Fliegender Büchsenöffner

German aircraft and aircraft equipment code-names

Besides the standard letter/number combinations - for example Bf109 or He177 - the German Luftwaffe (like the Wehrmacht or Kriegsmarine too) sometimes also used unique names for their planes and also their other equipment like e.g. radars or rockets .
Sometimes the pilots also developed nicknames for their planes which weren´t used officially, but commonly known inside the Luftwaffe.

German name Translation Description
Aggregat 4 Unit 4 Official German term for the V 2
Ameisenbär Anteater nickname of the Dornier Do-335
Amerikabomber dto. Messerschmidt Me-264
Bachstelze Wagtail Focke-Achgelis Fa330 (lightweight helicopter)
Condor - Focke-Wulf FW200
Drachen Dragon Focke-Achgelis Fa-223 (helicopter)
Falke Falcon Focke-Wulf FW-187
Flak 18 - 8,8cm anti-aircraft gun
Flak 43 - 3,7cm anti-aircraft gun
Fliegender Bleistift Flying Pen nickname for the Dornier Do-17
Fliegender Büchsenöffner Flying Canopener nickname for the Henschel Hs-123
Foehn dto. HS217 (7,3cm anti-aircraft rocket)
Fritz X dto. nickname of the SD-1400X gliding bomb
Gigant Giant Messerschmidt Me-321 (glider) and Me-323 (transporter)
Greif Griffon Heinkel He-177 (heavy bomber)
Hecht Pike Arado Ar-234 (jet plane)
Hornisse Hornet Messerschmidt Me-410
Kirschkern Cherry stone Fieseler Fi-103 (better known as V1)
Komet Comet Messerschmidt Me-163 (jet plane)
Lichtenstein - FuG 202/212 (airborne radar used in German nightfighters)
Mistel Mistletoe unmanned version of the Junkers Ju-88 (Used as a flying bomb)
Natter Adder Bachem Ba-349 (rocket plane)
Orkan Hurricane R4M (5,5cm air to air missile)
Pfeil Arrow Dornier Do-335
Reichenberg - manned version of the V1
Reichsfeuerzeug Lighter of the Reich nickname of the Heinkel He-177
Rheinbote Rhine-messenger Unguided ground to ground missile (similar to the V2)
Rheintochter Rhine-daughter German ballistic missile
Salamander dto. Heinkel He-162
Schwalbe Swallow Messerschmidt Me-262
Storch Stork Fieseler Fi-156
Stuka (abbr. of Sturzkampfbomber) Dive-bomber Junkers Ju-87
Sturmvogel - bomber-version of the Messerschmidt Me-262
Uhu Eagle-owl Heinkel He-219
Volksjäger People´s fighter nickname of the Heinkel He-162
Wasserfall Waterfall smaller anti-aircraft version of the V2
Wal Whale Blohm & Voss BV-222 (flying boat)
Würzburg dto. Funkmeßgerät FuMg 62 (ground based radar)
Zwilling Twin Heinkel He-111Z (used for towing the Me321 glider)
If your browser supports background colors in tables:
White background = Official German names
Yellowish background = Nicknames
http://twind.simplenet.com/names.htm

Die He177 wurde wegen ihrer "beeindruckenden" Flugeigenschaften von den Besatzungen auch "Fliegender Sarg" genannt.
Und der "Fliegende Büchsenöffner", die Hs123, war trotz ihrer etwas veralteten Konstruktion sehr erfolgreich bei der Panzerbekämpfung, daher der Name (falls sich das keiner denken konnte). ;)
Die Ar 234 wurde auch "Blitz" genannt.