"31-Knot Burke" – Arleigh Burke, U.S. Navy destroyer commander (for being unable to meet his habitual maximum speed during one operation due to limited recent maintenance)[1]
"Acey" – Albert C. Burrows, World War II U.S. Navy submarine commander[2]
"Achmed" – Erich Bey, German Kriegsmarine admiral[3]
"Allegheny Johnson" or "Alleghany Johnson" – Edward Johnson, Confederate Army general
"Assi" – Hans Hahn, German fighter pilot during World War II
"The Auk" – Claude Auchinleck, British Indian Army field marshal[4]
"The Angel warrior" – Angelo Polli, anti-Nazi italian General Commander of Bersaglieri, first Italian high officer prisoner of the Nazi concentration camps captured on 9 September 1943 in Malles. Chronicles tell that he was directly tortured by Hitler to make him swear under him by giving a signal to the Italian rebel prisoners IMI.
"Autie" – George Custer, American army officer
B
"Babe" –
John H. Brown, World War II U.S. Navy submarine commander[2]
"Bad Hand" – Ranald S. Mackenzie, U.S. Army general in the American Civil War and Indian Wars
"Bad Old Man" – Jubal Early, Confederate Army general
"Bai Di Jiangjun 白地将军" (Chinese, literally "White Ground General") – Xiahou Yuan, general serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty, for his death at the Battle of Mount Dingjun while fixing damaged chevaux de frise instead of being in command; "Bai Di" may have referred to Xiahou Yuan's lowly upbringing and thus his approach to attending to everything personally
"Bai Ma Jiangjun 白马将军" (Chinese, "White Horse General") –
Gongsun Zan, Eastern Han dynasty warlord, for his victories against the Wuhuan and Xianbei using his elite light cavalry force, the Bai Ma Yi Cong 白马义从 who solely rode white horses
Pang De, late Eastern Han dynasty general who served under numerous warlords, for always riding a white horse and landing an arrow on Guan Yu's forehead while doing so
"Bai Mian Shu Sheng 白面书生" (Chinese, literally "White Faced Scholar") – Lu Xun, general and statesman of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period, for his perceived inexperience and lack of military qualities
"Bai Pao Jiangjun 白袍将军" (Chinese, literally "White Robed General") and like nicknames –
"Bing" – Kenneth Cross, British Second World War RAF pilot
"Bing Sheng 兵聖" (Chinese, literally "Soldier Saint") – Sun Wu, general, military strategist, and philosopher who served Wu in the Eastern Zhou period of ancient China
"Butcher" – Arthur T. Harris, British air chief marshal during the Second World War[21]
"The Butcher of East Bengal" - General Tikka Khan, the Military Governor of East Pakistan who enforced Operation Searchlight that saw the brutal genocide of Bengali civilians in East Pakistan in the late hours of 25 March 1971. This genocide sparked the Bangladeshi War of Independence that resulted in the secession of East Pakistan as the newly independent People's Republic of Bangladesh.
"The Butcher of Bosnia" – Ratko Mladić, Bosnian Serb military leader during the Bosnian War[22]
"The Butcher of Ethiopia" – Rodolfo Graziani, Italian Army general
"The Butcher of Fezzan" – Rodolfo Graziani, Italian Army general
"Butcher of the Somme" – Douglas Haig, British field marshal
"Buyi Jiangjun 布衣将军" (Chinese, literally "Plainclothes General") – Fu Zuoyi, Chinese military leader widely praised for his defense of Suiyuan from the Japanese.
