Quote Originally Posted by Mad Aussie View Post
I've heard of these before but didn't realise they were virtually the same aircraft. What is the reason for the names?
The British designated airplanes by name followed by a mark number to show the level of modification. The U. S. used number and letter designations. There were separate systems for the Army Airforce and the Navy.

In 1942 the use of popular names was encouraged in the U. S. in an attempt to conceal the level of modification of the airplanes. Often the British name was adopted. In some cases, there was already an American nickname that was used.

The attempted concealment seems to Mike to be rather futile, as the complete designation of the airplane was stenciled on the side of it. So the enemy would have that information after the first new airplane was shot down.