MANICHAEAN
04-23-2011, 06:19 AM
What’s In A Name?
Every international conflict seems to bring with it a fancy new code name. We all became familiar with “Operation Desert Shield” which was to evolve into “Desert Storm” and eventually “Desert Calm”, although there wasn't anything particularly calm about the situation in Iraq. But they got the "desert" bit right. With the current Libyan conflict they've come up with “Operation Odyssey Dawn”, which sounds a bit like a Frederick Forsyth novel.
These slogans tend to be rather predictable, designed to suggest strength without causing undue offence, although the people on the receiving end of these operations might see it from a somewhat different perspective.
Sometimes they get a bit carried away as in “Urgent Fury” announcing the US invasion of Grenada in 1983 . The slogan writers had cooled down a bit by the time of the next invasion, Panama 1989, taking the moral high ground with the message “Just Cause”, which became “Promote Liberty” just in case you didn't realise who were the good guys. However, “Operation Glad Tidings of Benevolence” in Iraq in 2009 was generally considered bit of a mouthful.
There have been thoughout history quite an assortment of names for military operations. It must have been a Glenn Miller fan who was responsible for “Chattanooga Choo Choo”, a World War II exercise to bomb German railways. Then there was the somewhat oblique “Toenails”, an operation to capture the Pacific archipelago, New Georgia.
There have been a few puzzling ones. The Allied operation against German aircraft factories in 1944 went by the name of “Operation Argument”, while a World War II assault in New Guinea was called “Reckless”.
There was considerable debate over what to call the 2003 invasion of Iraq until “Operation Iraqi Freedom” was settled on. TV host Jay Leno commented at the time, "They were going to call it “Operation Iraqi Liberation”, then they realised that spells “OIL."
Some had a sporting theme, many with a British flavour, including “Operation Cricket” for a conference in Malta and “Rugby”: for an attack in southern France. Others most definitely not of British origin were “Operation Flea Flicker” and “Operation Triple Play”.
In lower-level exercises in Afghanistan and Iraq, there have been some signs of creativity with “Operation Tangerine Squeeze”, which sounds a bit like a psychedelic rock band, and “Soprano Sunset” which has a certain lyrical style to it.
Some of the more colourful names come from military operations in Burma. It was probably the images of a jungle landscape that prompted “Operation Tarzan” for a World War II offensive in Burma and then a planned attack on Rangoon was codenamed “Dracula”. You get the impression the officer responsible had seen too many B movies. And there's a certain frivolous feel to another operation in Burma called “Saucy”.
There is an intriguing war-time tale about the Chindits, featuring the English expression "taking umbrage", meaning to be displeased or offended by the actions of others.
In 1944, the British 77th Infantry Brigade (Chindits) were denied the credit for capturing the Japanese-held town of Mogaung in Burma by American general Joe Stillwell and his mainly Chinese troops who instead took the honours.
Having failed to have their heroic achievement recognised and losing 1,800 men out of 2,300, the Chindits' fuming commanding officer, Brig Mad Mike Calvert, sarcastically signalled to Stillwell: "The Chinese having taken Mogaung, 77 Brigade is proceeding to take Umbrage."
This prompted a flurry of map reading among Stillwell's staff as they searched diligently for this place in Burma called Umbridge which Mad Mike was supposedly heading for!
Every international conflict seems to bring with it a fancy new code name. We all became familiar with “Operation Desert Shield” which was to evolve into “Desert Storm” and eventually “Desert Calm”, although there wasn't anything particularly calm about the situation in Iraq. But they got the "desert" bit right. With the current Libyan conflict they've come up with “Operation Odyssey Dawn”, which sounds a bit like a Frederick Forsyth novel.
These slogans tend to be rather predictable, designed to suggest strength without causing undue offence, although the people on the receiving end of these operations might see it from a somewhat different perspective.
Sometimes they get a bit carried away as in “Urgent Fury” announcing the US invasion of Grenada in 1983 . The slogan writers had cooled down a bit by the time of the next invasion, Panama 1989, taking the moral high ground with the message “Just Cause”, which became “Promote Liberty” just in case you didn't realise who were the good guys. However, “Operation Glad Tidings of Benevolence” in Iraq in 2009 was generally considered bit of a mouthful.
There have been thoughout history quite an assortment of names for military operations. It must have been a Glenn Miller fan who was responsible for “Chattanooga Choo Choo”, a World War II exercise to bomb German railways. Then there was the somewhat oblique “Toenails”, an operation to capture the Pacific archipelago, New Georgia.
There have been a few puzzling ones. The Allied operation against German aircraft factories in 1944 went by the name of “Operation Argument”, while a World War II assault in New Guinea was called “Reckless”.
There was considerable debate over what to call the 2003 invasion of Iraq until “Operation Iraqi Freedom” was settled on. TV host Jay Leno commented at the time, "They were going to call it “Operation Iraqi Liberation”, then they realised that spells “OIL."
Some had a sporting theme, many with a British flavour, including “Operation Cricket” for a conference in Malta and “Rugby”: for an attack in southern France. Others most definitely not of British origin were “Operation Flea Flicker” and “Operation Triple Play”.
In lower-level exercises in Afghanistan and Iraq, there have been some signs of creativity with “Operation Tangerine Squeeze”, which sounds a bit like a psychedelic rock band, and “Soprano Sunset” which has a certain lyrical style to it.
Some of the more colourful names come from military operations in Burma. It was probably the images of a jungle landscape that prompted “Operation Tarzan” for a World War II offensive in Burma and then a planned attack on Rangoon was codenamed “Dracula”. You get the impression the officer responsible had seen too many B movies. And there's a certain frivolous feel to another operation in Burma called “Saucy”.
There is an intriguing war-time tale about the Chindits, featuring the English expression "taking umbrage", meaning to be displeased or offended by the actions of others.
In 1944, the British 77th Infantry Brigade (Chindits) were denied the credit for capturing the Japanese-held town of Mogaung in Burma by American general Joe Stillwell and his mainly Chinese troops who instead took the honours.
Having failed to have their heroic achievement recognised and losing 1,800 men out of 2,300, the Chindits' fuming commanding officer, Brig Mad Mike Calvert, sarcastically signalled to Stillwell: "The Chinese having taken Mogaung, 77 Brigade is proceeding to take Umbrage."
This prompted a flurry of map reading among Stillwell's staff as they searched diligently for this place in Burma called Umbridge which Mad Mike was supposedly heading for!