"Buzz" – George Beurling, Canadian RAF fighter ace (a nickname he never acknowledged)
"Cat's Eyes" – John Cunningham, Second World War British night fighter ace (a nickname he didn't like)
"Chancre Jack" – Chiang Kai-Shek, political and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China
"Chang Sheng Jiangjun 常胜将军" (Chinese, literally "frequently-winning general") – Zhao Yun, general who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period, for his battle record
"Chang Shi Wan 常十万" (Chinese, literally "Chang Hundred-Thousand") – Chang Yuchun, general of the early Ming dynasty, for his bravery and prowess
"CHAOS" – James Mattis, US Marine Corps general and Secretary of Defense
"Feng Chu 凤雏" (Chinese, "Fledgling Phoenix") – Pang Tong, adviser to the warlord Liu Bei in the late Eastern Han dynasty, for his erudite demeanor and great potential
"The Fighting Bishop" – Leonidas Polk, Episcopal bishop and Confederate general
"Grey Wolf" – Gino Polli, Italian army official leader in First World War, hero of the battles of the Piave river, sniper of special forces, in charge of suicide missions
"Gray Ghost" – John S. Mosby, Confederate Army cavalry commander, American Civil War
"Grey Fox" – George Crook, U.S. Army general, American Civil War
"Grumble" – William E. Jones, Confederate general, American Civil War
"Gu Bai Shun 顾百顺" (Chinese, literally "Gu the hundred-obedient") – Gu Zhutong, military general and administrator of the Republic of China, for his willingness to do Chiang Kai-Shek's bidding without question
"Gu Zhi Zhaohu 古之昭虎" (Chinese, "Like the ancient Zhaohu"; Zhaohu itself is a nickname for Duke Zhaomu of Zhou, who defeated 40,000 Dongyi of the Jianghuai with his 7,000 strong army) – Zhang Liao, general of the Eastern Han dynasty and Cao Wei serving under the warlord Cao Cao, for his victory at the Battle of Xiaoyao Ford
"Gulle" – Walter Oesau, World War II German fighter ace
"He Popo 何婆婆" (Chinese, "Granny He") – He Yingqin, senior general of the Kuomintang during Republican China, and a close ally of Chiang Kai-shek, to describe him being second-in-command to Chiang
"Hu Bao Yi 呼保義" (Chinese, "Protector of Justice") – Song Jiang, leader of a group of Chinese outlaws who lived in the Song dynasty, nickname made famous by the novel Water Margin
"Irish" – Edward R. Hannon, U.S. submarine commander[2]
"Iron Ass" -
Curtis E. LeMay, US Army Air Force/US Air Force General, Commander Strategic Air Command, USAF Chief of Staff. Often bowdlerized to "Iron Pants" or "Iron Tail"
"Jiangdong Meng Hu 江东猛虎" (Chinese, "Fierce Tiger of Jiangdong") – Sun Jian, general and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty, for his ferocity in battle
"Jin Fan Zei 锦帆贼" (Chinese, "Bandit with the Brocade Sails") – Gan Ning, general serving under the warlord Sun Quan in the late Eastern Han dynasty, for his past as a pirate and his easy-going personality
"Jin Ma Chao 锦马超" (Chinese, literally "Brocade Ma Chao") – Ma Chao, general and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period, for his good looks and athleticism
"Lao Tou Zi 老头子" (Chinese, roughly "Old Man") – Chiang Kai-Shek, political and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China, nickname carries a slight connotation of being a gang leader
"Lao Wang 老王" (Chinese, "Old Wang") – Wang Yaowu, high-ranking KMT general and the governor of Shandong Province who successfully fought against both the Imperial Japanese Army and the Chinese Communists, for his ferocity and bravery in the fight against the Japanese
"Liu Da Dao 劉大刀" (Chinese, literally "Big Blade Liu") – Liu Ting, late Ming dynasty general, for the ability to wield his 120 catty blade like any other
"The Long Fellow" Éamon de Valera, Irish rebel leader and later statesman (due to his height)
"Looney" – Robert Hinde, British World War II armoured officer
"Mang Xiahou 盲夏侯" (Chinese, "Blind Xiahou") – Xiahou Dun, general serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty, for the loss of his left eye
"Mang Zhang Fei 莽张飞" (Chinese, "Rash Zhang Fei") – Zhang Fei, general who served under the warlord Liu Bei in the late Eastern Han dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period, for his famously hot temper
"Manila John" – John Basilone, U.S. marine, World War II Medal of Honor recipient
"The Marble Man" – Robert E. Lee, Confederate general (for his perfection at West Point)[39]
"The Marble Model" – Robert E. Lee, Confederate general (for his perfection at West Point)[39]
"Peng Da Jiangjun 彭大将军"(Chinese, "Great General Peng") – Peng Dehuai, prominent Chinese Communist military leader, and served as China's Defense Minister from 1954 to 1959.
