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Term | Definition |
---|---|
A1B | RAF category for “Medically fit to fly”. |
A-2 | Canadian Artillery Training Centre. |
A/A | "Ack-Ack" anti-aircraft gun. |
AAF | (RAF) Auxiliary Air Force. |
AASF | Advanced Air Striking Force. RAF fighter serving from bases in France pre-Dunkirk evacuation in 1940. |
AB | (RAF) Aor Bomber. |
ABC | Airbourne Cigar. A 3 stage jammer code used in 1944 to interfere with German fighter Control. |
ABDA | American-British-Dutch- Australian forces that made up the South-West Pacific Command. |
“Abwehr” | (Gr.) Wehrmacht intelligence service. (WWII); also POW camp ‘defense’ guards looking for escape plans aka ‘ferrets’ by the POW’s. |
a/c | Air craft. |
A/C | Air Commodore. |
AC2 | Aircraftman 2nd Class. Lowest rank in RCAF a.k.a. “acey-deucy”, “erks”. Promotion to AC1. |
ACDC | Air Crew Distribution Centre. |
"Ace" | A pilot with five confirmed enemy aircraft destroyed. |
“Acey Deucey | (RAF/RCAF) slang for AC2 rating Aircraftsman Second Class, the lowest rank in the RCAF. |
ACH | Aircrafthand. |
ACI | Atlantic Convoy Instructions (1943). |
"ack" | A highly trained technical assistant to an artillery officer. A carry over from the British Phonetic alphabet, stands for assistant |
"ack-ack" | Anti-aircraft (A/A). |
ACM | Air Chief Marshal (RAF). |
AC1 | Aircraftsman 1st Class. |
AC2 | Aircraftsman 2nd Class. |
Achnacarry | Commando training center in Scotland. |
ACP | Airdrome Control Pilot. |
ACRC | Air Crew Receiving Centre. |
“Acey-Deucys” | (RAF/RCAF) aka AC2 – Aircraftmen 2nd Class. |
ADC | Advanced Dressing Station. (WWI) |
ADC | Aides de camp. |
ADGB | Air Defence of Great Britain. What the British air force was called pre 1930. |
ADS | Advanced Dressing Station. |
AEAF | Allied Expeditionary Air Force. |
AFA | Australian Field Artillery. (WWI) |
AFC | Air Force Cross. |
AFDU | Air fighting training unit. |
AFHQ | Allied Force Head Quarters. Censored reports for the battlefields. They also oversaw Operation Husky as “Force 141”. |
AFRO | Air Force Regulations & Orders. |
AFS | Auxiliary Fire Service (Established during the Blitz in England). |
AFU | Advance Flying Unit. Usually located overseas, to finish the BCATP training before operational flying. |
AFV | Armoured Fighting Vehicle. |
AG | (RAF) Air Gunner. |
AGRA | Army Group Royal Artillery. |
AI | Airbourne Interceptor consisting of a small radar set mounted in a RAF night-fighter such as the Beaufighter air craft, first used in 1940. |
“air lines” | Wires strung for communications on poles, frequently damaged by enemy fire or carelessness. (WWI) |
AIB | Accident Investigation Branch (RCAF) established in March 1942 to investigate service flying accidents. |
Air Battalion – Royal Engineers | Formed in 1911 was the first military unit of flyers (19 pilots). |
Air Observation Post Squadron | (RAF) Light aircraft piloted by a Royal Artillery officer who controlled & directed artillery fire in Italy. |
Air-Ops | Air Operations Plane. |
“Aktion Kugel” | (Germ.) for ‘Operation Bullet’ where in February,1944 Heinrich Himler put re-captured POW’s in the hands of the Gestopo secret police. |
ALC | Assault Landing Craft. Smaller and less protected than a MLC. |
A/M | Air Marshal. |
AMC | Armed Merchant Cruiser. |
ANC | (US) African National Corps. Black truck drivers in WWII. |
"Angels" | (RAF) Reference to altitude, ie: “Angles fifteen.” Is 15,000ft. |
RNS | Air Navigation School (RCAF). |
Anti-Tank Rifle | Introduced in 1918 by the Germans, a bolt-action rifle which fired a 13.2mm shell that could penetrate 25mm (1”) of steel plating as a anti-personnel weapon. |
‘ANVIL’ | Code name for the invasion of Italy. |
AOC | Air Officer Commanding. |
AOS | Air Observers School – Navigator training. |
AP | Armour Piercing. |
AOP | (Br./Cdn.) Air Observation Post. A light aircraft used to ‘spot’ artillery fire on enemy position. |
APA | US Attack transport. |
"appell" | The German word for a roll-call in a POW camp. |
"Archie" | Br. WW I nickname for German anti-aircraft fire. Adopted by the Am. in WWII. |
APD | (US) Assault Personnel Destroyer. |
ARP | Ammunition Refilling Point. |
“Artillery Formation” | (WWI) Infantry practiced not to bunch together when under artillery attack. |
"arty rep" | Slang for the Artillery Representative. |
ASD | Air Service Department. (1939) |
A/S | Anti-Submarine Escot Groups. |
ASI | Air Speed Indicator. |
A/S/R | Air Sea Rescue. |
ASV | Air-to-Service – Vessel – A aircraft mounted radar 1st installed in RAF Coastal Command patrol bombers. |
ATA | Air Transport Axillary, formed in 1940 included 166 female pilots who were able to fly various aircraft from Spitfires to bombers to RAF stations. |
ATC | Air Traffic Control. |
ATC | (USAAF) Air Transport Command. |
ATG | Atlantic Transportation Group (aka Ferry Command). |
ATS | Axillary Territorial Service (The main British women’s service in WWII). |
Athnacary | British Commando base on the west coast of Scotland. |
AU | (Br.) Assault Unit. |
AVM | Air Vice-Marshal (RAF/RCAF). |
Aussies | Australians. |
AVRE | Armoured Vehicles Royal Engineers. |
A/S | Anti-Submarine. |
ASDIC | Allied Submarine Detection Investigation Committee (aka Sonar). |
ASV | Air to Surface Vessel – Aircraft radar. |
ASW | Anti-Submarine Warfare. |
ATA | Air Transport Auxiliary. Ferried aircraft in the UK from the factories to the airfields. |
ATFERO | Atlantic Ferry Organization. Established in 1940 to fly aircraft from North America to England. |
AVG | American Volunteer Group; (RAF) also known as the “Flying Tigers”. Commanded by Chemnault in China they also fought in Burma with the RAF until the USA entered the conflict. |
AVM | Air Vice Marshal. |
AVRE | Armoured Vehicles Royal Engineers, these would include Churchill tanks with Petard, Short range heavy motors and various bridging devices. |
AWL / AWOL | Absent Without Leave. |
BABS | A system of blind approach using radar (RAF). |
BC | Battery Commander. |
BAD | Base Ammunition Dump. (Between the 15th & 26th of July 1944, 21st Army group fired 1,158,490 shells). |
BAR | Browing Automatic Rifle. |
Bde. / Brigade | Units of infantry or tanks. |
Bdr. | Bombardier. |
BAFO | British Air Force of Occupation. |
Bailey Bridge | Portable, temporary bridges used in WWII, often referred to as Meccano sets, in reference to the child’s toy. |
"Balbo" | (Br.) The combining of 2 RAF Wings into one Wing to tackle large massed German raids on England in 1940. |
"Bandits" | (Br.) Enemy aircraft. |
Bangalore torpedo | A long pipe filled with explosive, thrust under tangles of barbed wire and exploded to clear paths for attacking infantry. |
BAMS | British and Allied Merchant Ship Code. A radio channel during WWII dedicated to Message traffic to convoys at sea. “Broadcasts for Allied Merchant Ships.” |
"Bank" | A steep turn (RCAF). |
B.A.R. | Browning Automatic Rifle (.30 Caliber, 20 round magazine). |
BAT | Beam Approach Training (RCAF). |
BATM | British Admiralty Technical Mission. |
Bazooka | A shoulder launched American (WWII) anti-tank weapon. |
BBMF | Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. |
BCATP | British Commonwealth Air Training Plan aka “The Plan”. |
BCD | British Columbia Dragoons. |
BCDU | Bomber command development unit. |
BCR | British Columbia Regiment. |
BCRM | British Canadian Recruiting Mission. A number of ‘mission’ operated between June 1917 and July 1918 recruiting British subjects living in the USA to “volunteer” to join the CEF after the Selective Service Act passed in the United States. (WWI) |
B-Dienst | German service that intercepted British coded signals. It was located at Beobachter, 72 Tirpitzuller, Berlin. |
BDS | Brigade Dressing Station. |
BdU | (Gr) Befehlshaber der Unterseeboute. The U-Boat Force HQ. |
BDU | Bomber Development Unit. |
Beachmaster | The Naval equivalent to the MLO. The Naval officer is responsible to land with the first assault boats to clearly mark the beaches for other assault craft and to mark the routes off the beach, control traffic on the beach. The MLO does the same for attacking troops, calling in boats to evacuate wounded or troops working with the Beachmaster. |
"Beating his gums" | Yakking too much. |
"Beat up" | To attack a target continuously (RCAF). |
BEF | British Expeditionary Force. |
B & GS | Bombing & Gunnery School. |
BEM | British Empire Medal. |
Bessoneau(x) | French-design of aircraft field hanger, of canvas roof and sides, with a bulky Internal framework. (WWI) |
BG | Bomb Group. |
BGGS | (Br.) Brigadier-General – General Staff. |
BHQ | Battalion Headquarters. |
“Big Ack” | (WWI) RFC slang for the Armstrong/Whitworth FK8 aircraft. |
"Big Bertha" | (Dicke Berts German) A heavy German artillery piece made by Krupp, a 420mm. howitzer, over 7 meters long, transported in sections and required a day to re-assemble. |
"Big City" | RAF/RCAF slang for Berlin, Germany. |
"Big-X" | Commonwealth term for the Chief of X-Organizations in POW camps, aka escape plans for POW’s. |
“Biggles Tradition" | (RAF) Biggles was the pilot hero in a series of 1930’s young adult novels about a young heroic pilot. |
"Birds" | RAF/RCAF slang for a plane. |
"bivies" | Cdn. slang (WWI) see Bivouac. |
Bivouac | A type of lean-to shelter for two men. Two rubber groundsheets slung between two rifles stuck in the ground by their bayonets. |
BLA | British Liberation Army (1945) aka to the British Infantry as “Burma Looms Ahead” in reference to the war in SE Asia. |
"Black Pit" | The area in mid-ocean (between N. America and Europe) where merchant ships had No protection from Naval escort ships. “The Happy Time” in 1941 for German U-Boats. |
"Blighty One" | A WWI injury which took you out of the conflict with no discredit, but with no permanent damage to your health. A none-fatal wound a Hindustani word for a foreign country, adopted by colonial English troops for “home”. |
“Blitzkrieg” | (Gr.) A violent campaign intended to bring about a speedy victory, ‘Lightning War’. |
"Blood April" | (WWI) April 1917 when the German Air Force focused on defeating the RFC / RNAS prior to the Battle of Arras. |
"Blue Four" | (RAF) Ditching over water. |
Bn. | Battalion. |
“Boffins” | British (RAF) slang (WWII) for scientist doing operational research. They advised on various services navigational aids, new weapons our improvements. |
“Bogey / Bogie” | An unidentified enemy aircraft (RCAF). |
"Boost" | Power applied to an aircraft engine by throttle setting. |
"Boozer" | Slang, for a special receiving apparatus to warn a bomber pilot that an enemy aircraft as in a position to attack. |
"Bounce" | (RAF) slang for a surprise attack by the enemy. |
"Bouncing Betty" | Allied slang for German anti-personnel mine that exited the ground to explode at about head height. |
"Box climb" | A climb over a particular point – the aircraft flew short legs in the form of a square. |
BP | Bletchley Park. The British operational Intelligence Centre (WWII), home of the submarine Tracking room and Enigma decoding work etc. |
BPD | Base personnel depot. |
