A
A.A. = Anti Aircraft
A.A.A. = Anit Aircraft Artillery
AA-AT = Anti Aircraft – Anti Tank
AB = Airborne
A.E.B. = Airborne Engineer Battalion
A.M. = After Midnight
A.M.C. = Airborne Medical Company
A.O.M.C. = Airborne Ordnance Maintenance Company
A.P. = Armor Piercing
A.P.O. = Army Post Office
A.P.T.C. = Army Physical Training Corps
A.Q.C. = Airborne Quartermaster Company
A.S.C. = Airborne Signal Company
A.W.O.L. = Absence Without Leave or Absence Without Official Leave
B
B.A.R. = Browning Automatic Rifle
BIGOT = term ‘Bigoted’: person or document with security clearance
BG = Bag
Bn = Battalion
Bat = Battalion
B.S. = Bronze Star
B.S. = Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten (Dutch Organised Resistance)
BX = Box
C
C47 = Dakota Transport
C.A.B. = Canadian Armoured Division
Cal = Caliber
C.B.I. = China Birma India (Theater of Operations)
C.C-2 = Chloroamide liquid chemical as used for poison gas protection
C.G.- 4.A. = US made Waco Glider
C.I.C. = Counter Intelligence Corps
C.O. = Commanding Officer
Co = Company
Col = Colonel
Coy = Company
C.G. = Commanding General
C.M.H. = Congressional Medal (of) Honor
C.P. = Command Post
Cpl = Corporal
C.S.R. = Canadian Scottish Regiment
C.T. = Combat Team
D
D.D. = Duplex Drive (as in Sherman DD)
D.P. = Displaced Person(s)
D.F.C. = Distinguished Flying Cross
D.L.I. = Durham Light Infantry
D.S.C. = Distinguished Service Cross
D.S.M. = Distinguished Service Medal
D.Z. = Drop Zone
E
E.M. = Enlisted Men
E.P. = Evacuation Point or Extraction Point
E.T.O. = European Theater of Operation
E.Y.R = East Yorkshire Regiment
E.X.O. = Executive Officer
F
F.A. = Field Artillery
F.G.O. = Field Grade Officer
F.M. = Field Manual
F.O. = Forward Observer
F.Sgt = First 1st Sergeant slang: Top Kick or Top Sgt (Three Stripes up, Three Stripes Down with Diamond)
F.U.B.A.R. = Slang: Fucked Up Beyond Any Recognition or Fouled Up Beyond Any Repair
G
G 1 (one) = Divisions Personnel Officer or Adjutant
G 2 (two) = Divisions Intelligence Officer
G 3 (three) = Divisions Operations Offcier
G 4 (four) = Divisions Supply Officer
Gen = General
GeStaPo = (Geheimer Statz Polizei) German Secret Government police
G.F.A. = Glider Field Artillery
G.F.A.B. = Glider Field Artillery Battalion
G.I. = Government Issue
G.I.B. = Glider Infantry Battalion
G.I.R. = Glider Infantry Regiment
Greasegun = US M3 Submachinegun
G.R.S. = Graves Registration Services
H
H.B.T. = Herring Bone Twill (as in uniform fabrique)
H.E. = High Explosive
Horsa = British made Glider
H.T. = Handy Talkie
H.Q. = Head Quarters
I
I.D. = Identification
Inf = Infantry
Island, The = Area between the Neder Rijn and Waal River
J
J.A. = Judge Avocate
J.A.G. = Judge Avocate General
K
KaPo = Kamp (Camp) Police
K.I.A. = Killed in Action
K.L.M. = Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij (Dutch Royal Air Company)
K.N.I.L. = Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger (Royal Dutch-Indonesian Army)
K.O.S.B. = Kings Owns Scottish Border Regiment
K.P. = (Knok Ploeg) Light Armed Dutch Resistance Group
L
L.D. = Line (of) Deprature
L.C.A. = Landing Craft Assault
L.C.I. = Landing Craft Infantry
L.C.M. = Landing Craft Mechanised
L.C.T. = Landing Craft Tank
L.C.V.P. = Landing Craft Vehicle, Personnel
L.K.W. = Last Kraft Wagen (German = truck)
L.M. = Legion (of) Merit
L.M.G. = Light Machine Gun
L.S.A. = Landig Ship Assault
L.S.I. = Landing Ship Infantry