"Pips" – Josef Priller, World War II German fighter ace
"Popo 婆婆" (Chinese, "Granny") – Luo Ronghuan, Chinese communist military leader, for his ability to work with Lin Biao despite the latter's personality, and his talent in managing logistics and other background work for him
"Ren Tu 人屠" (Chinese, literally "Human Butcher") – Bai Qi, general of the Qin state in the Warring States period of China, for being responsible for the deaths of a total of between 890,000 and 2,000,000 enemy soldiers
"Rock of Chickamauga" - George Henry Thomas, Union Army general, US Civil War
"Sam Bahadur" – Sam Manekshaw, former Indian Army field marshal
"San Xing Jia Nu 三姓家奴" (Chinese, "Slave of Three Surnames") – Lü Bu, general and warlord of the late Eastern Han dynasty, for his betrayal of former masters Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo
"Sandy" – Louis D. McGregor, U.S. submarine commander[2]
"Shen Tong Dajiang 神通大将" (Chinese, roughly "Great General of Clever Ability") – Li Siye, general of the Tang dynasty, for his prowess in the campaign against Chach
William W. Momyer, U.S. Air Force general and World War II flying ace
"Splash" – Edward Ashmore, British general who served in the Royal Flying Corps and RAF during World War I before rejoining the army to lead air defence
"Spoons" – Benjamin F. Butler, Union general
"Spud" – Elbert C. Lindon, U.S. submarine commander[2]
"The Swedish knight" – Sir Sidney Smith, British naval officer in the Napoleonic Wars who was knighted by the Swedish Crown
"Systematic Joe" – Sir Stanley Maude, British general in Mesopotamia during World War I (for his carefully planned campaign advancing up the Tigris river)
"Taigong Wang 太公望" (Chinese, roughly "Hopeful Grand Duke") – Jiang Ziya, Zhou dynasty noble, statesman, and general, for being the 'master' King Wen of Zhou had hoped for
"Wen Hou 温候" (Chinese, "Marquis of Wen") – Lü Bu, general and warlord of the late Eastern Han dynasty, a title granted by Dong Zhuo which became a household name
"Wolong 卧龙" (Chinese, "Crouching Dragon") – Zhuge Liang, politician, military strategist, writer, engineer and inventor during the late Eastern Han dynasty, and Imperial Chancellor and regent of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period, for his ambition and great potential
"Wop" – W. R. May, Canadian aviator in the First World War
"Wu Tzu 吴子" (Chinese, 'Tzu' is used in respect) – Wu Qi, military leader, general, Legalist philosopher, and politician in the Warring States period
"Wully" – Sir William Robertson, 1st Baronet – chief of the Imperial General Staff during the First World War, never lost traces of a working-class accent
"Xi Chu Ba Wang 西楚霸王" (Chinese, "Hegemon-King of Western Chu") – Xiang Yu, Late Qin dynasty Warlord, King of Western Chu during the Chu–Han Contention, for his immense bravery and ferocity
"Xiang Shuai 香帅" (Chinese, "Fragrant Marshall") – Zhang Zhidong, important Chinese official of the late Qing dynasty, because of his courtesy name Xiang Tao 香涛
"Xiao Ba Wang 小霸王" (Chinese, "Little Hegemon-King"), also "Zhi'er 猘兒" (Chinese, roughly "Impulsive and Brave Lad") – Sun Ce, general and warlord of the late Eastern Han dynasty, for his bravery
"Xue Ping Gui 薛平贵" (Chinese, literally "Xue the Parity and Expensive") – Xue Yue, Chinese Nationalist military general, given to him by the Hunanese people for his interference in the price of rice in Hunan for the war effort
