phrase
General Slang
Tail-end Charlie
· phrase · military
Rear gunner in a WWII bomber — the most exposed crewman on the aircraft.
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Definitions
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The rear gunner sealed into the tail turret of a heavy bomber — Lancaster, Halifax, B-17. Freezing, isolated, and statistically the crewman most likely to die: enemy night fighters made the tail their first target to knock out defensive guns. Life expectancy on Bomber Command tours was brutal, and Tail-end Charlie wore the worst odds of all.
“His grandad flew thirty ops as Tail-end Charlie in a Lanc and somehow came home.”
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By extension, the last aircraft in a formation, or the last vehicle/person in any line. The straggler. Easy pickings for whatever's hunting you.
“Don't be Tail-end Charlie on the motorway run — get in the middle of the convoy.”
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Tail-end Charlie In A Sentence
His grandad flew thirty ops as Tail-end Charlie in a Lanc and somehow came home.
Don't be Tail-end Charlie on the motorway run — get in the middle of the convoy.
Origin & Usage
RAF Bomber Command, WWII. 'Charlie' was generic forces slang for any unnamed bloke.
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