Glossary of Terms and Phrases

A large field gun, the backbone of heavy artillery in the US military in World War II, a.k.a. “Long Tom”.

The 20 mm (High Explosive) caliber is a specific size of a high‐explosive, autocannon ammunition.

It is unclear what type of shells and/or weapons, German or American, that this number refers to.

The most powerful weapon deployed by US field artillery units during World War II.

280mm railway guns

40 mm low‐altitude anti‐aircraft weapon, a.k.a. Bofors.

40 mm low‐altitude anti‐aircraft weapons, a.k.a. Bofors.

Possibly a BBC radio am frequency. Mentioned in the original manuscript “Wanderings Over The European Continent”.

The German 88mm Flak has to be considered the most famous artillery piece of World War II. Designed as an anti‐aircraft gun in the 1920s, it proved to be a devastating anti‐tank gun on battlefields from Belgian farmland to the North African deserts and Russian steppes. Like many weapons of the Third Reich, there was a bewildering proliferation of models and variants. The 88s equipped armored trains, concrete flak towers, and, eventually, the fearsome Tiger tank.

Anti Aircraft

Anti‐Aircraft Artillery

Anti‐Aircraft Artillery Intelligence Service

Anti‐Aircraft Artillery Training Center

Army Air Corps

Originally a British term for anti‐aircraft fire.

Originally a British term for anti‐aircraft fire.

Army General Classification Test. A test of general learning ability, and was used by the Army and Marine Corps to assign recruits to military jobs.

Army Ground Forces

German phrase meaning “Everything was destroyed”.

A huge German railway cannon.

This was a popular song and jazz standard first published in 1944. The lyrics were written by Joe Greene, with music composition by Stan Kenton and Charles Lawrence. Anita O'Day first sang the song in mid 1944. Ella Fitzgerald sang and recorded the song in November of 1944. It became a big hit in 1945. Click here to listen to this song.

Weapons, firings, defense employed against armored combat vehicles.

Armor‐piercing ammunition

Army Post Office

Army regulations

Heavy rubber galoshes

Large guns used to shoot over a great distance.

Automatic Weapons

Absent WithOut Leave

British radio company − British Broadcasting Corporation

Base Commander

French word for “much” or “lots of”.

Brigadier General

A 240 mm howitzer

To be lodged in a particular place, especially a civilian's house or other non‐military facility.

An English term for pale ale

A temporary camp without tents or cover.

Nickname for General George S. Patton. He led the Third Army in Europe.

Battalion

Slang for a shilling coin (which is 5 pence in today's money)

Originally French slang.  A disparaging term for Germans, especially German soldiers in WWII.

40 mm low‐altitude, anti‐aircraft weapon

A tobacco pipe made from the root or stem of a European heath (Erica arborea).

Battalion Signal Officer

Battery

German word for mayor.

The butts or backstop is the protected area of a shooting range behind the targets into which the shot impacts have passed through. The phrase “pulling targets in the butts” means the job of personnel lifting, retracting, marking, and/ replacing targets.

A German “flying” bomb that was an early pulse‐jet‐powered predecessor of the cruise missile, a.k.a. a V‐1 bomb.

The type “C” ration was an individual canned, pre‐cooked, and prepared wet ration of food.

There are many possible definitions for this abbreviation: (1) Combined Arms Center; (2) Collection Advisory Center; (3) Control and Analysis Center; (4) Crisis Action Center; (5) Civil Affairs Command; (6) Civil Applications Committee; (7) U.S. Army Combined Arms Command; (8) Coast Artillery Command.

Commanding Officer

The Douglas C‐47 Skytrain or Dakota (RAF designation) was a military transport aircraft.

There are many possible definitions for this abbreviation: (1) Combined Arms Center; (2) Collection Advisory Center; (3) Control and Analysis Center; (4) Crisis Action Center; (5) Civil Affairs Command; (6) Civil Applications Committee; (7) U.S. Army Combined Arms Command; (8) Coast Artillery Command.

A nucleus or core group especially of trained personnel able to assume control and to train others.

Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Camp Davis, Holly Ridge, North Carolina.  Location of the Army's sole AA Officer Candidate School.

Most likely a black and white movie.

French word for barracks

Unknown term and/or reference.

Category IV units were to be demobilized and returned to the U.S. to be inactivated and personnel discharged.

Category IV units were to be demobilized and returned to the U.S. to be inactivated and personnel discharged.

Drivers in convoy were instructed to maintain 60‐yard intervals to present less of a target to German bombers and a top speed of 25 miles per hour for safe operation. During night runs, drivers had to operate without lights, using “cat‐eye” headlight covers more to mark their presence than to see the road.

Commanding General

A night watchman

Combined Intelligence Center

Storage of petroleum products, e.g. gasoline, kerosene, aviation fuel, diesel oil, fuel oil, etc.

Commanding Officer

Communications Zone

Petroleum jelly used to prevent rust.

Command Post

A dark brown or black flammable tar deposited from especially wood smoke on the walls of a chimney.

A French parish priest.

French term meaning “required by etiquette or current fashion”.