"Yu Shuai 玉帥" (Chinese, "Jade Marshall") – Wu Peifu, major figure in the struggles between the warlords who dominated Republican China from 1916 to 1927, because of his courtesy name Zi Yu 子玉
"Yue Wangye 岳王爷" (Chinese, roughly "Royal Highness Yue") – Yue Fei, military general who served the Southern Song dynasty, for his posthumous rank which became a household nickname
"Yurufun" (Japanese, meaning roughly "droopy drawers") – Shimada Shigetaro, Japanese admiral in World War II[84]
Z
"Zhou Lang 周郎" (Chinese, "Zhou the Youth") – Zhou Yu, military general and strategist serving under the late Eastern Han warlord Sun Ce, for his youth, good looks and impressive battle record
^ abJones, Ken (1959). Destroyer Squadron 23: combat exploits of Arleigh Burke's gallant force. Philadelphia: Chilton Co., Book Division. OCLC 1262893.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaabacadaeafagahaiajakalamanaoapaqarasatauavawaxayazbabbbcbdbebfbgbhbibjbkblbmbnbobpbqbrbsbtbubvbwbxbybzcacbcccdcecfcgchcicjBlair, Clay Jr. (1975). Silent victory: the U.S. submarine war against Japan. Philadelphia: Lippincott. ISBN 978-0-397-00753-0. OCLC 821363.
^Bekker, Cajus. Hitler's Naval War (New York City: Kensington Publishing Corp. {Zebra Books}, 1974; reprints Gerhard Stalling Verlag's 1971 Verdammte See), p. 178.
^Carver, Michael (1976). The War lords: military commanders of the twentieth century. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. ISBN 978-0-297-77084-8. OCLC 2410407.
^Foxley-Norris, Christopher (2 February 1996). "OBITUARY: Wing Cdr Roderick Learoyd VC". The Independent. London.
^ ab"No.3: 'Soarer' Campbell". Generals' Nicknames. Centre for First World War Studies, University of Birmingham. January 2009. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
^ abGranatstein, J. L. (2002). Canada's army: waging war and keeping the peace. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-0-8020-4691-8. OCLC 48941226.
^Prange, Gordon W.; Donald M Goldstein; Katherine V. Dillon (1988). December 7, 1941: the day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 23. ISBN 978-0-07-050682-4. OCLC 15793660.
^Saward, Dudley (1984). "Bomber" Harris: the story of Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Sir Arthur Harris, Bt, GCB, OBE, AFC, LLD, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Bomber Command, 1942–1945. London: Buchan & Enright. OCLC 11082290.
^ abJohnson, Johnny E. (1964). Full Circle: The Story of Air Fighting. London: Chatto and Windus. p. 26. OCLC 2486377.
^Margaritis, Peter (2019). Countdown to D-Day: The German perspective. Oxford, UK & PA, USA: Casemate. p. 29. ISBN 978-1-61200-769-4.
^Grady, Alan.When Good Men Do Nothing: The Assassination of Albert Patterson. (Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2003).
^Bekker, Cajus. Hitler's Naval War (New York City: Kensington Publishing Corp. {Zebra Books}, 1974; reprints Gerhard Stalling Verlag's 1971 Verdammte See), pp.104-5.
^Molesworth, Carl (2003). P-40 Warhawk Aces of the Pacific. Oxford: Osprey. pp. 50–54. ISBN 978-1-84176-536-5. OCLC 51992611.
^Garrison, Webb B. (1992). Civil War trivia and fact book. Nashville, Tennessee: Rutledge Hill Press. ISBN 978-1-55853-160-4. OCLC 25410905.
^Farago, Ladislas (1962). The Tenth Fleet. New York: Paperback Library. OCLC 11651418.
^Prange, Gordon W., Dillon, Katherine V., and Goldstein, Donald M. At Dawn We Slept (New York: Penguin, 1991), p.597
^Blair, Clay Jr. (1975). Silent victory: the U.S. submarine war against Japan. Philadelphia: Lippincott. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-397-00753-0. OCLC 821363.
