Thanks Mick, sniperton and thanks to all others for your suggestions.
As a native german speaker myself and with my pidgin english, my take on translating german and english nicknames and the like is this:
Mistel:
This actually isn't a proper name, it's rather a description of the system of attaching a fighter to a "mothership" bomber, like a mistletoe gets attached to an aspen.
The same name was used for multiple plane combinations and for this reason alone already doesn't qualify for being a proper name.
Additionally, in reality "Mistel" was just the lower component of the composite system. For details see
In my opinion, this should be translated. We might want to take the chance to use "Beethoven-Gerät ("Beethoven Device")" instead of "Mistel", because that's what I find being used most often in official documents and books.
early version: To be translated, no doubt.
late version: To be translated, no doubt.
Spats: To be translated, no doubt.
Naval: To be translated, no doubt.
Gear: To be translated, no doubt.
Trainer: To be translated, no doubt.
Tanker: To be translated, no doubt.
Fieseler Fi 156 Storch, 1939:
The russians built this plane as Antonov OKA-38 Аист (russian for "Stork"). Apparently this name gets translated.
In general, if a name has a proper translation available, why not use it?
Fw 190 A-7 "Sturm":
"Sturm" wasn't a proper noun either, just a nickname describing the role of the plane (rush/rage/storm sth.).
I'd vote for translating such descriptives nicks if proper translations are available.
Fw 190 F-8/Pb anti tank, 1944:
"Antitank" is the role of the plane and should be translated. "Panzerblitz" is a german neologism and as such, cannot be translated properly, so we should keep using it's abbreviation "Pb".
He-111Z : Z for Zwilling "twin linked":
Similar to "Mistel" or "Sturm", "Zwilling" is a design description with proper translation available.
Should be translated IMHO.
He-219 "Uhu":
Similar to "Mistel", "Sturm" and "Zwilling", "Uhu" is a design description with proper translation available.
Should be translated IMHO.
Ju-88G1-Stechmücke:
"Stechmücke" is the other german name of a Mosquito (besides simply "Moskito").
The germans chose this name following the de Havilland's name.
I would translate it, because the nick (which again never was an official proper noun for this plane) shall describe it's role.
ME-410-A "Hornisse":
Not a proper noun, just a nick, with proper translation available.
In analogy to other such german nicks, I'd vote for translating it.
Vice versa, the de Havilland Mosquito was never called "Mosquito" in any official german document.
It's always been referred to by it's german translation "Moskito".
Other english names like "Spitfire" or "Hurricane" remained as such though.
And of course NATO nicks for russian planes should not be translated, no one ever did so.
Mike
Witam i pozdrawiam, some help with polish language translations:
Mistel: Jemioła
early version: wersja wczesna
late version: wersja póżna
spats: owiewki
naval: morski
gear: podwozie
trainer: treningowy
tanker: cysterna
Storck: Bocian
Sturm: Wichura or Burza
Antitank: przeciwczołgowy
Zwilling: Bliźniak
Uhu: Puchacz
Stehnmucke: Komar or Moskit
Hornisse: Szerszeń
I looked at the translation sheet and the first thing I saw wrong was the polish translation for "early". Early means "wczesny" in polish not "pierwszy"