Washing Machine Charlie - Nickname of Japanese fighter pilot whose Zero aircraft frequently strafed or bombed the WWII Naval installations on and near the South Pacific island of Taratupa on the military comedy MCHALE'S NAVY/ABC/1962-66. McHale and his sailor's routinely used the machine gun on the back of their PT Boat 73 to ward off Charlie's attacks. Note: Historically, the Japanese Zero used by Washing Machine Charlie was based on Howard Hugh's H-1 airplane design refused by the US Army and later sold to the Japanese government in 1937. The same design was used to construct the aircraft which attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941. See also - "Five O'clock Charlie"