^ abcKen Burns, director (1990). The Civil War. ISBN 978-0-7806-3887-7. OCLC 52791424.
^Gunn, Roger. Raymond Collishaw and the Black Flight (Toronto: Dundurn, 2013), p. 206
^ abcHolmes, Wilfrid J. (1979). Double-edged secrets: U.S. naval intelligence operations in the Pacific during World War II. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-162-1. OCLC 5195347.
^Mahan, Alfred T. (1890). The influence of sea power upon history, 1660–1783. London: Sampson, Low, Marston. OCLC 12225848.
^West, James E.; Peter O. Lamb (1932). He-who-sees-in-the-dark; the boys' story of Frederick Burnham, the American scout. Robert Baden-Powell (illust.). Brewer, Warren and Putnam. OCLC 1710834.
^Stockdale, James B.; Sybil Stockdale (1984). In love and war: the story of a family's ordeal and sacrifice during the Vietnam years. Harper & Row. ISBN 0-06-015318-0.
^Duncan, Mike (18 September 2016). "5.15 The Centaur of the Plains". Revolutions (Podcast). Retrieved 11 June 2022.
^ abRobertson, Terence (1955). The Golden Horseshoe: The Wartime Career of Otto Kretschmer, U-Boat Ace. London: Evans Bros. OCLC 2162924.
^Holwitt, Joel I. "Execute Against Japan", Ph.D. dissertation, Ohio State University, 2005, p. 327.
^Keegan, John (2000). Churchill's generals. London: Abacus. ISBN 978-0-349-11317-3. OCLC 43501320.
^Powell, J.B. (1929). The China Monthly Review. Volume 47. December 1928 – February 1929. Shanghai: Millard Publishing. p. 486.
^"This Day in Jewish History / The Navy's 'Kindly Old Gentleman' is Born". Haaretz. Retrieved 15 Apr 2014.
^Prange, Gordon W.; Donald M Goldstein; Katherine V. Dillon (1988). December 7, 1941: the day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-07-050682-4. OCLC 15793660.
^Davis, Richard Harding (1906). Real Soldiers of Fortune. London: Charles Scribner's Sons. OCLC 853901.
^ abWong, Betty (2012). Jewel of the Kingdom. Trafford Publishing. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-4669-3745-1.
^"IS members arrested in Kuwait, warrants issued for others – Suspects accused of funding, promoting, fighting with radical group". Kuwait Times. 17 September 2014. Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
^Flint Whitlock; Ron Smith; Albert Konetzni. The Depths of Courage: American Submariners at War with Japan, 1941–1945. Penguin Group. p. 355.
^Treneman, Ann (May 5, 1999). "The shaming of a hero". The Independent. London. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
^"1982: Seychelles coup leader guilty of hijack". BBC. July 27, 1982. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
^"Cast a Giant Shadow" review in VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever Guide 2007, ed. by Jim Craddock (Detroit: Thomson Gale, 2006), p.168.
^Prange, Gordon W.; Donald M Goldstein; Katherine V. Dillon (1988). December 7, 1941: the day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-07-050682-4. OCLC 15793660.
^"American Experience | Bataan Rescue | People & Events". PBS. Archived from the original on 2003-10-12.
^Peniakoff, Vladimir. Popski's Private Army (Garden City, NY: Nelson Doubleday, 1980)
^Willmott, Hedley Paul (1983). The Barrier and the Javelin: Japanese and Allied Pacific strategies, February to June 1942. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-092-1. OCLC 9828511.
^{Coventry Evening Telegraph, "'Terror' Quinan Dies", 15 Nov 1960
^"National Museum of the USAF - Photos". www.nationalmuseum.af.mil. Archived from the original on 5 September 2010. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
^Prange, Gordon W.; Donald M Goldstein; Katherine V. Dillon (1988). December 7, 1941: the day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-07-050682-4. OCLC 15793660.
Lists portal
