Stalemate (The Red Gambit Series) (89 page)

.30cal machine-gun

Standard US medium machine-gun.

.45 M1911 automatic

US automatic handgun

.50 cal

Standard US heavy machine-gun.

105mm Flak Gun

Next model up from the dreaded 88mm, these were sometimes pressed into a ground role in the final days.

105mm LeFH

German light howitzer, highly efficient design that was exported all over Europe.

128mm Pak 44

German late war heavy anti-tank gun, also mounted on the JagdTiger and Maus. Long-range performance would have made this a superb tank killer but it only appeared in limited numbers.

2" Mortar

British light mortar.

39th Kingdom

See Kingdom39

50mm Pak 38

German 50mm anti-tank gun introduced in 1941. Rapidly outclassed, it remained in service until the end of the war, life extended by upgrades in ammunition.

6-pounder AT gun

British 57mm anti-tank gun, outclassed at the end of WW2, except when issued with HV ammunition.

6x6 truck

Three axle, 6 wheel truck.

Achgelis

The Focke-Achgelis Fa223, also known as the Dragon. One of the first helicopters.

Achilles

British version of the M-10 that carried the high velocity 17-pdr gun.

Addendum F

Transfer of German captured equipment to Japanese to increase their firepower and reduce logistical strain on Soviets

Adin

In Russian, the number one.

Alkonost

Creature from Russian folklore with the body of a bird and the head of a beautiful woman.

Anschluss

The 1938 occupation and Annexation of Austria by Germany.

Anthrax Bombs

Factual Japanese weapons, believed used against the Chinese by Unit 731. Both the US and Britain carried their own tests on the same weapon.

Aquitania, RMS

Cunard liner that saw service in both WW1 and WW2. She was scrapped in 1950.

B-29

The American Superfortress, high-altitude heavy bomber.

BA64

Soviet 4x4 light armoured car with two crew and a machine-gun.

Balebetishen

Roughly means respectable or respectable person.

BAR

US automatic rifle that fired a .30cal round. It was an effective weapon, but was hampered by a 20 round magazine. Saw service in both World Wars, and many wars since.

Battle of the Bulge

Germany's Ardennes offensive of winter 1944

Bazooka

Generic name applied to a number of different anti-tank rocket launchers introduced into the US Army from 1942 onwards.

Beaufighter, Bristol

British twin-engine long-range heavy fighter, saw extensive service in roles from ground attack, night fighter, to anti-shipping strikes. Also served in the USAAF in its night fighter role.

BergePanther

German Panther tank converted or produced as an engineering recovery vehicle to service Panther Battalions in combat.

Bletchley Park

Location of the centre for Allied code breaking during World War two. Sometimes known as Station X.

Blighty

British slang term for Britain.

Blue and Grey Division

The nickname of the 29th US Infantry Division.

Boyes

.55-inch anti-tank rifle employed by the British Army but phased out in favour of the PIAT.

Brandenburghers

Rough German equivalent of commando, who were trained more in the arts of stealth and silent killing.

Bren Gun

British standard issue light machine-gun.

Browning Hi-Power

9mm handgun with a 13 round magazine, used by armies on both sides during WW2.

Brylcreams

Slang expression for RAF aircrew.

Buffalo

British term for the LVT or Amtrak, the amphibious tracked vehicle that became a mainstay of the Pacific War, and featured in all major Allied amphibious operations from Guadalcanal onwards.

Bund Deutsche Madel

The League of German Girls, young females’ organisation of the Nazi Party.

Bundook

Derived from the Indian language, slang for a rifle.

C47

US development of the DC3, known in British operations as the Dakota. Twin-engine transport aircraft.

Camel

US cigarette brand

Canso

RCAF designation for the Catalina.

Caudillo

Political-military leader, in this case, referring to Franco.

Cavalry

The German army had cavalry until the end, all be it in small numbers. The SS had two such divisions, the 8th and 22nd.

Centurion I

British heavy tank, equipped with the 17pdr and a Polsten cannon.

Chekist

Soviet term used to describe a member of the State Security apparatus, often not intended to be complimentary.

Chesterfield

American cigarette brand.

Chickamauga

A battle in the American Civil War, fought on 19th to 20th September 1863. It was a Union defeat of some note, and second only to Gettysburg in combined casualties.