BPO | British Press Office. A front for the British Secret Service in Switzerland. |
Bren gun / ‘Bren’ | 303 Caliber light machine gun. |
“Briefing” | Instructions before a mission or sortie (RCAF). |
“Brylcreem Boys” | (Br.) slang for RAF aircrew. |
BS | Bomber Support (RCAF) |
BSL | Bomber Safety Line. The line infantry was not to cross when strategic bombing was going on. |
BSR | Burma / Siam Railway. |
BT | “Bathythermography” – The changing temperature of the ocean mass in relation to depth. To better hunt U-Boats. |
Bty. / Battery | Units making up artillery brigades, a battery normally of six guns of field artillery was four guns before 1917. |
BUD | Befehlshaber der Untersee boote. The German U-Boat HQ. |
"Bulls-eye" | Practice flying over large British cities to evade searchlights and night-fighters. |
“bundfuher” | (Germ.) Armed guards in POW camps with guard dogs. |
"Bus" | British slang for a bomber. (WWI) |
"Buster" | (RAF) To push engine to max power. |
"Cabrank" | (RCAF) Coordination of contact between aircraft in position over a battlefield and the troops on the ground. A flight could be “whistled up” when needed to support infantry. |
CAC | Canadian Aviation Corps. Established in 1914 and Canada’s air force with two pilots and one aircraft and one mechanic. |
CAFO | Confidential Admiralty Fleet Orders. |
CAM | Catapult Armed Merchant ship. A plane could be launched but not retrieved. |
"Came a chopper" | RAF/RCAF slang for being killed in action. |
“Camouflet” | A 500 wt. explosive mine, often employed in counter-mine actions. (WWI) |
CARU | Canadian Artillery Reinforcement Unit. |
CASEVAC | Casualty Evacuation. |
CASF | Canadian Active Service Force. (Landed in Brest, France 12 & 13 June, 1940 and retired |
CB | Confined to barracks (punishment). |
CBH | Cape Breton Highlanders Regt. |
CBO | Combined Bomber Offensive. |
CBRD | Canadian Base Reinforcement Depot. |
CBSO | Counter Battery Staff Officer. (WWI) |
CCPG | Campo Cencentramento Priqionieri Guera – Italian POW camp. |
CCRC | Canadian Corps Reinforcement Camp located at St. Aubin-Saint-Vaast. |
CCS | Casualty Clearing Station. (WWI) |
CCS | Combined Chiefs of Staff (WWII) headed by Churchill, Roosevelt and Eisenhower. |
CANLOAN | 673 Canadian Lieutenants volunteered to serve in British Divisions in 1944 – 45 due to a shortage of trained Subalterns. Service number for these officers begin with CDN. 70% of these volunteers were either killed or wounded (approximately 470). |
CanScot | Canadian Scottish Regiment. |
CAP | Canadian Air Publication. “The Principles of Instruction No.1 Book for BCAPT instructors. |
CAPC | Canadian Army Postal Corps. |
CAPF | Canadian Army Pacific Force. Would have been used in the war against Japan if the war had not ended with the atomic bomb. |
CARU | Canadian Artillery Reinforcement Unit. |
CASF | Canadian Active Service Force. The Canadian Army Overseas had 58,000 men by Sept.1939. The 1st Canadian Division of 18,376 would go to the United Kingdom. |
CAT | Counter Acoustic Torpedo. A defensive device to divert an acoustic torpedo (GNAT). |
CATC | Canadian Army Training Centre. |
Caterpillar Club | (RAF/RCAF) A badge in the shape of a gold caterpillar with ruby eyes to signify having bailed out of an aircraft to save their life – worn on the uniform it was donated by the Irvin Air Chutes of Great Britain. |
"Cheese-cutter" | Cdn. Slang for the German MG 42 machinegun with a rate of fire of 1200 rounds per minute. AKA a “rubber gun”. |
C-in-C. WA | Commander – in –Chief Western Approaches. |
CCCS | Commodore Commanding Canadian Ships (UK). |
CCNF | Commodore Commanding Newfoundland Force. |
CCRD | Canadian Convalescent Receiving Depot. |
CDA | Canadian Divisional Artillery. (WWI) |
CDAC | Canadian Divisional Ammunition Column. Horse drawn transport. (WWI) |
CDTMG | Canadian Div. Trench Mortar Group. (WWI) |
CFA | Canadian Field Artillery. |
CFCO | Chief flying control officer. |
CFI | Chief Flying Instructor (RCAF). |
CFS | Central Flying School (WWI) at Upavon, England. |
CGH | Canadian General Hospital. |
CGM | Conspicuous Gallantry Medal. |
“Chain Home” | Code name for Britain’s radar network (aka CH) along the south coast, operational in 1937 it could detect the number, altitude and course of air craft up to 100 miles. The US. Coined the term ‘Radar’. |
CGS | (Br.) Chief of the General Staff. |
"Chad" | RCAF for chatter, rapid talking over the radio. |
"Chauds" | Slang for La Regiment de la Chaudiere. |
"Cheesed off" | Fed up to the teeth. |
“Chiefy” | Flight-Sergeant (RAF – Slang) or senior ground-crew NCO. |
"Chinese Attack" | (WWI – slang) A conspicuous pre-attack preparation, followed by a rolling artillery barrage to deceive the enemy and to see where they would move. |
CHL | Chain Home Low – code name for British radar stations designed for low flying Aircraft limited to 100 miles. Also see "Chain Home". |
Chlorine Gas | (WWI) First used by the German army on the western font on the 22nd of April, 1915. A choking gas first dispensed from cylinders and was later uses in artillery shells. |
“Chronic merchant” | Slang (RAF) for someone who is ‘windy’ and acts un-heroically. |
"CHOP" | (Navy) The Atlantic ocean was divided at 35 degree West longitude in WWII as the |
"Chop Rate" | RAF slang for aircrew losses. |
CIB | (WWI) Br. Central Information Bureau. Controlled and directed Allied aircraft to targets on the ground or in the air. Established in 1918. |
CIB / CIBde. | Canadian Infantry Brigade. |
CIGS | (Br. WWI) Chief of the Imperial General Staff. |
Cine-gun | Camera operating in conjunction with, helpful in confirming claims. |
“Circuits and bumps” | Slang for takeoffs and landings. |
"Circus" | A RAF term for: a low-level search & destroy attack over northern France by fighters accompanied by bombers attacking targets of opportunity. Beside escorting the bombers, the fighters used them to decoy German aircraft up for a fight. Also see “Rhubarbs”. |
CIRU | Canadian Infantry Reinforcement Unit. (ie: Aldershot Military District in the UK). |
Civil twilight | Is generally 45 minutes later than ‘nautical twilight. |
"Clag" | Slang for Clouds (RAF). |
CLH | Canadian Light Horse. |
"Clock" | Air speed indicator. |
"Clothing Parade" | (WWI) The soldiers set of issued clothing was inspected by an officer, repaired And deficiencies made up. |
"Cloudy-Joe" | RAF slang for the Meteorological Officer. |
CNA | “Canadian North Atlantic” – Area of operation of the RCN in 1943 after the Washington Conference approx. 42N – 40W. |
CMB | Central Medical Board (British). |
CMHQ | Canadian Military Head Quarters – London, England. (WWII) |
CNMO | Canadian Naval Mission Overseas. It was located in London, England. |
CNS | Chief of Naval Staff (RCN). |
CO | Commanding Officer. |
COAS | Commanding Officer, Atlantic Coast (RCN). |
“Cockshivers” | (Br. Slang) More assumption than fact. |
COCO | Chief of Combined Operations. |
"Coffin corners" | (Merchant Navy) Slang for the two corner ships in the 1st row of a convoy’s columns. |
COHQ | Combined Operations Headquarters. |
Col. | Colonel 6th level of commissioned rank in the army. |
"Comic Cuts" | (WWI) slang for RFC action communiqués. |
COMINCH | (USN) The Combat Intelligence Centre at the Main Navy in Washington, DC. |
Commando | Highly trained, lightly armed elite troops designed for raiding enemy shore facilities. First used in WWII when the British raided Lofton Island, Norway 4/03/41. |
CAMPO | Composite food ration packs (Br.). |
Conc. | Concentration Area. |
"Cones" | Pinpoint artillery fire. Also see “Stonks”. |
Conger | An explosive (nitroglycerine) filled 60 meter hose launched from a universal (Bren) carrier by a rocket used to destroy enemy barbed wire. |
Coning | A radar-operated master searchlight locks on to a bomber and is joined swiftly by other search lights which hold the aircraft in a cone of light, exposing it to ack-ack and night fighters. |
Contrail | White condensation trail of a high-flying aircraft’s wing tip while flying at high altitudes. |
Cookie | 4,000lb. high explosive British bomb. |
"Cooler" | Slang for the isolation cell in a POW camp. |
Comando Supremo | WWII Italian Armed Forces High Command. |
Consols | Navigation system used by German U-Boats. |
Contact Battery | (WWI) Sections of horse drawn guns moved forward with the infantry to provide close support. Aka. Mobile batteries. |
Cooties | Aka Lice. |
COP | Commander Of Port. |
COPC | Combined Operations Development Centre. Located at Portsmouth, England, formed in 1936. Combined Operations Development Centre. Located at Portsmouth, England, formed in 1936. |
Corpsman | (US) Enlisted Navy Medical Personnel. |
COSSAC | Chief of Staff to Supreme Allied Commander. |
COTC | Canadian Officers Training Corps. |
Coxswain (Cox’n) | Senior Petty Officer of the ship. |
COY | Abbreviation for Company. |
CPC | Canadian Postal Corp. |
Cpl. | Corporal. |
CPO | Chief Petty Officer. |
C.P.O. | Command Post Officer (Battery). |
CRA | Commander Royal Artillery, Brigadier rank. |
CRB | 1st Canadian Radar Battery. Established 22/09/45 to track looping German mortar shells using radar to calculate the trajectory for counter-battery fire. |
"Crash Action" | The rapid deployment of artillery. |
"Crate" | Slang for aircraft. |
"Creaky Forest" | Cercy Forest in France, a landmark for pilots in N. France, also bristled with flak guns. |
"Crows Nest" | Top look-out point for watch-keeping at sea. Also a famous officers canteen in St. John’s, NFLD. During WWII ( Still there in 2011). |
CSL | Close Support Line. |
CSM | Company Sergeant Major. |
CSR | Br. (WWI) Civil Service Rifles a unit of the London Battalion. |
CSR | Canadian Survey Regt. (WWII) |
CT | (WWI) Communication Trench. |
CT | (WWII) Ceased Training in the BCATP “washed out” of training, failure. |
CTS | Canadian Training Squadron. |
CU | Conversion Unit. Where air crew received specific training on the aircraft they would fly. |
CUAS | Cambridge University Air Squadron. (pre-WWII) |
"Cute little weapon" | (RCAF) Variation on a theme of admiration. |
C.V.S.M. | Canadian Volunteer Service Medal. Aka (slang) EBGO – “Every Bastard Got One”. Whether in combat or not. Also see V.M.K. |
CWAAF | Canadian Women’s Axillary Air Force. Founded 21/07/1941. Later became RCAF-WD. |
CWAC | Canadian Woman’s Army Corps. Founded 27/06/1941, by wars end there would be 22,000 enlistments. |
CW Wireless | Continuous wave wireless communication. (WWI) |
Term | Definition |
---|---|
D+1 etc. | Days following D-Day (D+1 = 7 June). |
DADV | Deputy Assistant Director of Veterinary Services. (WWI) |
DAF | Desert Air Force, RAF wings that operated in North Africa and the Middle east in 1942-43. Also supported actions in Sicily and Italy. |
DAGENAN | A ‘sulpha’ drug used in the early years of WWII, before penicillin was developed. |
DAPM | District Assistant Provost Marshal (RCAF) aka Air Force Police. |
"Darky" | RAF code word for aircraft in distress “SOS”; also used during FIDO landings. |
DAUD | (Br.) Director of Anti U-Boat Division. |
Day-Ranger | Long range forays deep into enemy territory using ‘drop-tank’ Mosquitoes. |