L.S.T. = Landing Ship Tank
Lt = Lieutenant
LTC = Lieutenant Colonel
Lt Col = Lieutenant Colonel
L.Z. = Landing Zone
M
M-1 = US Rifle (Garand), US Carbine (i.e. Inland) or US Helmet Type
M1-A1 = US Folding Stock Carbine (original only manufactured by Inland)
M1C = US Paratrooper Helmet
M-2 = Spring Loaded Switchblade Knife – Paratrooper Escape Knife -hidden pocket-
M-3 = Paratrooper Fighting Knife with leather handle
M-5 = Assault Gas Mask in rubber Bag
M-6 = Scabbard for the M-3 Fighting Knife
Mae West = 1940’s Pinup and Moviestar slang nickname for the orange/yellow ‘Twin Bellow’ (hence the nickname) Life Preserver
Mag = Magazine
Maj = Major
M.C. = Medical Corps
M.D. = Medical Department
M.G. = Machine Gun
MG42 = German (heavy) Machine Gun
Mk = Mark (version)
M.L. = Main Line
M.L.R. = Main Life (of) Resistance
M.O.H. = Medal of Honor
M.P. = Military Police
M.P. = Machine Pistol pr Maschine Pistol
MP40 = German (light) Maschine Pistol slang Burp Gun
MP44 = German Assault Rifle cal. 7.92 mm or Sturm Gewehr
MSgt = Master Sergeant (Three Stripes up, Three Stripes Down)
Mtd = Mounted
Mtn = Mountain
N
N.C.O. = or Non-Com Non Commisioned Officer
N.S.R. = North Shore Regiment (New Brunswick)
O
O.D. = Olive Drab (color) also Battle Clothes
O.L.C. = Oak Leaf Cluster
O.P. = Out Post
O.P.L. = Out Post Line
O.P.L.R. = Out Post Line (of) Resistance
O.S.S. = Office (of) Strategic Services later: CIA
O.Z.O. = Oranje Zal Overwinnen (Orange Will Prevail = Dutch Motto of Resistance – Graffity)
P
P.F.A. = Parachute Field Artillery
P.F.A.B. = Parachute Field Artillery Battalion
Pfc = Private First Class
P.H. = Purple Heart
P.I.R. = Parachute Infantry Regiment
P.M. = Pre Midnight
P.O.W. = Prisoner Of War
P.T. = Physical Training
P.U.C. = Presidential Unit Citation
Pvt = Private
P.W. = Prisoner (of) War: see P.O.W.
P.X. = Postal Exchange
P.Z. = Panzer
P.Z.G. = Panzer Grenadier
Pz Kfw = Panzer Kampf wagen (German = Armored Vehicle)
Pz Kfz = Panzer Kampf fahrzug (german = Armored Tracked Vehicle)
Q
Q.M.C. = Quarter Master Corps
Q.O.R.R. = Queens Own Rifle Regiment
Q.O.R.C. = Queens Own Rifle of Canada
R
R.A. = Royal Army
R.A.F. = Royal Air Force
R & R = Rest & Recovery
R.C.A. = Royal Canadian Army
R.C.T. = Regimental Combat Team
Regt = Regiment
R.E.M.E. = Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
R.M.C. = Royal Marine Commando
R.R.R. = Royal Regina Rifles
R.W.R. = Royal Winnipeg Rifles
S
S 1 (one) = Regimental Personnel Officer or Adjutant
S 2 (two) = Regimental Intelligence Officer
S 3 (three) = Regimental Operations Offcier
S 4 (four) = Regimental Supply Officer
SA = (Sicherheits Abteilung) German Security Soldiers
S.C. = Signal Corps
S.C.R. = Signal Corps Radio
Sgt = Sergeant
S.H.A.E.F. = Supreme Headquarters (of the) Allied Expeditionairy Forces
S.L.R. = South Lancashire Regiment
S.M. = Soldiers Medal
SMG = Sub MAchine Gun
SN # = Serial Number or Service Number
S.N.A.F.U. = Slang: Situation Normal All Fucked Up or Situation Normal All Fouled Up
S.O.B. = Slang: Sunnavabitch
S.P. = Self Propelled (as in gun)
S.S. = Silver Star
Sqd = Squad
SS = (Schutz Staffel) German Stormtroopers
Ssgt = Staff Sergeant
Sub = Submarine
Sub Net = Submarine Net
T
T/3 = Technical (grade) 3 – specialist Staff-Sergeant (Three Stripes up, One Stripe down)
T/4 = Technical (grade) 4 – specialist Sergeant (Three Stripes up)
T/5 = Technical (grade) 5 – specialist Corporal (Two Stripes up)