Colibri

High-class men's accessories producer, initially specialising in cigarette lighters.

Colloque Biarritz

The fourth symposium based at the Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg.

Combat Command [CC]

Formation similar to an RCT, which was formed from all-arms elements within a US Armored Division, the normal dispositions being CC’A’, CC’B’ and CC’R’, the ‘R’ standing for reserve.

Comet

British medium tank armed with a 77mm high-velocity gun.

Corvette

Small patrol and escort vessel used by Allied navies throughout WW2.

Court of Bernadotte

The Court of the Swedish Royal Family.

Deuxieme Bureau

France's External Military Intelligence Agency that underwent a number of changes post 1940 but still retained its 'Deux' label for many professionals.

Douglas DC-3

Twin-engine US transport aircraft, also labelled C-47. [Built by the Russians under licence as the Li-2]

DP-28

Standard Soviet Degtyaryov light machine-gun with large top mounted disc magazine containing 47 rounds.

Duke of York

British battleship of the King George V class. Survived WW2 and was scrapped in 1957.

Dva

In Russian, the number two.

EBW

Explosive bridge-wire detonators.

Edelzwicker

Alsatian wine that is a blend of noble and standard grapes, and as a result is sometimes hit and miss, sometimes superb.

Elektroboote

A Type XXI U-Boat

ESM

Explosive Lens Maths. The complex array of calculations that come together to design the shaped charges in a nuclear device.

Falke

Infrared sighting system, installed on some German vehicles, especially useful for night fighting.

Fallschirmjager

German Paratroopers. They were the elite of the Luftwaffe, but few Paratroopers at the end of the war had ever seen a parachute. None the less, the ground divisions fought with a great deal of élan and gained an excellent combat reputation.

Fat Man

Implosion-type Plutonium Bomb similar in operation to 'The Gadget'.

FBI

Federal Bureau of Intelligence, which was also responsible for external security prior to the formation of the CIA.

FFI

Forces Francaises de L’Interieur, or the French Forces of the Interior was the name applied to resistance fighters during the latter stages of WW2. Once France had been liberated, the pragmatic De Gaulle tapped this pool of manpower and created ‘organised’ divisions from these, often at best, para-military groups. Few proved to be of any quality and they tended to be used in low-risk areas.

FG42

Fallschirmgewehr 42, a hybrid 7.62mm weapon which was intended to be both assault rifle and LMG.

Firefly, Fairey

British single-engine carrier aircraft, used as both fighter and anti-submarine roles.

Firefly, Sherman V

British variant of the American M4 armed with a 17-pdr main gun, which offered the Sherman excellent prospects for a kill of any Panzer on the battlefield.

Fizzle

Failure of a nuclear device to properly explode, but which can result in radioactive product being distributed over a sizeable local area.

Flak

Flieger Abwehr Kanone, anti-aircraft guns.

Fuhrer-Begleit-Brigaden

German army armoured formation, formed from the Wehrmacht's Fuhrer Escort. Considered an elite formation, it was part of the Grossdeutschland detachments.

Gamayun

Creature from Russian folklore with the body of a large bird and the head of a beautiful woman.

GAVCA

Grupo de Aviação de Caça [Portuguese] Translated literally means ‘fighter group’, the 1st GAVCA serving within the Brazilian Expeditionary Force.

GAZ

Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod, Soviet producers of vehicles from light car through to heavy trucks.

Gebirgsjager

German & Austrian Mountain troops.

Gestapo

GeheimeStaatsPolizei, the Secret Police of Nazi Germany.

Gitanes Mais

French cigarette brand

GKO

Gosudarstvennyj Komitet Oborony or State Security Committee, the group that held complete power of all matters within the Soviet Union.

Grease gun

US issue submachine-gun, designated the M3. Cheaper and more accurate than the Thompson.

Green Devils

Nickname for the German Airborne troops, the Fallschirmjager.

Greenhorn

An inexperienced soldier

Groβdeutschland

German Army unit, considered to be its Elite formation. Sometimes mistaken for SS as they wore armband, although on right arm, not the left, as SS formations did.

GRU

Glavnoye Razvedyvatel'noye Upravleniye of Soviet Military Intelligence, fiercely independent of the other Soviet Intelligence agencies such as the NKVD.