De-bollocker | (Slang) for German land mine that exploded when stepped on showering splinters straight upwards – thus the name! |
"Dead Stick" | Flying without engine power. |
"Dead reckoning" | Navigating by use of a compass and time, following a course at a given speed for a fixed length of time. |
DD | Duplex Drive Sherman tanks developed by British General Sir Percy Hobart on of the many “funnies” he created which included Buffaloes, Alligators, Weasels and DUWK, all to move troops over water and give some protection on land. |
DECCA | High frequency, shore based navigational system (aka. QM) accurate to 100’ at 100 Miles. |
"Deck group" | (RCN) General purpose Able Seaman. |
DEMS | (Br.) Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships (a merchant ship equipped with anti-aircraft guns). |
“Der dicker Hund | (Gr.) slang for the B-17 Bomber. |
DF | Defensive Fire, a pre-arranged offensive enemy target for artillery fire of up to 36O rounds in 3 minutes. Only a Brigadier or higher ran could order these ups. |
D/F | Direction Finding (RCAF). |
DFC | Distinguished Flying Cross (issued to commissioned ranks). |
DF Homing | Directional Finding Homing (RCAF). |
DFM | Distinguished Flying Medal (issued to non-commissioned ranks). |
DGO | (WWI) Divisional Gas Officer. In charge of gas training and inspection of gas helmets and respirators. |
"Digger" | Slang for Army Prison. |
“Dinghy” | Hindu word meaning ‘small boat’. Often referred to as a ‘life-raft’. |
"Dispersal" | Pilots’ waiting hut/club room when on readiness. |
“ditch” / ditching | Making a forced landing in the sea. |
Div. | Army Division. |
DMGO | Divisional Machine Gun Officer. |
Div. H.Q. | Divisional Headquarters. |
DMS | Department of Munitions and Supply. (Cdn. WWII) |
DOAA | Died of Air Accident |
DOAS | Died on Active Service |
DOAI | Died of Accidental Injury |
DOD | Died of Disease. |
DOI | Died of Injury |
"Dog Fight" | Aerial combat. |
DONC | Died of Natural Causes |
"Don't panic chaps" | Chad, when boxed in by flak. |
Doodlebug | RAF slang for the German V-1 flying bomb (WII). Jet engine propelled with a maximum speed of 400 MPH, it carried a 2,000 lb. warhead, it had a 18’ wing-span. Aka. V-1. |
Douglas Sea Scale | Important to ships in convoy station keeping. The scale measures the height of waves and the swell of the sea from 1 to 10 degrees. It is also known as the International Sea Swell Scale. Example ‘wind sea’ 0 = calm 9 = +14 meter waves ‘swell’ 0 = no swell to 9 = confused. |
DOW | Died of Wounds. |
DMT | Driver, Motor Transport. (Br.) |
D/N | (RCAF) Day / Night Training, was an eye-shade worn by the pilot, like a welders helmet That was dark on the top but allowed the glow of the instruments at AFU training. |
DR | Dead Reckoning. Flight path without instrument confirmation. |
"Drachen" | Gr. (WWI) Artillery observation balloons that were tethered by steel cables connected to a wench. |
"Dragging his ass" | (RCAF) Lagging behind, a straggler in formation. |
D/R | Dead reckoning navigation. |
D-ring | Parachute ripcord. |
DRL | Despatch Rider Liaison Rider. |
Drogues | Aerial targets for gunnery practice training. |
"Don R." | Dispatch Rider. |
DRO | Daily Routine Orders. |
"Drum Fire" | Term used to describe a method of intimidating or disrupting enemy activity. |
DSC | Distinguished Service Cross (Naval only). |
DSM | Distinguished Service Medal (Naval Ratings only). |
DSO | Distinguished Service Order. |
"Duff" | RAF slang for faulty equipment. |
"Duff Gen" | Incorrect or ‘bad’ information. In RCAF “not worth a damn.” |
"Duff Gen Merchant" | An individual who generally gave bad information. |
DUKW | Abbreviation for 2 ½ ton amphibious truck, six-wheeled truck capable of six knots in water. Aka – Duck. First used in Operation Husky. |
Dulag Luft | Short for Durchgangslager A transit campfor air force POW’s Interrogation center at Oberusel, near Frankfurt-am-Main. |
"Duver" | (Br.) Slang for a ‘slit-trench'. |
DWT | Directorate of Warfare Training (1943 Ottawa). |
DZ '0' | Drop Zone. |
EA | Common abbreviation for enemy aircraft. |
E-Boats | German (WWII) Motor Torpedo Boats. |
EAC | Easter Air Command; established 15/09/38 eventually became Maritime Air Command. |
EAR | Enemy Air Raid |
EATS | Empire Air Training Plan. Pre – BCATP in June 1953. |
"Eddies" | Loyal Edmonton Regt. |
EDF | Eastern Desert Force. (Br.) |
EFTS | Elementary Flying Training School (RCAF). |
EG | Escort Group (Navy). |
"Elsen" | Chemical tolet in British bombers. |
"Emil" | Slang for the Messerschmitt ME 109E German fighter. |
"Enigma" | (Gr.) Code machine for encrypting messages. |
ENSA | Entertainments National Services Association. A British entertainment group that put on shows for servicemen & women. |
ERA | (RCN) Engine Room Artificer. |
"Erk" | Any ground crew airman or technician. |
"Escadrille” | French air force fighting formation (WWI) of six planes plus pilots and ground crew. |
“Estaminet” | A French bar in WWI. |
ETA | Estimated Target Area (RAF) The bombing of a target based on time and distance from the start point when the target was obscured by heavy cloud. |
ETO | European Theatre of Operations. |
F.A. | (WWI) Field Ambulance. |
FAA | Fleet Air Arm. |
F.A.B. | France British Aviation Flyingboats from WWI. |
“Fantassins” | French for riflemen. |
FAP | Forward Aid Post. The most advanced post where casualties could receive treatment. |
Fascines | Enormous bundles of densely packed tree branches used a ‘fording material’ to aid tanks by providing a causeway over rivers or large streams. |
F.A.T. | Field Artillery Tractor, aka ‘Quad’. In WWI it was Field Artillery Tactics. |
Fatigues | Aka ‘chores, carrying parties’, work that supported life in the trenches. Would also include ‘engineering work’ – digging or improving trenches, burying phone lines; ‘wiring parties’ repairing or improving barb-wire defenses, almost all of these fatigues would be done at might. |
“Faustpatronen” | (Gr.) Grenade thrower. (WWII) |
F/Cdr. | Flight Commander (RNAS rank). |
FCO | Flying Control Officer. |
FCP | Forward Control Post – For air support and control. |
FDL | Forward Defence Line / Localities. |
FDO | Fighter Directing Officer. A Naval Lieut. Who flew with an RAF pilot catapulted from a ‘CAM’; his job was to direct the pilot back to the ship using R/T. |
FE | (RAF) Flight Engineer. |
FES | Flight Engineering School. Located at Alymer, ON. The school graduated 2000 Flight Engineers in the BCATP. |
“Feldwebels” | (Gr.WWII) Sergeants and Corporals generally led in combat while officers planned actions. |
"Ferrets" | POW slang for German guards who specialized in uncovering escape plans. |
“Festung Europa” | (Gr. – WWII) ‘Fortress Europe’ as Hitler called his western wall against invasion. |
“Feuerzauber” | German for ‘magic fire’ for a sudden and heavy artillery barrage fired by allied gunners in Sicily. |
FFI | Free French of the Interior (WWII) French resistance fighters, aka “Marquis”, ‘underground’. |
"Fido" | Allied air-dropped acoustic torpedo the Mark XXIV, developed by the US Navy and went into anti-submarine use in 1943. |
FIDO | Fog Investigation and Dispersal Operation. An apparatus made up of pipes just above ground level with jets along each side of a airfield runway when pressurized with gasoline and ignited heated the area above the runway to disperse the fog for landings. Ignited by a ground-crewman. |
“Finger – four" | RAF/RCAF fighter attack formation two leaders (shooters) + two wingman (eyeball). |
“Finger in to the elbow” | (RCAF) An absolutely stupid clot. |
First World War | A name first given to the conflict of 1914 – 18 (Great War) by Charles a Count Repington in 1920. |
FIS | Flying Instructor School. Opened at Trenton, ON. 3/08/42. |
"Fishpond" | (Br.) An early-warning radar device. |
F/L | Flight Lieutenant. |
"Flack" | Enemy A/A gun fire from the ground. |
"Flies like a turkey" | (RCAF) Not well. |
"Flight" | 2 to 6 aircraft. |
F/Sgt. | Flight Sargeant – 3rd level of non-commissioned officer. |
F/Lt. | Flight Lieutenant – 3rd level of commissioned officer. |
"Flamer" | Aircraft on fire. |
“Fliegerkorps" | German Air Corps. |
"Flying Dungheap" | (WWI) slang for the British BE2c. aircraft because of it’s olive-drab service colouring. |
FMR | Fusiliers Mont Royal. They were part of the 6th Brigade, 2nd Canadian Division after D-Day. |
F/S | Flight Sergeant. |
F/S/Lt. | Flight Sub-Lieutenant (RNAS starting rank for a pilot). |
FO | Flying Officer. |
FOB | Forward Observation Officer – Bombardment. A Royal Artillery officer similar to FOO but directing naval bombardment. |
Fo’c’s’le | Forward part of the ship – seaman’s mess. |
"Force J" | Permanent Naval Assault Force used by British, Canadian and American forces. |
F/O | Flying Officer – 2nd level of commissioned officer. |
FOO | Forward Observation Officer (artillery spotter). |
"Force 545" | British planning group for Operation Husky (Invasion of Italy). |
Fos. | (Am.) Forward Observer. |
"Foxer" | A towed noisemaker used to attract acoustic torpedoes away from convoy escort ships. |
FPU Park(t) | German tank mounted gun. |
"Freight Trains" | Slang for 280mm. German costal gun shells. |
"Fritz" | (Br.) Slang for a German soldier. |
Frog | The holder that attaches the bayonet scabbard to the soldiers belt. |
FS | Field Security. |
F/Sgt. | Field Security. |
FSR | (Br.) Field Service Regulations. |
FSSF | 1st Special Service Force, Canadian / American specially trained as paratroops and Commando ship to shore assaults. Served in Aleutian Island, Italy and Southern France. |
FUP | Forming Up Point. Where a unit gathers in preparation for an attack. |
FUSAG | (Am.) First US Army Group. |
Term | Definition |
---|---|
'G3' | (U.S.) Chief of Operations. |
'G4' | Chief of Supply. |
"Gaggle" | Group of enemy aircraft. Also a bomber formation with three lead aircraft flying in a "V" formation with the bomber stream following. |
Galley | Ships kitchen. |
“Galloping dominoes" | Cdn. Slang for game of craps played with dice, a favorite with soldiers. |
Gammon Bombs | WWII anti-tank explosive (Br). |
"Gardening" | RAF/RCAF slang for a mission to drop sea-mines. Also see Planting and Vegetables. |
Garries | Slang for Sturmont, Dundas & Gengarry Highlanders. |
G/C | Group Captain. |
GC & SC | Government Code & Cypher School. |
GCI | (RAF) Ground Controlled Interception – used to guide night-fighters to intercept enemy aircraft. |
GD | General Duty ie: Orderly Clerk – GD, not specialized. |
Gee | A 1942 early navigational radar aid for heavy bombers, was improved in 1943 by the MkII version. A high frequency system it lacked range but was useful in the English Channel. Ships used its 400 yard accuracy to locate targets on the bottom of the Channel. (aka QH). |
"Gen" | Slang (pronounced jen ) information you want on a particular subject ie. “What is the gen on the weather?” |
"George" | (RCAF slang) for “Auto-Pilot” control. |
"George" Vehicle | Gun Position Officer’s Vehicle. |
“Generalleutnant” | (Gr.) Equates to a British Major-General in rank. |
“Generalmajor” | (Gr.) Equates to a US. Army Brigadier-General. |
