| Radio communications often doesn't have the fidelity to make someone clearly understood. This is particulary true when letter codes are used, especially with
noisy backgrounds at the receiving or transmitting end. Accents can also make radio transmissions difficult to understand. To ensure messages were clearly understood as much as possible, a
phonetic alphabet was developed. Below are the phonetic alphabets of WWII and today. Numbers, in general, weren't as big of a problem. The numbers "5" and "9," however, similar enough to warrant attention. "5" would be pronounced "Fi-yev" and "9" was pronounced "niner." As and example, a pilot flying the aircraft 2S-S radioing the tower might say, "Fickle, deepseat sugar...." Fickle was the radio call sign of the tower, deepseat was the radio call sign of the 834th squadron, and "Sugar" would identify the plane with an "S" ID.
|
|
WWII Phonetic Alphabet
|
Modern Phonetic Alphabet
|
Aircraft | Crews | Letters | Places | Strike
Copyright © 1998-2024, 486th Bomb Group Association.