonation dots" or "blasting spots".

[Capitaine Vengeur 263]

While the ancient Greece will live on forever in words like "democracy" or "marathon",

Germany will perhaps remain in the world of languages with "Blitzkrieg" and "Achtung!".

Fame is a strange beast.

A once occupied country like mine has mostly retained words like "Verboten" or "Ausweis"... A country of musicians, philosophers, scientists and car builders could have let a better legacy abroad...

[Creaghorn 10]

to strafe an infantry or convoy etc. comes fro them german term "Strafe" punishement. to punish them etc.

[Dej 17]

While the ancient Greece will live on forever in words like "democracy" or "marathon",

Germany will perhaps remain in the world of languages with "Blitzkrieg" and "Achtung!".

Fame is a strange beast.

 

Not so, Olham. How much less happy would the world be were it not for Schadenfreude, for example. And schadenfreude is very much of the Zeitgeist at present too, I think.

[Flyby PC 23]

I agree with Dej, why just yesterday I was walking the Weimaraner past the delicatessen on the way to pick up the kids from kindergarten. I suddenly met a doppelganger trying to get a rottweiller into her volkwagen. When she turned around, I saw she was a pretty young fraulein from the hinterland. I said hi, and we agreed to meet up later in a beerkellar for some schnapps and a lager/Pilsner/Holstein/Becks/Heinekin/Furstenberg/Lowenbrau, or two. Her VW wouldn't start, and the look of angst on her face about her car being kaput told you she really should have saved up to buy the Audi or the Merc with diesel engine.

[Olham 164]

A country of musicians, philosophers, scientists and car builders could have let a better legacy abroad...

I know, Capitaine, I know. But you must know "Volkswagen"?

When the French had occupied the Rhineland (under Napoleon?), they left us better words.

"Boulette" is a fried little ball of minced meat; or "Kotlett" (cotelette) a piece from the pig;

and "Roulade" a rolled, thin slice of beef, filled with back bacon, mustard and sour cucumber slices.

You French obviously brought us some additions to our cuisine.

"Remoulade", "Mayonaise", "Sauce Bernaise" and "Vinaigrette" are commonly known words here now.

 

Most funny is the German word "Fisematenten".

German mothers told their young daughters, when they went out in the evenings: "Aber keine Fisematenten!" (But no Fisematenten!).

It came from "Visite ma tente!", which the French soldiers had asked them to do.

The soldiers gave the young ladies a paper with the number of their army tent.

 

"Schadenfreude" is a good one, Dej. The Americans also know "Kindergarten".

 

.

Edited July 23, 2012 by Olham