"Gen man" | Slang for a person with excellent qualifications. |
“Geschwarder” | (Germ.) Comparable to a RAF “Group” of about 120 aircraft of the same type. |
Gestapo | Geheime Staatspolizei Nazi German State security police. |
"Get clued up" | Don’t be a clot (don’t be stupid). |
“Get behind me Satan and push” | Affirmative, with emphasis. |
“Get off your knees” | Morning-after greeting. |
GGHG / “Gee Gees” | Cdn. slang for Governor General Horse Guard (Tank Unit in WWII). |
“God’s Gift to Hungry Girls” | “Good God How Gorgeous”. |
GH | see Gee. |
Glacis | Historically it was a gentle slope of ground in front of a fortification, in the Great war it was known as ‘No Man’s Land’ between enemy trenches. |
"George" | Auto-pilot in a heavy bomber (RCAF). |
GOC | General Officer Commanding. |
"Going in" | (RAF) About to crash on land or water. |
"Going into the smoke" | (RCAF) Going into London [England] for unspecified purposes. |
“Gone for a Burton” | (RAF/RCAF) slang for a plane and crew lost on a sortie. |
"Gong" | Medals. |
"Goons" | Slang for German guards in a POW camp. |
"Gotha" | Large German bomber of WWI. |
Geophones | (Br.) Stethoscope like device used to listen for the sounds of tunneling/mining, through the ground. |
"Got the chop" | Slang (RAF/RCAF) for being shot down and killed in action. |
"Got the wind up" | Someone had a bad scare. |
Gott mit Uns | German “God with Us". |
“Grab-and-Stumble Road" | WWI slang for the Gravenstafel Road from the Menin Gate to the Ypres front. |
“Glamour Boys” | Nickname for the 48th Highlanders of Canada. |
GNAT | German naval acoustic torpedo. (“Zaunkonig” German aka T5). |
GOC | General Officer Commanding. |
“Gone for a Burton” | RAF slang for being shot down. |
GP | General Purpose. |
GPO | Gun Position Officer (artillery). |
GPO | Government Post Office (England). Beside delivering the mail they installed telephone lines in the United Kingdom. |
GQG | (WWI) Grand Quartier General. The general headquarters of the French army 1914-19. |
GR | General reconnaissance. |
“Greenland air gap” | This was the 600 to 800 mile swath of ocean S. W. of Iceland that in 1943 that could not be covered by land based aircraft to protect convoys from U-boats. |
“Der Grosse Schlag" | (Grm.) “The Big Show” – A major air attack in Dec. 1944 when the German army attacked the US Army in the Ardennes, Fr. |
"Green ones" | Navy slang for a very high and heavy ocean wave, may reach 75 feet high. |
"Groupie" | RAF slang for a Group Captain. |
GRU | Br. (WWI) Grave Registration Unit. |
"German Grupp" | Basic German flying unit. |
GSR | Graves Registration Service. |
Gunner /Gnr. | The artillery regiment equivalent to a private. |
GUF | Gibraltar to USA fast westbound convoy. |
Gunnery Officer | Navy. Also see PCO. |
GUS | Gibraltar to USA slow convoy. |
H+30 etc. | H-Hours following at intervals after the first hour of landing. |
H2S | A highly secret navigational radar developed in 1943 (Br.) to replace the “Gee” radar. It |
HAA | Heavy Anti-Aircraft. |
HAG | Heavy Artillery Group. Heavy and long range artillery in WWI. |
“Hallies" / “Hally Bag” | Slang for Halifax bomber. |
"Happy Valley" | Allied aircrew referred to the Ruhr Valley in Germany because of the heavy German flack and air cover, a dangerous spot to fly. |
"Harbor" | In the Armoured Corps ”harbor” was slang for “an administrative area out of direct enemy fire. |
"Harry Tates" | (RFC) slang for the B.E and R.E. 8 British aircraft in WWI. |
“Hasty P’s” | Hasting & Prince Edward Regiment. |
“Have a go!” | (RCAF) Exhortation in the air and on the ground. |
“Hawkins grenades” | A Canadian small anti-tank mine, 2.25 lbs. could be shallowly buried or thrown from a vehicle. |
HCU | Heavy Conversion Unit, training on large bombers. The ‘finishing school’ before flying operational flights. Shortened to CU. |
HE | High Explosive. |
HE | (Navy) Hydrophone Effect. Following and attacking a submarine by sound alone. |
Heads | Ships toilets. |
“Heavy marching order" | (WWI) A full pack and kit weighing at least 70 pounds, not including a weapon. |
“He bought it” | Shot down, killed. |
“Heimatschuss” | Gr. Literally a ‘home shot’ the German equivalent of a Blighty One. |
HF | Harassing Fire (artillery). |
HF/DF | High-frequency Direction Finding aka. “Huff Duff”. |
"Hide" | The temporary placement of artillery in the field of conflict. |
"Hiney" | (Cdn.) Slang for a German soldier. (WWI) |
H-Hour | Time set for attack. |
HMCS | His / Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship. |
HMG | Heavy Machine Gun. |
HMS | His/Her Majesty’s Ship (Royal Navy). |
HO | Hostilities Only. Enlisted into service for the duration of the war. Not professional personal. |
“Hobert’s Funnies” | Maj. General Percy Hobert formed and trained a secret armoured force for the invasion of France. They designed a number of tank varients such as: the DD (Duplex Drive tank, Flail tank to clear mines and the “Crocodile – flame-thrower tank. |
“Holzminer” | German land mines with wooden cases that were difficult to detect. |
HOMP | Halifax Ocean Meeting Point. |
“Horsefly" | (Am.) Same as Br. Air Observation Post. |
"HOW" | Slang for a Howitzer gun. (WWI) |
HQ | Any headquarters. |
HSD | Higher Submarine Detector (Naval rating). |
HTM | (WWI) Heavy Trench Mortar. Usually 6-inch “Newtons” later in 1918 would include 9.45-Inch. |
"Hun" | German aircraft. |
HUP | Heavy Utility Personnel carrier. (4x4 station wagon). |
H.V. | High Velocity gun used by the Germans in WWI. |
HX | Fast Convoy leaving Halifax, NS. |
IAS | Indicated Air Speed. |
IAU | Intelligence Assault Unit. First in action use as No.10 Platoon, 30 Commando / 30 A.U. at Dieppe, 19/08/42. |
IFF | Identification Friend or Foe. An electronic signal sent out by returning aircraft as they approached England (RAF). |
IG | Instructors in gunnery (Artillery). |
Illuminated Gun Sights | Special sights used to facilitate night firing. |
“Intense Artillery Fire” | 5 rounds per gun per minute for 3 minutes by Field Artillery. Also see Rapid. |
Independent Companies | Organized originally for operations in Norway during WWII from companies of Regular Army units. |
Indirect Fire | The term used when artillery gunners can’t see their target. |
I/O | Interrogating Officer, debriefed returning aircrew. (WWII) |
IO | Intelligence Officer. |
IOM | (WWI) Scrap. |
“I figure, I reckon” | (RCAF) Chad, in preface to the real gen. |
“Indianerkrieg" | (Germ.) Description of Allied troops skill at ‘field-craft” and small group night-infiltration. |
“Indians” | (Gr.) Enemy aircraft. (WWII) |
"Indian file" | (WWI) slang for marching in single file. |
Inf. Bdes. | Infantry Brigades. |
“Intrepid” | (RCAF) Sticking your neck out. |
"Irish" | The Irish Regiment of Canada. |
"Iron rations" | (WWI) Hard tack (biscuits & canned corned-beef. Also known as ‘field rations’. |
ISTO | (Br.) Inter-Service Topographical Department. Developed maps and plans for raids. |
“I-tag” | Slang for Identity Tags. (Cdn.) aka –‘Dog Tags’. |
ITC | (RCAF) Initial Training Course. |
ITS | Initial Training School, Basic Navigator training (RCAF). |
ITW | Initial Training Wing – first phase of air crew training. |
Term | Definition |
---|---|
JATP | Joint Air Training Plan. |
JCLO | RCAF slang for "Jesus Christ's Liason Officer" aka the Padre of any denomination. |
JCS | Joint Chiefs of Staff. |
“Jagdeschwade” | (Gr.) “Hunting Group” a combining of four ‘Jasta’ to gain air superiority of an area. (WWI) |
“Jagdeschwader” | (Gr.) Refers to fighter aircraft like the Bf 109. (WWII) |
“Jagdstaffel /Jasta” | (Gr.) “Hunting packs” equivalent to a RFC / RNAS ‘Fighter Sqd. Introduced in 1916, usually consisting of 14 aircraft. (WWI) |
“Jake” | WWI slang for fine or good. |
"Jasta" | (Gr.) Fighter squadron. (WWI) |
JATP | Joint Air Training Plan (British Commonwealth). |
“Jemadar” | Lieutenant in the Indian army. |
“Jerry / Jerries” | Slang for any German. |
JIC | (Br.) Joint Intelligence Command (Naval / Military / Air Force). |
“Jimmy the one" | (Cdn.) Slang for the second-in-command on a Corvette. |
"Jinking" | RAF/RCAF slang for taking evasive action. |
"Jobos" | (Gr.) Slang for Allied aircraft in WWII. |
‘Johnny Gun’ | M1941 Johnson Machine Gun. Semi-automatic or Full-auto, 25 round clip rate of fire of 200 – 600 rounds per minute. |
“Joyride Shoot” | (WWI) To describe a particular method of intimidating or disrupting enemy activity. |
JNO’s | Standardized assault orders. The ‘J’ is in reference to “Jubilee” the code name for the raid on Dieppe, France in August 1942. |
Kacmarek | (Gr.) “Wingman” in the Luftwaffe. |
Kaisershlacht | (Gr.) “Battle for the Emperor” aka: Operation Michael in the spring of 1918. |
Kampfengruppen | (Gr.) For an improvised battle group, tactically self-contained group of all arms, infantry, artillery, armor and supports. |
Kampfgeschwader | (Gr.) bomber aircraft. |
Kanone | German Private soldier. |
Kapo | (Br.) Slang: Trusty. |
KBS | (Br.) Kite Baloon Section. Usually located 2 – 5 miles behind the front lines to spot the fall of artillery shells. (WWI) |
“K. Gr.100” | German Luftwaffe’s ‘Pathfinder Group of WWII.' |
K-Gun | Launched depth charges from the port and starboard sides of allied war ship. |
"K. R. Can." | King’s Regulations Canada. |
“Keil und Kessel” | (Gr.) A wedge and Kettle maneuver to split and attack a force and trap the enemy parts. |
“Kesselring” | (Gr.) A sporting term meaning to surround a force and drive it outwards. |
"Ki" | A naval term for a hot drink ‘like’ a coco. A thick base of cocoa to which had to be added just the right amount of hot water, milk and sugar. A mainstay for watch keepers at sea. |
KIA | Killed in Action. |
“Killick” | Slang for an enlisted seaman. |
“King’s Burlap” | Slang for the uniform worn by Cdn. Soldiers in WWII. |
Kinmel Camp | Located near Rhyl, Wales, A roit of Canadian troops in March 1919 resulted in five killed and 23 injured. |
"Kite" | British slang for any aircraft or one’s own aircraft. |
KLIM | Dried milk product in WWII. The cans were used to make many items used in the “Great Escape” of POW’s in WWII. (KLIM is MILK spelled backwards). |
“Knackered” | (Br.) slang for exhausted / tired. |
KR & AI | King’s Regulations & Admiralty Instructions. |
“Kiregies” | Short for Krieg Gefangenen, German for POW’s. |
KP | Kitchen Patrol. |
Kraut | Slang for German soldier. |
"Kriegsgefangenen” | (Gr.) for POW’s who called themselves “kriegies”. |
KS | A petrol / Phosphorus mixture used in Russian flamethrowers. When used in glass bottles and thrown by infantry at German tanks in WWII they were known as “Molotov Cocktails”. |
"Kukri" | A leaf-shaped 18” long fighting knife issued to Gurkha riflemen. |
KV | A Russian tank of WWII of 52 tons. |
KW | Krzyz Walecznych (Polish Cross of Valour). |
Kye | Navy slang for a hot drink made from a block of coarse chocolate, scoops of sugar and canned milk served very hot. |
Laager | Tank parking lot. |
LAC | Landing Craft Assault. A 41ft. wooded boat carrying a maximum of 30 troops. |
LAC | Lost at Sea (WW 1 term) |
LAC | (RCAF) Leading aircraftsman, equal to a Corporal in the army. |
