Britain's Flying Porcupine — Why Fighters Feared This Slow Plane

Описание: German pilots called it the "flying porcupine." Or at least, that's the legend. The truth is probably more British than that.The nickname first appeared in British press accounts in September 1940, presented with the breathless certainty that characterized wartime propaganda. Fearsome Sunderland. Bristling with defensive armament. Grudging respect from Luftwaffe pilots who knew better than to tangle with it. The framing was perfect for morale purposes—plucky British flying boat, outmatched in speed but unconquerable in spirit.But the sourcing was conspicuously absent.Here's what historical investigation actually reveals: the phrase "Flying Porcupine" almost certainly originated not in the mess halls of German reconnaissance units but in the offices of the Ministry of Information. British propaganda, designed to boost civilian and military morale during the most desperate period of the war. The German version would have been "Fliegende Stachelschwein," and there's precious little evidence that Luftwaffe pilots used it with any regularity.Fleet Street needed heroes in September 1940. The Sunderland—slow, ungainly, but undeniably present over the Atlantic while fighters dueled above England—fit the narrative requirements perfectly. So the Ministry of Information gave it a nickname that sounded like it came from the enemy. That's how propaganda works. You don't claim your own aircraft is terrifying. You claim the enemy thinks it's terrifying.