An electro‐mechanical device used in this case with the Bofors, to assist in hitting a moving target by transmitting targeting data to direct the weapons firing crew, a.k.a. M5 Director.

Doughboys were usually young men who had dropped out of school and joined the army.

World War II term for an infantryman in the U.S. Army — perhaps a blend of doughboy and foot soldier.

Unknown abbreviation from original manuscript “One Hundred Thousand March Orders”.  Perhaps “Equipment Command”.

El ropo is American slang for a cigar, especially a large one.

Enlisted Men

To put into position

European Theater of Operations

European Civil Affairs Regiment. One of three special U.S. regiments that was to provide provisional government duties during the post‐WWII occupation of Germany and Italy. This included preparations for food, health, housing, and security of civilian populations.

Field Artillery

German word for fortress.

Servicemen transferred from other units to make up for shortages in manpower in the battalion.

German mainstay single‐seat fighter aircracft during World War II.  The FW 190 F and 190 G were converted to ground attack versions.

Soldiers' qualification cards used to classify and assign enlisted men.

40 mm low‐altitude anti‐aircraft weapons, a.k.a. Bofors.

Refers to the “Boeing B‐17 Flying Fortress” which is an American four‐engine heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s.

French currency before the introduction of the “euro” in Europe.

Derogatory British term for French people

A period of time when a soldier is allowed to leave the place where he or she is stationed.

Intelligence Office(r)

A noun used to describe the soldiers of the United States Army. The term G.I. initially stood for “Government Issue” or “General Issue”. It was also used as an adjective for anything having to do with the Army or the Air Force. During World War II, “G.I. Joe” became the general nickname for all American soldiers.

A garrison most often refers to a military outpost where troops are stationed to provide protection to an area.

German‐named “crown restaurant”

George S. Patton, Jr. was a highly decorated U.S. Army general in the European Theater of WWII (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945). He led the Third Army in Europe.

This most likely refers to the German‐built Arado Ar 234. The Arado Ar 234 was the world's first operational jet‐powered bomber, built by the German Arado company in the closing stages of World War II.

A heavy sticky mud

Americans and Canadians often referred to German soldiers as “Heinies”, from the nickname for the German name Heinrich.

German Nazi term for “master race”

A large facility to store ammunition, jeeps, and other war supplies. By 1942, the US Government began plans for the massive shipment of war supplies both in European and the Pacific Theaters. Ten locations were selected in the United States which were well‐served by existing railroads and close to large ports. The facilities had many warehouses and storage areas serviced by many miles of railroad track.

Headquarters Battery

Headquarters Battery

A simple shelter from the elements.

Information and Education classes.  A program for U.S. servicemen called the “Information and Education Program” was started after the war in Europe was over because it would sometimes be months before all of the servicemen could be shipped home.  These were refresher courses, vocational training, and classes to gain high school and college credits.

Information and Education classes.  A program for U.S. servicemen called the “Information and Education Program” was started after the war in Europe was over because it would sometimes be months before all of the servicemen could be shipped home.  These were refresher courses, vocational training, and classes to gain high school and college credits.

Soldiers marching or fighting on foot

Injured Other Than Hostilities or Illness

A nickname given to Germans during the Second World War.  This was originally a WWI term.

A nickname given to Germans during the Second World War.  This was originally a WWI term.

A derogatory term for a black person with stereotypical black features.

In the Marines, a “Jody” is a generalized term meaning: any man who stays home while everyone else goes to war. He gets to enjoy all the things the Marines are missing, more specifically the Marine's girlfriend back at home while the Marine is away on active duty. The reason that they're called Jody specifically dates back to black soldiers in WWII. They took a character from old blues songs named Joe the Grinder (or Joe D. Grinder) who would steal the ladies of inmates and soldiers, and clipped his name to Jody. This song can be found on the “Dreamtime” podcast. Then simply scroll down to “Episode 58 - Jody's Got Your Girl and Gone” and underneath the picture, click on “Direct link to mp3”.

WWII German Luftwaffe twin‐engine, multi‐role aircraft a.k.a. Junkers 88.

WWII German Luftwaffe twin‐engine, multi‐role aircraft a.k.a. JU‐88.

A derogatory term which the Allied forces used to refer to German military units in World War II. This term comes from the German dish sauerkraut.

The type “K” ration was an individual daily combat food ration. They were easier for the soldiers to carry than the “C” rations as they were more compact in size.

Landing Craft, Tank

Logistics Task Order

German word for an air raid shelter.

German name for air force.

A toggle‐locked recoil‐operated semi‐automatic pistol.

Master Sergeant

Semi‐automatic rifle

Upgraded M1 semi‐automatic rifle

Unknown reference from the original manuscript “One Hundred Thousand March Orders”.

A Browning .50 caliber water‐cooled machine gun.

Unknown reference from the original manuscript “One Hundred Thousand March Orders”.

Multiple machine gun carriage trailer

An electro‐mechanical device used in this case with the Bofors, to assist in hitting a moving target by transmitting targeting data to direct the weapons firing crew.