LACW | Leading aircraftwoman. |
LAD | Light Aid Detachment. Did major repairs to equipment in the field. |
LADO | Light Aid Detachment Officer. |
LDAO | Law, Discipline, Administration & Organization. |
L-Detachment | The precursor of the SAS, served in North Africa, first commander David Stirling. |
“Lanser” | (Gr.) A Germen Soldier – equivalent of “Tommy” (Br.), “Poilu (Fr.) or “Doughboy” (Am.). |
LAH | (Gr.) Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler – 1st SS Battalion. |
“Large America” | (WWI) RNAS slang for the American Curtis H.12 Flying Boat. |
LAS | Lost At Sea. |
LAW | Leading Air Woman. |
LBW | Landing Bardge. |
LCA | Landing Craft Assault. A 41ft. wooded boat carrying a maximum of 30 troops. |
LCE | Landing Craft Equipment. |
LCF | Light Coastal Forces. Naval ships such as Motor Gun Boats, Torpedo Boats and launches that were all fast and light. |
LCF | Landing Craft Flak. Armed with 4 double barreled 2 lb. guns plus 10 double barreled 20 mm Oerlikon guns for anti-aircraft defense. |
LCG | Landing Craft Gun-Armed (USN). |
LCI | Landing Craft Infantry. |
LCM | Landing Craft Mechanical/Mechanized. A 50ft. steel vessel usually carrying one tank or 100 men. |
LCOCU | Landing Craft Obstacle Clearance Unit. |
LCP | Landing Craft Personnel. |
LCR | Landing Craft Rockets. |
L/Cpl. | Lance Corporal. |
LCT | Landing Craft Tank. |
LCT (A) | Landing Craft Transport, Assault. |
LCT (R) | Landing Craft Transport, Rocket. |
LCV | Landing Craft Vehicles. |
LCVP | Landing Craft Vehicles & Personnel. |
LDV | (Br.) Local Defence Volunteer, the forerunner of the Veteran’s Guard or Home Guard. |
"Lead swingers" | Someone who is in the forces and wants out or does not want to join. |
“Les pantaloons rouges” | Prior to WWI and into 1914 the term referred to French Infantry who had adopted red trousers as their uniform. Later replaced by the term “Poilu”. |
"Lehr" | (Gr.) Demonstration unit. |
"Lemonade rags" | (WWI – slang) Reference to the Khaki kilts worn by the Canadian Scottish 16th Battalion to protect the tartan. |
Lewes Bomb | Invent by Jock Lewes (SAS) aka a “Sticky bomb”. A deadly incendiary and blast charge made of Thermite and a plastic explosive, first used in 1941 against grounded German aircraft attacked by SAS troopers. |
LFC | (Am.) Lieutenant 1st Class. |
LI | Light Infantry. |
“Lichtenstein” | (Gr.) Airborne radar sets in night-fighters used to locate Allied aircraft. |
Light Stokes | Smaller caliber trench mortar. (WWI) |
“Like shit through a goose” | (RCAF) Not wasting any time. |
Limey | Slang for English soldier. |
“Little Old Red Patch” | Aka 1st Canadian Division identified by a patch of red on the left shoulder. Begun in WWI. |
LMF | Lack of Moral Fiber. [a.k.a. cowardice in the face of the enemy]. A much hated term used by the RAF & RCAF to describe battle fatigue and was put in a man’s record. It may also include up to 180 days of detention for NCO’s and Cashiering from the service for an officer. |
LMG | Light machine gun. |
“Lancs” | (Br.) slang for the Lancaster bomber. |
LOOB | Left Out of Battle. Begun during the Great War this practice left a number of officers and other ranks behind to make a core of experienced troops should the main unit be decimated. In WWII it was a % of a unit as reserves. |
LORAN | Low-frequency navigational system, the signal followed the curvature of the earth. Long range navigation used over the Atlantic ocean. |
"Lord Haw-Haw" | William Joyce. British traitor, who made wartime propaganda for Germany. He was executed in 1946. |
"Lower Deck" | Naval term for non-commissioned ratings. |
"Loyal Eddies" | Loyal Edmonton Regiment. |
LRDG | Long Range Desert Group. British unit that served in North Africa in WWII. |
L/S | Leading Seaman. |
LSI | Landing Ship Infantry, made from medium size converted passenger liners. |
LSR | Lake Superior Regiment. |
LST | Landing Ship Tank. |
2/Lt. | Second Lieutenant, lowest officer rank in the army; entitled to wear one pip on each shoulder; hence “one pipper”. |
Lt. Col. | Lieutenant Colonel. |
LTT | Link Training Test. (RCAF/RAF) aka “flight simulator”. |
“Lufflotten” | German Air Fleets. (WWII) |
“Luftwaffe” | German Air Force. (WWII) |
LVT | Land Vehicles Tracked. ie: Buffaloes. |
LZ | Landing Zone. |
Term | Definition |
---|---|
M-1 | (Am.) Standard issue infantry rifle. |
M & V | Dehydrated meat and vegetables. |
MAC-Ships | Converted bulk freighters converted to ‘Merchant Aircraft Carries’. |
“Mae West” | Inflatable life jacket reference to the Hollywood actress of the same name. |
“Maisies” | Slang for La Regiment de Maisionneuve. |
"Mal-de-mar" | Sea sickness. |
Manning Depot | A place that introduced men to the RCAF training. |
MAP | Ministry of Aircraft Production. (Br.) |
"Marmites" | Also know as ‘Sew pots’ by the British in WWI were 210 and 150mm German artillery shells. |
Marquis | A member of one of the French underground resistance groups. |
Maple Leaf Club | (WWI) Actually the King George & Queen Mary Maple Leaf Club, was an inexpensive and safe base for Canadian servicemen on leave in London, England. |
“Marine Einsatzkommando” | (Gr.) Also known as MARES, German Commandos. |
MAS | Missing at Sea. |
"Master" | Nickname for the Miles Master – RAF trainer used by the RAF due to it’s similar characteristics to the Spitfire. |
MAUD | British scientific committee researching an atomic bomb theory in 1940. |
Maxim gun | A generic term for a medium tripod mounted machine gun. Canadian troops were trained on captured German “Maschinengewer” 1908 aka. MG08. |
"McNaughton’s Traveling Circus” | Reference to the 1st Canadian Infantry Division in 1940 . |
"May day" | Distress call. |
MBE | Member of the British Empire. |
MC | Military Cross. |
MDS | Main Dressing Station. (WWI) |
MEAC | Middle-East Air Command. |
MERF | Middle East Raiding Force. (Br.) Made up of 246 officers and men based in Palestine; established in October 1943. |
"Mes." | German ME109 fighter (RAF slang). |
Messerschmitt | A German corporation that manufactured aircrafts in WWII. ie. Me 109. |
“Meteors / Met ” | Meteorological reports on wind direction, humidity and temperature. |
“Meteor telegram” | A telegram sent by the Meteorological Section of the Regiment (artillery) giving information on wind speed & direction, temperature & humidity and other such information that must be considered for effective artillery fire. |
MEW | Ministry of Economic Warfare. |
MF/DF | Medium Frequency / Direction Finding. An early means to determine an aircrafts position over the UK. (WWII) This was pre-HF/DF on Canadian ships. |
MG | Machine gun. |
MGB | Motor Gun Boat. |
MI14 | (Br.) Military Intelligence Branch. |
MIA | Missing In Action. |
M/KIA | Missing In Action / later declared dead. |
"Mick" | RCN slang for a hammock. |
MiD | Mentioned in Dispatches. |
Militia | (Cdn.) Not regular army. |
“Mike target, Mike target, Mike target” | Call of concentrated artillery fire of all 24 regimental (Cdn.) on a single target. |
“Minnenwerfer” | (WWI) A German mine thrower a.k.a “minnie”. German trench mortar in WWII. |
"Minnies" | (Br.) German Minenwerfers. (WWI) The German motor the French called ‘crapouillots’ fired gas, incendiary and explosive shells. |
Mission | Sortie, trip, operation. |
ML | Motor Launch. |
MLC | Motor Landing Craft (Br. assault boat). |
MLO | Military Landing Officer. Army. Also see Beachmaster. |
MLR | Main Line of Resistance. |
MLS | Motor Launch Seamen. |
MO | Medical Officer. |
Mike Target | Target calling for fire of all 24 guns of a Field Regiment. |
“Moaning Minnies” (aka. Nebelwerfers) | A German WWII rocket launcher of 6 or 10 barrels (tubes) that fired 150 mm. 75lb. rockets 7300 yds., or 210mm. 248lb. rockets 8600yds., or 300mm. 277lb. rockets 5000yds. (WWII) |
MM | Military Medal. |
MOEF | Mid-Ocean Escort Force. Replaced the NEF in February, 1942. |
"Moling" | (RAF) A modest daylight incursion into enemy territory. |
“Molotov Cocktails” | See “KS”. |
MOMP | Mid Ocean Meeting Point. |
MOPA | Military Object Previously Attacked (RCAF). |
"Moreps" | Motor reports of enemy motor positions. |
MT | Motorized Transport. (WWI) |
"Mouse-holing" | The procedure of blowing holes with explosives between adjoining buildings to allow troops to proceed from building to building. |
MoWT | Ministry of War Transport. |
MP's | Military Police. |
MPI | Mean Point of Impact. Location for bombs dropped from medium bombers and fighter-bomber. |
MRCP | Mobile Radar Control Post. Radar to coordinate medium and fighter bombers and ground forces. |
MRES | (RAF) Missing Research & Equiry Service. Mandated to locate and identify all RAF crew reported missing in Europe after WWII. |
MREU/MRES | Missing Research & Enquiring Unit/ Service. Tasked after WWII to identify and relocate bodies in unidentified graves. |
MSFU | Merchant Ship Fighter Unit. The RAF unit on a merchant ship equipped with a catapult and a Hurricane fighter to provide convoy protection. |
MSM | Meritorious Service Medal. |
MT | Motor Transport. |
MTB | (Br.) Motor Torpedo Boat. |
MTVRD | Motor Transport Vehicle Reception Depot (motor pool). |
"Mufti" | Civilian dress for military. |
"Mulligan" | A ‘stew’ prepared with whatever was available ie: meat, crushed hardtack biscuit, rolled oats, oxo cubes, salt and mustard for example. |
“Mussolini scrape” | Slang for the shoes worn by Italian peasants made from old tires and rope. |
Mustard Gas | (WWI) Developed by the Germans, actually dichoroethyl sulfide, it was a vesicant gas that caused blistering of any exposed skin or mucus tissue, it could lay dormant for long periods of time, especially useful against artillery. |
MV | Muzzle Velocity. |
NAAF | North-West African Air Force. |
NAAFI | (Br.) Navy, Army and Air Force Institute. |
Nachtjagdgeschwader | German night-fighter squadron. |
NAG | (USN) Naval Armed Guards consisting of gunners and signalmen that sailed on merchant ships. |
“Napooed” | Hit by enemy fire. (WWI) Corrupted from the French ‘Ilnyena plus’ – there is no |
NASAF | North-West African Strategic Air Force. |
NATAF | North-West African Tactical Air Force. |
National Guard | (Am.) Not regular army. |
"Nattering" | Unnecessary talking over the planes intercom. |
Nautical twilight | Also known as “sailor’s dawn” – with a clear horizon at sea he is supposed to detect first light when the sun is still 6 - 12 degrees below the horizon. |
NAV | (RAF) Navigator. |
NAV B | (RAF) Navigator / Bomber. |
NAV W | (RAF) Navigator / Wireless Operator. |
Naval / AG | Naval Air Gunner. (RAF-Coastal Command) |
NBH | New Brunswick Hussars. (Tank Regt. Italy). |
NCDU | Naval Combat Demolition Unit. |
NCO | Non-Commissioned Officer. All warrant officers, sergeants and corporals. |
NCSO | Naval Control Service Officer. Determined sailing order for convoys. |
Nebels | Slang for Nebelwerfer. |
Nebelwerfers | See “Moaning Minnies”. |
NEF | Newfoundland Escort Force (RCN), established in May 1941. Escorted it’s 1st convoy 2/06/1941. |
“Newfie" / "Derry” | (RCN) The convoy run in WWII from Newfoundland to Londonderry, Northern Ireland. |
