Welcome to the WWII Forums! Log in or Sign up to interact with the community.

D-Day Glossary

Discussion in 'War44 General Forums' started by Jim, Sep 28, 2006.

  1. Jim

    Jim Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2006
    Messages:
    3,324
    Likes Received:
    15
    via War44
    Military operations are thick with codenames, acronyms and nicknames that need explaining to the layman. Unfortunately, the written history of those events is no different. Every account of D-Day is littered with terms like LCI, PIAT; even 'D-Day' itself needs explaining! This glossary will help you translate any unknowns.

    AA: Anti-Aircraft.
    AEF: Allied Expeditionary Force; twelve countries contributed to Overlord: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, the UK and the US.
    Allies: Refers to the nations who fought together against the Axis Powers.
    Atlantic Wall: Nickname for the German defences along the northern and eastern coasts of France.
    AVRE: Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers; on D-Day these were Churchill tanks fitted with a Petard mortar and other specialist equipment
    Axis: (or Axis Powers) Germany, Japan and the Italian Social Republic (the official Italian government now fought on the Allied side).
    BAR: The Browning Automatic Rifle, used by the Allies.
    Belgian Gate:
    A metal trap designed to be hidden under high tides and tear the bottoms away from boats or landing craft.
    Bazooka: US infantry anti-tank rocket launder.
    Bn: Battalion; An infantry Battalion ranged from 600 – 1000 men.
    CO: Commanding Officer
    Churchill, Winston: The British Prime Minister.
    Churchill Tank: A British Heavy Tank named after their Prime Minister.
    D-Day: Originally the term for the date when a mission or operation took place, but now associated with 6th June 1944, D-Day for Operation Overlord.
    DD: Duplex Drive, used on amphibious vehicles.
    DD Tank: A tank fitted with a Duplex Drive which allied amphibious use.
    Doughboy: A nickname for US soldiers more traditionally associated with the First World War.
    DUKW: Amphibious 2 ½ ton Truck; pronounced 'duck', the DUKW usually carried supplies.
    DZ: Drop Zone.
    Eisenhower, Dwight: Supreme Commander of the AEF.
    Fortitude: A long-term operation to conceal the true whereabouts of the D-Day landings.
    FUSAG: First U. S. Army Group; this was entirely fictional and created to conceal Allied intentions.
    GI: A nickname for US troops, derived from the acronym 'GI' (Government Issue) which was stamped on their uniforms.
    Gooseberries: Artificial harbours created by the deliberate sinking of ships.
    HE: High Explosive.
    Hedgehog: German beach defence created out of three metal poles welded in a sloping pyramid, designed to damage landing craft.
    Higgins Boat(s): Generic name for the flat-bottomed landing craft created specially for Overlord by Andrew Higgins; each type had a different codename (see L).
    Hobart's Funnies: Nickname for a range of tank adaptations and additions designed by Percy Hobart, including mine clearers and carpet layers.

    LBW: Landing Barge.
    LCA: Landing Craft, Assault.
    LCE: Landing Craft, Equipment.
    LCF: Landing Craft, Flak.
    LCI: Landing Craft, Infantry.
    LCI (L):Landing Craft, Infantry (Light).
    LCOCU: Landing Craft, Obstacle Clearance Unit.
    LCM: Landing Craft, Medium.
    LCR: Landing Craft, Rockets.
    LCT: Landing Craft, Tank.
    LCT (A): Landing Craft Transport, Assault.
    LCT (R): Landing Craft Transport, Rocket.
    LCV: Landing Craft, Vehicle.
    LCVP: Landing Craft, Vehicle and Personnel.
    LO: Liaison Officer.
    LSI: Landing Ship, Infantry.
    LST: Landing Ship, Tank.
    Luftwaffe: German air force, largely ineffective on D-Day thanks to Allied air superiority.
    LZ: Landing Zone.
    MG: Machine Gun.
    Moaning Minnie: The nickname given by Allied troops to the German multi-barrelled Nebelwerfer mortar.
    Mulberry/Mulberries: Artificial harbours constructed from prefabricated sections; towed across the channel and attached together, they were designed to speed up reinforcement and supply.
    Neptune: The naval section of Operation Overlord.
    Overlord: The codename for the D-Day landings.
    Panther: The German Mark V Tank.
    Panzer: German Tank.
    PIAT: British 'Projector Infantry Anti-Tank', a British Infantry anti-tank weapon.
    SHAEF: Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force.
    Spandau: General British name given to German army machine guns.
    Stick: Paratroops dropped in one go from one plane.
    Stonk: British term for concentrated or intensive artillery fire.
    Teller Mine: German anti-tank mine; attached to the top of poles or hedgehogs along the Normandy beaches.
    Tiger: The German Mark VI Panzer tank, a heavily armoured vehicle with an adapted 88mm gun.
     

Share This Page