When did aerial victories start being called "kills"?

[Feathered_IV]

The word Kill seems to have wormed itself into the popular consciousness when it comes to describing one aircraft causing the damage or destruction of another.  However it wasn't always so. 

Once upon a time, aircraft were described as having been Driven Down, or Forced to Land.  Later they were called Victories, and sometime after that the term Kill became popular.

 

As I'm reading through the career texts, I'm seeing a number of modern phrases that seem out of place in a WW2 setting.  It got me wondering when and by whom was the description first used.  It sounds like something that might originate in America.  I'm also very interested to know what other nations called them.  The Russians or the Japanese for example...

 

Does anybody know? 

[[APAF]VR_Spartan85]

Probably in the beginning of aviation it was a bit more of a gentleman’s sport... and as it carried through the reality of it came out and people just called it what it is... 

but I am curious as well, I prefer the term ‘victories’ or ‘downed’. 

 

Wonder what this question may reveal?

[Cybermat47]

The term seems to have originated before 1941 or 1942, as I recall that when Franz Stigler arrived in Africa, his CO told him not to use the term “kill”, but instead “victory”. 

Edited March 23, 2018 by FFS_Cybermat47

[sevenless]

1 minute ago, FFS_Cybermat47 said:

The term seems to have originated before 1941 or 1942, as I recall that when Franz Stigler arrived in Africa, his CO told him not to use the term “kill”, but instead “victory”. 

 

In german language we have two words "Luftsieg" (lit. aerial victory) and "Abschuss" (lit. shooting down). The english word "kill" (lit. Mord, Tötungsakt) isn´t and wasn´t used for describing the act of shooting down an airplane. So my guess is that the replacemant of aerial victory with kill isn´t something which originates in the german language or how the germans used to call things.

[Feathered_IV]

10 minutes ago, FFS_Cybermat47 said:

The term seems to have originated before 1941 or 1942, as I recall that when Franz Stigler arrived in Africa, his CO told him not to use the term “kill”, but instead “victory”. 

 

Interesting.  I wonder if it originated in the US popular culture between the wars.  I wonder if any Russian speakers here know what the soviets called it during WW2.

[CanadaOne]

I'd like to see adjectives based on the amount and kind of damage inflicted; Shredded, Obliterated, Incinerated.

 

Adds a little colour. 

[Rjel]

3 minutes ago, Feathered_IV said:

 

Interesting.  I wonder if it originated in the US popular culture between the wars.  I wonder if any Russian speakers here know what the soviets called it during WW2.

Why exactly would you think that?

[EAF19_Marsh]

I don not recall this being used in original RAF combat reports or memoirs, but I could be mistaken.

[Feathered_IV]

Hi Rjel, About the US origin?   I’d seen the covers of some old pulp fiction books and magazines which used the phrase “Kills”.  

[sniperton]

I guess 'kill' was taken over from hunting. Shooting down a duck or an airplane are the same gentleman-like sport. I wouldn't be surprised if it had had WWI origins.

[Herne]

 

Edited March 23, 2018 by =FEW=Herne
in this case, kill fits better than victory ;)

[C130castrum8]

撃墜, gekitsui in Japanese. The first character means "shoot" and the second "fall/crash".

[busdriver]

Feathered you ask an interesting question. I agree with modern terms creeping into the written word of this game. I've tried to avoiding them when suggesting edits as a tester. Having been reading about air combat since the 1960s (Ballantine War Books anyone?) I think the use of kill is a Vietnam era thing.

 

I'm flipping through my copy of Combat Kill by Hugh Morgan & Jurgen Seibel at the moment. I also have an official USAF title with the very long title of USAF Credits For The Destruction Of Enemy Aircraft, World War II. It consistently refers to "victory credits" in the Introduction, never mentions "kills."