T-5 = US Parachute(s) and Harnass Pack as worn until after the Normandy Jump
T.C.G. = Troop Carrier Group
T.C.S. = Troop Carrier Squadron
T.D. = Tank Destroyer
T.O.(&E) = Table (of) Organisation (& Equipment)
U
U-Boat = Unterwasser Boat – German Submarine
U.K. = United Kingdom
US Army Military Personnel 1939 – 1945
U.S.A. = United States (of) America
V
V = Victory (Allied V-sign with fingers or morse code ‘dot dot dot stripe’)
V.C. = Victory Cross (Common Wealth Medal)
V.G. = Volks Grenadier
V-Mail = Victory Mail
W
W.A.A.C. = Womens Army Auxilliary Corps
W.A.C. = Womens Army Corps
WACO = American Build Glider
W.I.A. = Wounded In Action
X
X.O. = Executive Officer
XXX Corps = 30th Corps
Y
Y.M.C.A. = Young Men’s Christian Association
Y.W.C.A. = Young Women’s Christian Association
Z
Z.C. = Zone Control
Numbers: Some Basic Airborne Regiments & Division
17(th) AB = 17th Airborne Division
82(nd) AB = 82nd Airborne Division
101(st) AB = 101st Airborne Division
101(st) HC = 101st Headquarters Company – 101st Airborne Division
101(st) MPP = 101st Military Police Platoon – 101st Airborne Division
101(st) RP = 101st Reconnaisance Platoon – 101st Airborne Division
101(st) SC = 101st Signal Corps – 101st Airborne Division
321(st) GFA = 321st Glider Field Artillery – 101st Airborne Division
325(th) GIR = 325th Glider Infantry Regiment – 82nd Airborne Division
326(th) AEB = 326th Airborne Engineer Battalion
326(th) AMC = 326th Airborne Medical Company
327(th) GIR = 327th Glider Infantry Regiment – 101st Airborne Division
377(th) PFA = 377th Parachute Field Artillery – 101st Airborne Division
401(st) GIR = 401st Glider Infantry Regiment – 101st Airborne Division
426(th) AQC = 426th Airborne Quartermaster Company – 101st Airborne Division
463(rd) PFA = 463rd Parachute Field Artillery – 101st Airborne Division
501(st) PIR = 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment – 101st Airborne Division
502(nd) PIR = 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment – 101st Airborne Division
503(rd) PIR = 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment
504(th) PIR = 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment – 82nd Airborne Division
505(th) PIR = 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment – 82nd Airborne Division
506(th) PIR = 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment – 101st Airborne Division
507(th) PIR = 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment
508(th) PIR = 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment
509(th) PIR = 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment
511(th) PIR = 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment
513(th) PIR = 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment
515(th) PIR = 515th Parachute Infantry Regiment
517(th) PIR = 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment
801(st) OC = 801st Ordnance Company – 101st Airborne Division
907(th) PFA = 907th Parachute Field Artillery – 101st Airborne Division
506/A or A/506 = A-Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment ( A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I Companies)
501/HQ or HQ/501 = HQ-Company of the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment
502/2 or 2/502 = 2nd Battalion of the 502nd PIR (1st: A-B and C-Co = red) (2nd: D-E and F-Co = white) (3rd: G-H and I-Co = Blue)