bash home/end/delete key is inserting a tilde, or if preceded by escape key, [1~ [3~

You customize bash via an .inputrc file in your /home/username , you can copy the default

cp /etc/inputrc.default   ~/.inputrc

here is mine (comments start with # )

# Key-bindings for the command-line editor.

# Ask before displaying >50 items
# Since $WINDIR $PATH var can be in $PATH, this could list
# all window exectables in C:\WINDOWS
set completion-query-items 50

# Ignore case for the command-line-completion functionality
# on:  default to a Windows style console
# off: default to a *nix style console
set completion-ignore-case on

# none, visible or audible
set bell-style audible

# disable/enable 8bit input
set meta-flag on
set input-meta on
set output-meta off
set convert-meta on

# visible-stats
# Append a mark according to the file type in a listing
set visible-stats off
set mark-directories on

# Show all instead of beeping first
set show-all-if-ambiguous off

# MSYSTEM is emacs based
$if mode=emacs
    # Common to Console & RXVT
    "\C-?": backward-kill-line          # Ctrl-BackSpace
    "\e[2~": paste-from-clipboard       # "Ins. Key"
    "\e[5~": beginning-of-history       # Page up
    "\e[6~": end-of-history             # Page down

    $if term=msys # RXVT
        "\e[7~": beginning-of-line      # Home Key
        "\e[8~": end-of-line            # End Key
        "\e[11~": display-shell-version # F1
        "\e[15~": re-read-init-file     # F5
    #$endif
    #$if term=cygwin # Console
    $else
        "\e[1~": beginning-of-line      # Home Key
        "\e[4~": end-of-line            # End Key


"\e[3~": delete-char            # Delete Key
#~      "\e\e[D": backward-word         # Alt-LeftArrow
#~      "\e\e[C": forward-word          # Alt-RightArrow
            "\M-\e[D": backward-word            # Alt-LeftArrow
            "\M-\e[C": forward-word         # Alt-RightArrow
    `#~`        "\C-\E[D": backward-word        # Ctrl-LeftArrow, nowork, can't be made to work
    #~`enter preformatted text here`        "\C-\E[C": forward-word         # Ctrl-RightArrow, nowork, can't be made to work
    #~ to see current bindings use    bind -q backward-kill-line
            "\e\e": kill-whole-line        # double/triple escape works :) Esc/Escape to delete current line like cmd.exe

        $endif
    $endif

to find out what you need to type in your inputrc on the left side (the escape code, as it can vary between laptop/desktop...), at the prompt type echo ' then type Ctrl-V followed by the key , like Home, then type ' example

$ echo ' home key ^[[1~  '
 home key
~
$ echo ' end key ^[[4~  '
 end key
~
$ echo ' pg up page up ^[[5~ '
 pg up page up
~
$ echo ' pg dn page down ^[[6~ '
 pg dn page down
~

then replace each ^[ with \e add \M- for Alt theoretically you'd use \C- for Ctrl but it currently doesn't work (windows limitation)

the available commands (like backward-kill-line) are listed in http://www.gnu.org/software/bash/manual/bashref.html#index-backward_002dkill_002dline-_0028C_002dx-Rubout_0029

you can view existing keyboard shortcuts/bindings with bind -p or

$ bind -q backward-kill-word
backward-kill-word can be invoked via "\M-\C-h", "\M-\C-?".
~
$ bind -q backward-word
backward-word can be invoked via "\M-\M-[D", "\M-b", "\C-\E[[D".
~
$ bind -q beginning-of-line
beginning-of-line can be invoked via "\C-a", "\M-OH", "\M-[1~", "\M-[H".
~

don't mess with TERMCAP

Well, since you say you're working on Windows and not using a proper terminal emulator such as PuTTY (with mintty, puttycyg et al), I would recommend you consult the readline documentation and learn the shortcuts for readline. It'll be better in the long run.

If you were to use a terminal emulator instead of the console window (not talking about the interpreter/shell here) that comes with Windows, you'd get a more configurable alternative. Once you attempt using other programs like Vim, things will only get worse.

The gist: use a proper terminal emulator, even on Windows or learn the readline shortcuts. I tested the ones I use most just now and they work with msys.bat.

mingw-get install mintty && mintty

---

The file to edit would be /usr/share/terminfo (which doesn't exist in MinGW) - use tic to "compile" rules (which isn't even included because everyone knows that the support would be severely crippled). However, I haven't seen any useful development to make this even near usable on Windows. This is why you should use a proper terminal emulator in the first place. But I'm sure a surgeon will be able to use a kitchen knife for surgery, so why shouldn't you use the Windows built-in console windows. Good luck.

Check for installation of Readline

When this happens on a minimal installation of recent Debian/Ubuntu, it's probably because you haven't installed the readline-common package. Simply installing the package will solve it.

E.g. on Docker with Debian Stretch typing ls HOME:

$ docker run --rm -it debian:stretch
root@6ae7baea9e5a:/# ls~

$ docker run -it --name=debian-stretch-readline-temp debian:stretch
root@2092cb968232:/# apt-get update
root@2092cb968232:/# apt-get install readline-common

$ docker commit debian-stretch-readline-temp debian-stretch-with-readline
$ docker run --rm -it debian-stretch-with-readline
root@53739343e9f7:/# ls

Please note that after installing readline-common it will only have effect on new login shells.