Newtons 6-inch | (WWI) Large caliber trench mortar used in close infantry support. |
NFT | Night Flying Test. A pre-mission test flight to check out an aircrews performance. |
“Nickel Op." / "Nickels" / "Nickling" | A mission to drop leaflets over enemy territory or occupied countries in WWII. |
NID | Naval Intelligence Division (RN). |
NOIC | Navy Officer in Command. |
NP | Neuropsychiatric. Also known as “Battle fatigue”. |
Nr. | Near. |
NRMA | (Cdn.) National Resources Mobilization Act 1940 – Conscription. |
NSHQ | Naval Services Headquarters (Ottawa pre-1942). |
NTR | Nothing to report. |
NYD | (Br.) Not Yet Diagnosed. Nervous condition may be ‘shell-shock’. (WWI) |
OAFU | (RCAF) Overseas Advanced Flying Unit. |
Oberheflshaber Sued. (OB Sud.) | (Gr.) Commander-in-Chief South. In 1943 this was Generalfield- Marshall Albert Kesselring in Italy. “Smiling Albert”. |
Oboe | An electronic target location device, usually carried in pathfinder Mosquito aircraft in |
Observer | Later replaced by Navigator (RAF). |
OBV | Ocean Boarding Vessel. An armed merchant ship staffed with Royal Navy gunners. |
OC | Officer Commanding. |
O/C | Operational Intelligence Centre. |
OCS | (Am.) Officer Candidate School (Officer Training). |
OCTU | Officer Cadet Training Unit. |
OCU | Operational conversion unit (RCAF). |
OS | Ordinary Seaman. |
Oerlikon | 20mm Naval gun. |
“Ofenrohr” | (Gr.) Shoulder fired weapon resembling an American ‘Bazooka’. |
O-Group / OGp. | Orders Group where orders setting out tactics for a coming action are given to participating commanders. |
OHL | (Gr.) Oberste Heerseleitung – WWI German High Command. |
OIC | Operational Intelligence Centre. |
OKW | German Armed Force High Command. (WWII) |
ON | Fast Westbound Convoy. Usually with accompanying number ie: ON42. |
ONS | Slow Westbound Convoy. |
OOW | Officer of the Watch (Navy). |
Operation Overlord | Plan for the invasion of Europe 6 June, 1944. |
Operation Michael | Also known as Kaiserschlacht, ‘Emperor’s Battle, Spring Offensive of 1918. |
OP | Observation Post. |
O – Pip / OboePeter | Observation Post. |
O.O.C. | (RAF) “Out Of Control” a term to describe the situation of an enemy aircraft reported being attacked. |
“Ops” | Combat operations or mission (RCAF). |
“Ops Room” | Operation room for crew assembly (RCAF). |
OR | Other Ranks (Not Officers). |
ORB | Operational Record Book (RCAF). |
ORS | Operational Record Section (RCAF) / Operational Research Station. |
OS | Out bound slow convoy going west from UK ports. |
OSS | (Am.) Office of Strategic Services – forerunner of the CIA. |
OTF | Operational Training Flight. |
OTU | Operational Training Unit. Follows AFU (RCAF). |
OUAS | Oxford University Air Squadron. (pre-WWII) |
"Over the bags" | Leaving the trenches to attack the enemy. |
Ox-box | Slang for the Airspeed Oxford, twin-engine monoplane used a and advanced trainer in the BCATP. |
Term | Definition |
---|---|
25 – pdr. | WWII gun – howitzer using a high explosive shell weighing twenty-five pounds. |
PAC | Parachute and Cable Device. |
Palliasses | A straw or other soft filled mattress. |
"Pancake" | (RAF) An order to come back to base and land. |
Panzerarmee | The German Afrika Corps Tank Division. |
Panzerfaust | A German (WWII) hand-held, on shot, throw away anti-tank weapon. Its missle could pierce 80mm of armour at up to 80 meters. The British PIAT was effective up to 100 meters and the American Bazooka could not penetrate any main battle tank frontal armour. |
Panzerjager | (Gr.) Anti-tank gunner. (WWII) |
Panerturm | The turrets from Mk. III & IV tanks, mounted atop concrete casements with a 75mm gun plus machine guns and rocket launchers. With a three man crew they were first encountered in Italy. |
Parapet | (WWI) A mound of earth or sand bags that ran in front of a trench. |
Parados | (WWI) A mound of earth or sand bags that ran behind a trench. |
Pay parade | Means by which the forces were paid on duty. |
"Pasting" | RAF slang for receiving a heavy attack. |
PBI | Poor Bloody Infantry. (WWI) |
PBO | Poor Bloody Observer. Also known as a Winged ‘O’. (WWI) |
PCO | Principle Control Officer (Navy) Responsible for gunnery control on ships with multiple guns. |
PDC | Pilot disposal centre. |
"Penguins" | Kriegie (POW’s) who secretly carried sand away from escape tunnels. |
Peraxin | Trench Fever. |
‘Permanent Force’ | In reference to the Canadian Army in the summer of 1939 consisted of 4,261 Officers and Men + a militia of 46,500 Militia Soldiers. |
PFC | (Am.) Private 1st Class. |
PFF | Path Finder Force (Air force). |
PJBD | Permanent Joint Board of Defence. The committee for Canada / USA co-operation. |
PSU | (Br.) Phantom Signals Unit Secret WWII communications force. |
PH-Helmet | British ‘gas helmet’ used in the early days of WWI consisting of a flannel bag treated with phenate-hexamine, and eyepieces, tucked into the tunic for protection against chlorine gas. |
"Phantoms" | (Br.) Headquarters Liaison Regt. |
"Phony War" | The period between 3/09/1939 and 8/04/1940. |
Phosgene gas | A compound of Chlorine and carbon monoxide. A choking gas in 1918 the Germans used it in artillery shells. |
PIAT | Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank. A hand held anti-tank weapon of Commonwealth forces. Came in 2, 6, and 17 pound versions. |
Pigeon Service | A much used method of communication in the field. (WWI) |
Pivot gun | The right hand gun in each group of four artillery pieces making up a troop. |
"Planting" | Refers to dropping sea-mines from aircraft. Also see "Gardening and Vegetables". |
PLDG | Princess Louise Dragoon Guards. Cdn. Reconnaissance unit in WWII. Aka ‘Plugs’, ‘Piddley Gee’. |
"Plough Jockeys" | Nickname for the Hastings & Prince Edward Regt. |
PNM | “Pipe Noise Markers” aka “Foxer” in the RN. Slang for CAT anti-acoustic torpedo equipment towed by Navy ships. |
P/O | Pilot Officer (RCAF) – 1st level of commissioned officer. |
PO | Petty Officer (Navy). |
“Poilu” | A slang term adopted in WWI to refer to French Infantry. Literally meaning ‘hairy’ it became ingrained in the national consciousness as a symbol of their suffering and doggedness. |
"Polders" | Rectangular fields built by the Dutch from reclaimed coastal areas and pumped dry for farming. |
Pongos | (Br.) Slang for a British soldier. |
“Portapee” | (Gr.) The sword and waist belt worn by a German officer. (WWI) |
POU | (WWI) Pains of an Unknown Origin or ‘medically’ Pyrexia of unknown Origin, ie: The 1918 Spanish flu outbreak. |
“Pour le Merite” | (Gr.) Create by Frederick the Great of Prussia was Germany’s most coveted military medal. Frederick only spoke French thus the name of the Order. |
POW | Prisoner of War |
PPCLI | Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. |
PPF | Path Finder Force. Highly trained crews that ‘marked’ targets for the main bombing force (RAF / RCAF). (WWII) |
PPI | Plan Position Indicator. The plot on early RAF radar. |
PPO | Provisional pilot Officer (a 1939-40 rank for pilots being trained for the RCAF). |
PR | (RAF) Photo Reconnaissance. |
"Prang" | Crashed / damaged air craft or for a city being bombed “pranged”. |
PRC | Personal Receiving Centre (RAF/RCAF). |
"Prize Money" | Through greatly modified from it’s 18th century beginnings, awarded to air or sea Captains who sank an enemy ship or submarine, it was given until the end of WWII. |
PRO | Public Relations Officer. |
Pro. Station | Prophylactic Station. |
PRU | (RAF/RCAF) Photo Reconnaissance Unit. |
P.T. | Physical training. |
“Pukka Gen” | Correct or authorative information or information not wanted (RCAF). |
“Pundit crawling” | (RAF) Slang for night flying using electronic signals to identify air fields. |
Pundits | Also known as beacons; a navigational aid to identify a ground position. |
"Purple" | A Japanese code name aka “Magic by the Americans." |
"Put up a black" | (RCAF) Break the rules, being a clot. |
PW | British for Prisoner of War, also known as a POW. |
QDM | Wireless Q-code – “course to fly to reach me”. A magnetic course to steer for base, assuming zero wind. |
QGH | Wireless Q-code – “requesting radio-controlled approach”. |
QM | Quartermaster. |
QOR / QORofC | Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada. |
Quad | Four-wheel gun towing vehicle, also known as a F.A.T. |
"Quandrant" | Code name for the Quebec conference in 1943. |
"Quads" | Humpbacked gun tractors (Br./Cdn.) generally known as ‘quads’, short for quadrupeds because of their (4x4) four wheel drive. |
"Queen Marys" | British slang for a low-loading lorrey (truck) used in the recovery of wrecked aircraft. |
"Quisling" | In reference to Vidkum Quisling, the Norwegian Nazi Premier of the Norwegian puppet government. A “quisling” is anyone who helped betray their country. |
"Quit twisting my arm" | Sure I’ll have a drink. |
R22eR | Royal 22nd Regt. “Van Doos” |
R-Boat | German Motor Gun Boat. (WWII) |
R-Talk | Radio Talk. |
R/T | Radio telephone. |
R.A. | Royal Artillery. |
RAAF | Royal Australian Air Force. |
RAF | Royal Air Force, replace the RFC and RNAS 1/04/1918. |
"Raff" | (Br.) Infantry slang for the RAF. |
RAFVR | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. (WWII) |
RAMC | Royal Army Medical Corps. |
"Ramrod" | Air force squadron strength: an operation in which the destruction of the target was the prime purpose. Also a fighter escorted daylight raid. |
"Ranger" | Air force term for: a strong fighter sweep in search of German fighters, usually close to enemy airfields. |
RAP | Regimental Aid Post. (WWI) |
"Rapid Artillerary Fire" | 1 ½ rounds per minute for medium guns and 1 round per minute for heavy guns. |
R-Boats | Raid boats used by British commando. |
RCAF | Royal Canadian Air Force. |
RCAF-WD | Royal Canadian Air Force – Women’s Division (17,000). |
RCASC | Royal Canadian Army Service Corps. |
RCDC | Royal Canadian Dental Corps. |
RCEROD | Royal Canadian Engineers Railway Operating Division. |
RCHA | Royal Canadian Horse Artillery (a.k.a 1st Field Regt.). |
RCM | Radio Counter Measures. Jamming enemy radar and night-fighter communications. |
RCN | Royal Canadian Navy. The permanent naval force of Canada prior to 1939. Officers had joined the permanent force and had been through naval college. Officers rank war denoted by broad straight strips. |
RCNAS | Royal Canadian Naval Air Service. (WWI) |
RCNVR | Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve. A WWII force of naval personnel recruited for “Hostilities Only”. Officers rank was denoted by thin zigzag stripes, the “Wavy Navy”. |
RCNR | Royal Canadian Naval Reserve. The officers came from the merchant marine. Officers rank was denoted by crisscross stripes. |
RCT | (Am.) Regional Combat Team or Regimental Combat Team. |
RDF | Range Detection Finding (the early name for Radar). |
RDFO | Radar Officer (Navy). |
RE | Royal Engineers. |
Recco | Reconnaissance operation searching for Huns or ground targets. |
"Reece" | Armed reconnaissance. |
“Regia Aeronautica” | The Italian Air Force in WWII. |
"Reginas" | Regina Rifle Regiment. |
"Reliable fix" | The location of an aircraft at any moment. |
