--- title: "7 badass nicknames enemies have given the American military" description: "Badass military nicknames become even better when they have a great backstory like being bestowed by an enemy who faced the unit in battle." date: "2021-07-24" modified: "2022-12-20" authors: - name: "Logan Nye" job_title: "Senior Contributor, Army Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/logan-nye.md" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/7-badass-nicknames-enemies-have-given-the-american-military/" categories: - "History" --- # 7 badass nicknames enemies have given the American military ![]() Badass nicknames become even better when they have a great backstory like being bestowed by an enemy who faced the unit in battle. While the [Marines probably weren't dubbed "Devil Dogs" by the Germans](), a number of other military organizations claim their nicknames come from the enemy. ## Here are 7 of these badass nicknames: ### 1. "Phantom" ![phantom badass military nicknames]() *They're pretty easy to spot in this picture.... Photo: US Army* The 9th Armored Division was deployed to the northern front of the Battle of the Bulge as it was beginning in 1944. The Germans [began referring to the unit]() as "Phantom" because it seemed to appear everywhere along the front. ### 2. "Bloody Bucket" ![bloody bucket]() *Photo: US Army Tec 5 Wesley B. Carolan* Soldiers with the 28th Infantry Division were known for vicious fighting tactics during the Normandy Campaign. Since they wore a red patch that was shaped like a bucket, [the Germans began calling]() the division the "Bloody Bucket." ### 3. "Devils in Baggy Pants" ![devils in baggy pants]() *Photo: US Army* During the invasion of Italy in 1943, the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment were defending the right flank of the 3rd Infantry Division and conducted regular raids into the enemy's outposts. A [dead German officer's diary supposedly]() contained the nickname for the airborne infantrymen. ### 4. "The Blue Ghost" ![blue ghost badass military nicknames]() *Photo: US Army Corps of Engineers* Japanese propaganda kept reporting that the USS *Lexington* had been sunk and kept being proven wrong when the blue-hulled aircraft carrier came back and whooped them time and time again. This eventually led [Tokyo Rose to dub it]() "The Blue Ghost." ### 5. "Grey Ghost" ![grey ghost]() *Photo: US Navy* "Grey Ghost" was applied to a few ships because the Tokyo Rose writers were apparently lazy. The [USS *Hornet*](), the [USS]()*[ Pensacola]()*, and the USS *America* all claim the nickname and the story for each is the same, Tokyo Rose bestowed it on them in World War II. ### 6. "Black Death" ![black death badass military nicknames]() *Photo: US Air Force Master Sgt. John Nimmo Sr.* Iraqi troops resisting the American advance in Desert Storm learned to fear the Apache helicopter even before the "Highway of Death." After the Apache destroyed their radar stations and many of the tanks and troops, Iraqi soldiers began calling it the "Black Death." ### 7. "Steel Rain" ![steel rain badass military nicknames]() *Photo: US Army Staff Sgt. Carlos R. Davis* Iraqi soldiers who survived the first combat deployment of the Multiple Launch Rocket System, which can fire rockets that explode over the enemies head and releases hundreds of lethal bomblets, [dubbed the weapon "Steel Rain."]() The 3rd Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment soldiers who fired on the soldiers adopted "Steel Rain" as their official unit nickname. ## Author Logan was an Army journalist and paratrooper in the 82nd. Now, he's a freelance writer covering military history, culture, and technology. He has two upcoming podcasts and a Twitch channel focused on basic military literacy. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [Facebook]() ## More - [8 more awesome nicknames that enemies gave the U.S. military]() - [The 15 coolest unit nicknames in the US military]() - [How enemy aircraft get their American nicknames]() - [The interesting backstories to each of Gen. Jim Mattis’ nicknames]() - [11 best-ever nicknames of military leaders]() - [December 7, 1941, will live in infamy, but December 8 proved to have the most impact for Americans]() - [37 been-there-done-that nicknames for military gear]() - [This is how Japan went from enemy to ally of the US]()