Multiple machine gun carriage trailers

Slang for ambulance

German WWII fighter aircraft

Grenade launchers

Most likely a black and white movie.

Carriage trailer for mounting guns

Military Police

Military Police

Main Supply Route

Unknown abbreviation from the original manuscript “One Hundred Thousand March Orders”.  Often stands for Military Treatment Facility.

Military Training Officer

Mission Training Plan

Slang for “civilian attire”.

A non‐commissioned officer

A non‐commissioned officer

Officer Candidate School

Officer Candidate School

RC (radio‐controlled) model airplane used as an aerial target for anti‐aircraft training.

US military weapons, ammunition, and equipment used in connection with them.

Prisoner of War

A semi‐automatic pistol developed by the German firm Walther.

This refers to Lt. General Alexander Patch's Seventh Army.

Nickname for the men of the Seventh Army led by Lt. General Alexander Patch.

George S. Patton, Jr. was a highly decorated U.S. Army general in the European Theater of WWII (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945). He led the Third Army in Europe.

This refers to the Third Army led by George S. Patton, Jr. and the Seventh Army led by Lt. General Alexander Patch.

A platoon typically consists of 15 to 40 soldiers.

This was a point system that the US Army used at the end of World War II in Europe to determine which soldiers (and in which order) they were eligible to be repatriated to the United States for discharge from military service. For more information on this topic, click on Advanced Service Rating Score.

Postal Exchange

Pyramid‐shaped tents of size 16" x 11"

A major supply building which stores and distributes supplies and provisions.

Removal and installation

This code refers to a temporary advance airfield constructed by the Allies.  The “R” indicates that the airfield was in Germany. For more information on this topic, click on Advanced Landing Ground.

Double silver bars worn on the uniform of a captain.

Reconnaissance

German word for “empire”

Army manpower or personnel office(r)

Army security and intelligence office(r)

Army operations office(r)

Army logistics office(r)

A battlefield feature that projects into enemy territory.

Signal Corps Radios were U.S. Army military communications components that comprised “sets”. Under the Army Nomenclature System, SCR initially designated “Set, Complete Radio,” and later “Signal Corps Radio”. The term SCR was part of a nomenclature system developed for the U.S. Signal Corps, used at least as far back as World War I.

A German defense system stretching more than 390 miles long along the borders of The Netherlands down to Switzerland.

The Douglas C‐47 Skytrain or Dakota (RAF designation) was a military transport aircraft.

A tubular cloth target towed by an airplane for use in air and ground antiaircraft gunnery practice.

A narrow trench for one or more persons for protection against enemy fire and fragmentation bombs, a.k.a. a foxhole.

Special Operations

German word for soldiers.

Standard Operating Procedure

A type C4‐S‐B2 “Marine” series of troop transport/hospital ships.

A type C4‐S‐B1 series of cargo ships that were later converted to troop transport ships.

An attack of machine‐gun or cannon fire from a low‐flying aircraft.

Tables and Equipment

Table of Organization

Unknown reference from the original manuscript “One Hundred Thousand March Orders”.

Having a specific plan.

Technologies and Tactics

Training Development

Technician Fourth Grade. Those who held this rank were often addressed as Sergeant.

Technician Fifth Grade. Those who held this rank were addressed as Corporal. The wearers of the rank were often called “Tech Corporal”.

The Republic P‐47 Thunderbolt was one of the largest and heaviest fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single‐piston engine.

A flammable toxic compound used as a high explosive.

A British soldier. The name Tommy for any soldier in the British Army is particularly associated with World War I.

This refers to the name of the main character in the 1931 movie “Trader Horn”.

2.5 ton U.S. Army cargo truck made by GMC.

The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO Show) is a nonprofit organization that provides programs, services, and live entertainment to United States troops and their families.

A German “flying” bomb that was an early pulse‐jet‐powered predecessor of the cruise missile, a.k.a. a buzz bomb.

Victory in Europe Day – May 8, 1945.

Victory in Europe Day – May 8, 1945.

The Lockheed Ventura/B‐34 Lexington airplanes were mostly used for training with various stateside units.

Victory in Japan

Victory in Japan Day.  The official U.S. commemoration is September 2, 1945.

Gerd von Rundstedt.  Famous German Field Marshal.

Women's Army Corps or a woman belonging to this Corps

An officer ranked above all enlisted grades and below all commissioned grades.  The Army warrant officer is a technical expert, combat leader, trainer, and adviser.

“The Washington Post” is a march composed by John Philip Sousa in 1889. Click here to listen to the march and also to see it being played by the United States Marine Band.

German word for Armed Forces.

An authoritative report giving information or proposals on an issue.

Weapons

Unclear typing from the original manuscript “One Hundred Thousand March Orders”.

U.S. Army corps (a.k.a. Twentieth Army Corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War) which fought from northern France to Austria in WWII.

This code refers to a temporary advance airfield constructed by the Allies.  Both “A” and “Y” designated airfields could be found in France, however many “Y” fields could also be in The Netherlands, Belgium, and occupied areas of Germany. For more information on this topic, click on Advanced Landing Ground.