REME | Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers. Responsible for more sophisticated repairs. |
RFA | Royal Field Artillery. |
RFC | Royal Flying Corps. (WWI) |
RFP | (Br.) Radio Finger Printing. |
RFS | Return Ferry Service. Returned ferry crews from England back to North America. Est. in May 1940. |
RG | Rear Gunner. |
RGA | Royal Garrison Artillery. |
RHQ | Regimental Headquarters. |
RHR | Royal Highland Regiment of Canada (Black Watch). |
RNFAA | Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (later shortened to FAA). |
RNR | Royal Navy Reserve. |
RNVR | Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve. |
RNZAF | Royal New Zealand Air Force. |
"Roadstead" | Air force term for a squadron strength attack on enemy shipping at sea or in harbour. |
ROD | Railway Operating Div. (WWI) |
"Rodeo" | Air force term for a sweep without bomber to draw the enemy into action. |
"Ronson" | Infantry slang referring to the Sherman tank that was prone to ‘Brewing’ – catching fire. |
ROP | Report of Proceedings; the official report of operations at sea. |
"Ropey" | Slang (RAF) for a particularly bad landing. |
Rover Mission | (RCAF) In the Italian campaign 1944 fighter/bombers with no specific target until called up by a forward control post. |
RRC | Royal Regiment of Canada. |
R/T | Radio telephone (Navy). Radio transmitter (RCAF). |
RTO | Railway Transport Officer. |
RTR | (Br.) Royal Tank Regt. |
RTU | Returned To Unit aka. ‘washed out’ not up to Royal Marine criteria for an enlistment, “the ultimate disgrace.” |
"Rum jar' | (Br.) Slang for the German trench mortar projectile in WWI. |
RV | Rendevous. |
RWR | Royal Winnipeg Rifles. |
Term | Definition |
---|---|
SA | Small Arms. |
SAAF | South African Air Force. |
SBA | (RCAF) Standard Bean Approach used during instrument approach landings during obstructed view approaches (fog, heavy rain etc) accurate to 100 -200 ft. of a runway. |
"Sally Ann" | Slang for the Salvation Army who served soldiers during both Great Wars. |
"Salmons" | RCN code for an all-out hunt “search & destroy U-Boat” – “hunt to exhaustion. |
"Sangers" | (Urdu) or breastworks of loose stone where the ground is too hard to dig. |
"Sap" | (WWI) a trench leading into ‘No-man’s land’. |
SAS | (Br.) Special Air Service. Formed in July of 1941 by Brigadier Dudley Clark. |
SATC | Small Arms Training Centre. (WWII) |
SBO | Senior British Officer – A POW camp designation. |
SBR | Small Box Respirator aka ‘gas mask'. |
SBS | (Br.) Special Boat Service. Formed in early 1943 by Lord Jellico for amphibious raiding of enemy coastlines. |
SBT | (Gr.) Submarine bubble-target an anti-Asdic decoy. (WWII) |
SC | Slow Eastbound Convoy departing Sydney Nova Scotia. |
"Schemes" | (Br.) Also known as maneuvers. |
“Schlactstaffen” | (Gr.) WWI Battle flights that targeted ground troops with machine guns and bombs, introduced in 1917. |
“Schuhmines” | Small German anti-personnel mines. Made from a small wood box making them hard to detect with 7 oz. of explosive, intended to maim not kill. |
“Schrage Musik” | (Gr.) ‘Slanting Music’, upward firing canons mounded in a Junkers 88 aircraft. |
“Schrecklichmusik” | Horrible music or Jazz music. Four upward firing machine guns on a Junkers 88 or ME110 for attacking bombers from below. |
“Schrapnellmien” | German Mine aka. ‘Daisy cutters’ and ‘Bouncing Betsy’. When stepped on the mine sprang several feet in the air, explode with ball-bearing or scrap metal covering a 200 yard area. |
Schutzenmines | (aka S-Mines) Anti personnel mines with 350 ball-bearings attached to a spring which ignited the fuse and sprang the canister about 3’ into the air before exploding. |
"Scrubbed" | A cancelled operation mission. |
SD | Sicherheitsdienst. – The intelligence arm of the Nazi Party. |
SE | “Special Equipment” – The term RAF Coastal Command used to refer to radar equipment. |
SEAC | South East Asia Command, established in August 1942. |
"Seelowe" | (Gr.) Code name for “Operation Sea Lion, the German invasion of Great Britain 1940. |
“Second Dickey" | The final flight with an experienced pilot before flying Ops (RCAF). |
SEMT | Self – Evident Military Target. |
SGB | Steam Gun Boat. |
Sgt. | Sergeant. |
S/Sgt. | (Am.) Staff Sergeant. |
"Shaky do" | (RCAF) Rough go, a hazardous event. |
"Sharpen the old eye" | One of Chad’s toasts at the bar. |
SHEAF | Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force. |
Sherman "Crab" | One of Hobart’s ‘funnies’ a flail tank. |
"SHINGLE" | Code name for the invasion at Anzio, Italy. |
Shit | Inter-cloud flying with zero visiability. |
"Shit on the toast" | A Freddy Green expression with many uses. |
"Shooting the shit" | Reminiscing together with some fabrication. |
"Shot his bolt" | An expression meaning all resources had been used up. |
SIB | (Br.) Special Investigation Branch. |
“Sichelschnitt” | (Gr.) A scything cut maneuver to cut off and liquidate a trapped force. |
"SIGINT" | (Br.) Signals Intelligence. |
"Signals" | (Br.) Communications. |
SIS | (Br.) Special Intelligence Service. |
"Sit reps" | Situation Reports. |
SIW | Self-inflicted wound. |
SKL | Seekriegsletung, ie. German Naval Staff WWII. |
S/L | Squadron Leader. |
SLI | Saskatoon Light Infantry, actually a mortar and machine gun unit. |
"Slim Emma" | (Gr.) Schlanke Emma. A SKODA manufactured 305mm. howitzer only slight less powerful than the Krupp 380mm. naval gun. |
"Sling their hook" | (RN.) Navy slang for a hammock. |
SLU | Signal Liaison Unit. A select group of officers with ULTRA clearance of the most secret communications. |
"Shelrep" | Shell report (artillery). |
S-Mine | A German anti personnel weapon consisting of a canister filled with 350 ball-bearings an explosive charge, a stibby neck inged with little prongs showing. Brushing by one with boot it would spring up 3 feet in the air exploding the charge and ball-bearings. |
SNAFU | Military slang for “Situation Normal All Fucked Up”. |
"Snappers" | (RAF) slang for the German Bf109 fighter aircraft. |
"Snotty" | Naval slang for a midshipman. |
"Snowdrops" | RAF service police. Also known as S/P’s. |
SO | (RCN) Senior Officer. |
S/O | Section Officer, RCAF / Women’s Division. |
SOE | Special Operations Executive. British spy organization in WWII. Aka. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. |
SOE | (Navy) Senior Officer of the Escort or Special Operations Executive – ‘secret agents’ (Military). |
Soft cap | (WWI) A knit hat/toque, balaclava preferred head gear for night raids or patrols. |
"Somme Patches" | (WWI – slang) Reference to the coloured patches sown on the shoulders of the CEF to provide Divisional identification: RED – 1st Div., BLUE – 2nd, |
“Sonderkommando” | (Gr.) A suicide act of the German Air Force that tried to ram American bombers of the 8th USAAF in the last months of WWII. |
Sorties | (RAF/RCAF) in the USAAF it would be a ‘mission’ also a ‘raid’ on the enemy. “Sortie in French would mean ‘Exit’. |
SOS | Struck Off Strength, to indicate when an officer or had left the established strength of a unit. |
SOS Line | Is the line beyond which it is required to bring down fire, avoiding friendly positions. (WWI) |
SP | Self Propelled (often in reference to artillery). |
SP | Service Police (Air Force). |
S/P | Sergeant Pilot. |
Spam | Tinned pork product. |
"Spandau" | German machinegun MG. 38 had a fire rate of 1000 rpm. Aka “Burpgun” by US army. |
“Spahis” | (Fr.) Originally light cavalry in WWII were armoured reconnaissance units. |
“Spare / Odd bods” | British Airmen without a crew. |
S. P. Arty | Self-propelled Artillery. |
"Sparks" / "Sparker" | Naval slang for a radio operator. |
"Speed marching" | Commando style of covering 9 miles in 90 minutes a combination of walking and running. |
“Sperrgruppe” | (Gr.) A group only intended to dig in and fight a defensive battle. |
"Spider Web Patrols" | (WWI) A pattern of flight paths by a number of flying boats on anti-sub- marine duty that resembled a spiders web to cover the largest area of sea. |
“Split-arse pilot” | (RAF) An approach to land or flying that bordered on recklessness. |
“Spoofing Gear” | (Br.) RAF – Introduced in May 1942, an electronic device carried in British bombers to make one bomber look like seven or eight to enemy radar. |
"Spout" | Code name for the area between the Isle of Wight and the Normandy assault area. |
"Sprog" | Air force term for a new fledgling aircrew or new pilot. |
"Spy" | RCAF slang for the Intelligence Officer. |
Squadron | The basic Allied air force flying unit of 24 planes. |
SRD | Special Ration Dept. Stamp on rum ration jars (WWI) aka “Seldom Reaches Destination”. |
SRS | Special Raiding Squadron (Br.) employed in Sicily and Italy for raiding behind German lines. The name used by 1st SAS to confuse the Germans. |
S. S. | Steam Ship. Could also mean Submarine Scout – a non-ridged airship being developed by the RNAS (WWI) |
SS | (Gr.) “Schutzstaffel”, Hitler’s Nazi Military Guards units. |
SSB | Special Service Battalion. Formed after operations in Norway in WWII. |
SSO | Station Standing Orders (RCAF). |
SSQ | RAF Station Sick Quarters, a stations medical buildings. |
SSR | South Saskatchewan Regt. |
SSRF | Small Scale Raiding Force, small Commando 62 or less. |
SST | Special Service Troops, aka. Commando’s. |
"Staffel" | (Gr.) A fighter formation of six aircraft (equal to a RAF ‘Flight) introduced during the Battle of Verdun. (WWI) |
Stalag Luft | (Gr.) Stammlager Luftwaffe; a POW camp for airmen. |
"Starlight" | A RAF Ground Control Centre also “Harlequin”. |
"Stew Pots" | (Br.) See “Marmites”. (WWI) |
"Stickes" | Paratrooper slang for the number of troopers dropped from an aircraft. |
“Stellungen” | (Gr.) Positions. |
"Stone Frigate" | (RN.) ie: HMCS Hunter was in fact a shore establishment (building). |
'Stonk' | Heavy German artillery/mortar/Nebelwarfer salvoes. In the Canadian artillery it involved artillery guns being laid in such a way to ensure their shells fell in a straight line, along a selected map grid-bearing. The 24 guns of one field regiment could effectively ‘stonk’ a target 840 yards long. Combined with “Cones” created a form of siege warfare. |
"Stooge" | To fly aimlessly. |
"Stooges" | POW slang for prisoners who tracked the movements of German guards. |
"Strafe" | Attack on ground targets. Comes from the German verb ‘bestrafen’ – to punish. It was carried into WWII mostly connected to air forces. |
"Straglers" | (Am.) The term used to describe men who deliberately leave the ranks to escape the battlefield. The British term would be “deserter “. A straggler to the British was a man separated involuntarily from his unit. Ex. in a night attack or while being bombed when in a column. |
Stand to | Every morning troops manned the trenches for one or two hours before sunrise and sunset which were the usual times for enemy attacks. |
'Stunt' | Going into action / attack; a flight of British aircraft. (WWI) |
"Subedar" | Captain in the Indian army. (WWII) |
"Summer Time" | Also known as Daylight Savings Time. |
"Sweeps" | Air force term for offensive patrols over occupied territory. |
