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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)