SWIC | Surface Warning; the first Canadian radar. |
"Switch line" | A trench system that joined to mainlines – like a communication trench but more elaborate and better prepared as a strong point. |
"Swinging the lead" | Slang for getting out of hard work by feigning an illness. |
SW1C | Service Warning – One Canadian. The 1941 radar to detect a surfaced U-Boat Approaching. |
SWO | (RAF) Station Warrant Officer. |
SYMBOL | Code name for the Casablanca Conference 14-24 Jan. 1943 where the agreement by the Allies that only “Unconditional Surrender” by the Axis countries would bring peace. |
3-Tonner | Three ton truck used mostly to transport ammunition and supplies. |
"Tacair" | Tactical Air Support. |
"Tac HQ" | Tactical Head Quarters close to the front line. |
TD | (Am.) Tank Destroyer. |
TAF | Tactical Air Force. Was based on the success of the ‘Desert Air Force DAF’ of 1943. |
"Taffy" | Slang for German acoustic torpedoes introduced in 1943, slower that a GNAT and required contact to detonate. |
Tallyhoo | Signal given to attack (RCAF). |
"Tank" | An armoured fighting vehicle. Introduced first by the British in Feb. 1916, built by William Foster & Co., Lincoln, England. There were two models the ‘Male’ had two 6 pound cannons (57mm) and 4 machineguns; the ‘Female’ had 6 machineguns, both weighed approximately 30 Tons. 49 of the first Tanks arrived in the BEF in September, 1916 for the Battle of the Somme. |
"Tannoy" | Loud speaker system at the air base. |
Tarp. | Tarpaulin. |
TAS | True Air Speed. |
TBS | Talk Between Ships. |
TBSM | Troop Battery Sergeant Major. |
TCV | Troop Carrying Vehicle. |
"Teller mine" | Teller is German for ‘dish’ or ‘plat’ which describes the shape of this 11.29 dia., anti-tank mine. It came in four types #29, 35, 42 and 43. weighing between 18 and 21 pounds with an Amatol charge. Also used as a costal defense weapon attached to wooden post near beaches to detonate when hit by landing craft. |
"Territorials" | British militia units. |
“Terrorfieger” | (Gr.) ‘Terror Flyers’ in reference to Allied bomber crews. |
Theatre Grid | A survey grid applicable to all units in a particular theatre of war. |
"Thrash bash" | (RCAF) A party high in beer consumption. |
TFF | Target Finding Force, aka PFF |
"Thunder Flashes" | # 69 grenades made of Bakelite (early plastic) used in training to simulate blast effects with little or no fragmentation, set off electrically. |
TI | Target Indicators, Arial flares dropped from Pathfinder aircraft (aka TI’s) to ‘mark’ targets for the main bomber stream. |
"Tiffie" | Slang for the Hawker Typhoon (fighter/bomber) equipped with 60 lb. rockets became a famous tank destroyer during the Normandy invasion. |
"Tin-Lizzy" | Slang for the Commonwealth helmet. (WWI) |
“Tirailleurs” | (Fr.) latterly ‘skirmishers’ or regular infantry. |
TM | Trench Mortar. |
"Toggle ropes" | Every man in a Commando carries one length of rope with a wooden handle at one end and a loop at the other – used to overcome obstacles such as rivers or walls. |
“Tommy Atkins” | Slang for when a British soldier came from. |
"Tommy Guns" | Slang for the 45 Caliber Thompson submachine gun (could fire 650 rounds/min.) aka – ‘Chicago Piano’ aka TMG. |
"Torscots" | Toronto Scottish Regt. |
“Topfminen” | German land mines with plastic casings, very hard to locate. |
"Tough titty" | Too bad! |
Tp. | Troop, two to each of the three batteries in a field artillery regiment. Four guns to a troop. |
Trench Fever | Carried by lice (cooties) which carried Rickettsia quintana, aka Peraxin once in the human blood stream presented symptoms of influenza and typhus. Could be debilitating and could require hospitalization. |
Trench Mats | aka. Duck boards. |
Trench Raids | Localized attacks at night involving a handful of men to as many as a company 100 depending on the objective. |
Trench rumour | If you don’t know the facts, make them up. (WWI) |
TRIDENT | Code name for Washington Conference held in May 1943. |
Troddel | German for ‘tassel’, an attractive cloth strap that looped around a German bayonet frog. This helped to distinguish the owners unit and rank. |
TUNIS | 10 cm. radar detector, used by U-Boats. (WWII) |
"Turfed" | (RCAF) Kicked out. |
Turnip Winter | The winter of 1916-17 brought privation to nearly all segments of the German population and there was little to eat other than turnips. |
"Twitch, twitchy" | Nervous or plain scared. |
UGF | USA to Gibraltar fast convoy. |
UGS | USA to Gibraltar slow convoy. |
U/I | Unidentified. |
ULO | Unit Landing Officer, worked in conjunction with the Beachmaster during amphibious landings. |
"ULTRA" | (Br.) Code name for British Intelligence provided at Bletchey Park, England. |
"Uncle Targets" | Artillery fire from all 72 guns of the Divisional artillery. |
U/S | (RAF) Unstable / unserviceable aircraft. |
"Unserviceable" | Spitfire, or pilot after a thrash. |
Unteroffizier | (Gr.) Corporal. |
UP | Unrotated Projectile. A device used early in 1940 to protect RAF stations from low flying German aircraft. A projectile was fired into the air pulling a cable the a parachute to slow the descent of the cable to catch German planes wings. |
USAS | United States Air Service. (WWI) |
USAAF | United States Army Air Force. (WWII) |
USN | United States Navy. |
USNR | United States Navy Reserve. |
UXB | (Br.) Unexploded Bomb. |
V1 | (Gr.) Vergeltungswaffe – Nr.1 literally “Revenge Weapon No. 1”, aka – ‘Doodlebug’ the flying bomb originally for retaliation against London, England. |
V2 | A German radio controlled rocket with a 2,200 lb. warhead (aka A-4A to the Germans) that became operational against England in the fall of 1944. With a range of only 200 miles, they launched from pads in Holland, traveled up to 60 miles at 3,600 MPH. There was no way to intercept them. |
"Van Doos" | Royal 22nd Regt. from Montreal. |
VC | Victoria Cross; the highest British military medal for valor. |
"Vector" | To direct an aircraft on to a target using a geometric degree the pilot should steer. |
VE Day | Victory in Europe Day 8 May, 1945. |
"Vegetables" | RCAF slang for sea-mines. See "Planting and Gardening". |
Very Lights | Hand-held, pistol-operated, rocket-propelled coloured flares used in signaling. |
VHF-DF | Very High Frequency – Direction Finding. |
"Vic" | The formation of aircraft flying in a ‘V’. |
"Victor Targets" | Artillery fire from 216 guns of a Corps guns. |
“Visual Reconnaissance” | Scouting from the air to obtain information for Field Commanders. (WWI) |
VJ Day | Victory over Japan. 15 August, 1945. |
VLR | Very Long Range. (Modified bombers often the B-24 Liberator used in anti-submarine work). After the war in Europe a special force of Lancaster bombers |
VM | Virtuti Militari (Polish). |
V.M.K. | Cdn. Slang – “Vote McKenzie King”. In reference to the Volunteer Service Medal which was issued to everyone in 1944 just prior to the Federal election in Canada. |
VPK | Vest Pocket Kodak. Manufactured between 1912 and 1926 marketed by Kodak as the “Soldiers Camera”. It used roll film that produced a 4.5 x 6 cm. negative. Often used in the early years of the Great War for field photos. |
Term | Definition |
---|---|
W10 | Short range destroyers operating in the area east of NFLD., as “Hunters” of U-Boats. |
WA | Western Approaches (Navy). |
WAAF | (RAF) Woman’s Auxiliary Air Force, many were radar operators and plotters. |
WAC | Western Air Command. Established 1/03/38 for the defence of Canada. |
WAC | (RN) Western Approaches Command – Under command of Admiral over ships and 15 group RAF responsible for area between west coast of England and CHOP line. |
Wadi | An area of considerable size which is well below the surrounding ground. |
WAG | Wireless Air Gunner. |
"Wagon Line" | Parking area for artillery transports and ammunition wagons are kept. |
“Wanganui flares” | PPF slang for target markers. |
“Warcos” | Slang for a War Correspondent. |
"Wastage" | The number of casualties a unit could expect to lose from all causes in a month, i.e: 10% of Infantry, 5% cavalry, 3.5% artillery, 2% forestry per month. Approximately 100 men per week would become a fatality. |
W/C | Wing Commander. |
W.C. | Water closet aka. Toilet. |
W-Boat | Experimental German submarine 250 tons, driven by hydrogen-Peroxide at 40-50 knots, not dependent on surface maneuverability. It never got past ‘Prototype’. |
WDF | (Br.) Western Desert Force. |
WE | Warrant Engineer (Navy). |
"Weaver" | (RAF) A fighter aircraft designated to act as ‘look-out’ for his flight. aka. ‘Arse – End – Charlie. |
WEF | Western Escort Force (RCN). |
"We'll go thata way" | A Freddy Green briefing, pointing vaguely. |
“We’ll just about make it” | (RCAF) Chad when in a dicey situation. |
"Went for a Burton" | (RAF) Slang for being shot down likely killed. |
Wespe | (Gr.) “Wasp” 10.5 cm. self-propelled gun. |
"West Novas" | West Nova Scotia Regiment. |
"Westies" | New Westminster Regt. from British Columbia. |
WESTOMP | Western Ocean Meeting Point. This was 81 nautical miles S. W. of St. John’s generally a days steaming from St. John’s. (46.54N / 051:14W). For east bound |
WETP | War Emergency Training Program. A.k.a. ‘Wet-Pee, where training took place, not Barracks. |
“What’s the form?” | What’s the plan. |
WIA | Wonded in Action |
“Wimpy" | (Br.) Slang for the Wellington bomber. |
"Wingco" | Wing Commander. |
"Window" | Strips of coarse black paper with aluminum foil dropped from aircraft to disrupt 27 cm. x 2 cm. to ‘blind’ the German radar. |
Wing | Number of flying squadrons, usually 2 – 4. |
Wing Shows | Operations involving all squadrons all squadrons of a wing. |
"Wizard" | RAF/RCAF slang for “Good”. |
W.L.A. | Women’s Land Army. |
WLEF | Western Local Escort Force. |
W/Ops. | Wireless Operators position (RCAF). |
WRCNS | Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service, also known as “Wrens”. |
WREN | (Br.) Women’s Royal Navy Service. 7,000 women were enlisted in WWII. |
WS. | Wireless School (part of the BCATP). |
W/T | Wireless Telegraphy. |
“Wurzburg” | (Gr.) Ground based paraboloid radar that controlled night-fighter interceptions and Flak guns. |
WVS | Woman’s Volunteer Service. Served service men and woman with food and drink. |
XO | Executive Officer (Navy). |
“Yeomanry” | (Br.) An ancient title for volunteer cavalry, incorporated into the Territorial Army (militia). In 1930 were converted to Royal Artillery and armoured units. |
“Zerstorer” | (Gr.) Nickname for the ME-110 twin-engine fighter ‘Destroyer’. (WWII) |
“Zahme Sau” | (Gr.) ‘Tame Boar’ – a counter measure for the allied ‘Window’ anti-radar. |
"Zombies" | WWII term for men who refused voluntary service. |
ZZland | RAF Radio-controlled landing. |
2IC | Second in Command. |
8NBH | 8th New Brunswick Hussars were in the 5th Armoured Division in WWII. |
9mm. Browning | Officers pistol that replaced the 28 Caliber revolver. |
9.2 Gun | A British heavy howitzer which fired a 9.2” shell. |
18 – Pdr. | WWI British gun, (canon) shell weighing eighteen pounds. |
88’s | German high velocity anti-aircraft gun (canon) also used against tanks and was the main gun on the German ‘Tiger’ tank. |