by Kevin Wright
Big Bertha
US camera system, see Pie Face
Big Item
Nickname for the KA-82 H-Pan camera in the C-130E-II
BMG
British Military Government in Germany and Berlin
BN
Briefing Note
Bordertown
Peripheral reconnaissance missions flown by 4025 SRS
Boston Camera
Original version of the Pie Face (K-42) camera
BOZ
British Occupation Zone of Germany
BRD
Bundesrepublik Deutschland; also Federal German Republic and West Germany
BRIXMIS
British Commander-in-Chief’s Military Liaison Mission to the Commander-in-Chief Group of Soviet Forces in Germany
BSF
Base Security Forces
BX
Base Exchange, see also PX
C-47 Skytrain
Military version of the Douglas DC-3 airliner
C-118 Liftmaster
Military version of the civilian DC-6 airliner
C-130E-II Hercules
US Transport aircraft modified for photographic and SIGINT duties
C4I
Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence
CAP
Combat Air Patrol
Carol Ann
US project name for photographic flights in Corridors and BCZ
CATac
Commandant Aérien Tactique
CC FFA
Commandant Chef du Forces Français en Allemange
CEAM
Centre d’Experiénces Aériennes Militaires
CERT
Centre d’Exploitation du Reseignement Tactique
CFS
Central Flying School
Chucker
US description of the outline of the Corridors and BCZ because it resembled a baseball field
Chukka
Alternative term for BCZ
CIA
Central Intelligence Agency (US)
C-in-C
Commander-in-Chief
C-in-C 2TAF
Commander-in-Chief Second Tactical Air Force
C-in-C BAFO
Commander-in-Chief British Air Force of Occupation
C-in-C BAOR
Commander-in-Chief British Army of the Rhine
C-in-C RAFG
Commander-in-Chief Royal Air Force Germany
CINCSAC
Commander-in-Chief Strategic Air Command (US)
CINCUSAFE
Commander-in-Chief United States Air Force in Europe
Cindy Fay
US project name for conversion of C-97 aircraft to photographic role
COMEL
Communications Électroniques
COMINT
Intelligence derived from the intercept of communications
Comms
Communications
CONUS
Continental United States
Corridor Airspace
20 statute miles wide with height limitations from 2,500 to 10,000ft connecting Berlin to Hamburg, Hannover and Frankfurt-am-Main
COTAM
Commandement du Transport Aérien Militaire (Military Air Transport Command)
CPSU
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Creek Field
US project name for Corridor photographic flights by C-97 and CT- 29 aircraft
Creek Flush
US project name for Corridor photographic flights by C-97 and CT-29 aircraft
Creek Misty
US project name for Corridor photographic flights by C-130 aircraft
Creek Rail
US project name for Corridor ELINT flights by C-47 aircraft
CWO
Chief Warrant Officer (US Army)
Daisy Mae
US camera system fitted to C-97G aircraft (see Pie Face)
DDR
Deutsches Demokratik Republik, see GDR
DETALAT BERLIN
French Army Light Aviation Detachment based at Berlin-Tegel
DHC-1 Chipmunk
Two-seat training aircraft manufactured by De Havilland (Canada)
DIS
Defence Intelligence Staff
DISC
Defence Intelligence and Security Centre
DM
Deutschemark – West Germany currency
DV
Double Vision Joint 6 Int Coy and PID IT system introduced in the 1980s
EC-97
Designation erroneously applied to C-97 in SIGINT role
ECM
Electronic Counter Measures
Économat
French equivalent of the British NAAFI
ECCM
Electronic Counter-Counter Measures
EÉ 54
Escadre Électronique 54 (Electronic Squadron 54 – EE 54)
EÉT 54
Escadre Électronique Tactique 54 (54 Tactical Electronic Wing)
EGAF
East German Air Force
EGN
East German Navy
ELA
Escadrille de Liaison Aérienne (Air Liaison Squadron)
ELINT
Intelligence derived from the intercept of electronic equipment emissions (e.g. radar)
Elisa
French ELINT intercept system
EOB
Electronic Order of Battle
ERA
Explosive Reactive Armour
ESC
Electronic Security Command
ETA
Estimated Time of Arrival
ETD
Estimated Time of Departure
EU
European Union
EWO
Electronic Warfare Officer
F.49
UK air camera usually used for survey work
F.52
UK air camera fitted with either 14in or 20in lens (vertical-split pair) and either 36in or 48in lens (oblique) for Corridor flights
F.95
UK tactical air camera fitted with lenses up to 12in and operated in either hand-held or fixed mounting
F.96
UK air camera fitted with 12in lens (vertical) and 48in (oblique) for Corridor flights
F.126
UK air camera fitted with 12in (vertical) lens and reworked 48in (oblique) lens for Corridor flights
F-6K
Photographic reconnaissance variant of P-51 Mustang
FAA
Federal Aviation Administration
Fabian
UK code name for RAF Corridor photographic flights c. 1962
Farnborough, UK
Code name for BRIXMIS Chipmunk flights
FATac
Force Aérienne Tactique
FCO
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
FFR Bn
Free Flight Rocket Battalion
Flintstone
US project name for conversion of C-97 aircraft to photographic role
FLIR
Forward Looking Infrared
FMLM
See MMFL
FO
Foreign Office
FOZ
French Occupied Zone of Germany
FRG
Federal Republic of Germany – West Germany
FROG
Free Rocket over Ground – unguided rocket system
FROGMIS
Affectionate nickname for the MMFL (qv)
GA
Guards Army
GDR
German Democratic Republic. Alternative for DDR or East Germany
GÉ 30.450
Groupement Électronique 30.450 (Electronic Group 30.450)
GÉT 30.341
Groupement Électronique Tactique (Tactical Electronic Group 30.341)
GHL
Groupe d’Hélicoptères Légères
GKM
Grenzkommando Mitte – East German Border Guard Centre Command
Guards Motor Rifle Division
GOC Berlin
General Officer Commanding British Troops Berlin
GSFG
Group of Soviet Forces in Germany
GSOFG
Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany
GTD
Guards Tank Division
H-Pan
Horizontal (or High) Panoramic camera
Hallmark
Code name for RAF Corridor photographic flights
HÉT
Hélicoptère Électronique Technique
HF
High Frequency
HQ 21 AG
Headquarters 21st Army Group
HQ BAOR
Headquarters British Army of the Rhine
Huebener–Malinin
Agreement between C-in-C USAREUR and C-in-C GSFG governing relations between GSFG and HQ USAREUR
I&W
Indicators and Warning
IA
Image Analyst
ICBM
Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile
ICF
Intelligence Collection Flight
IFR
Instrument Flight Rules
IGB
Inner German Border
IMINT
Intelligence derived from multi-spectral imagery
IPIR
Initial Photographic Interpretation Report
IR
Infrared
IRIS
Intégration du Renseignement et des Informations SIGINT
IRLS
Infrared Linescan
IT
Information Technology
JAC
Joint Analysis Centre
JAPIC (G)
Joint Air Photographic Interpretation Centre (Germany)
JARIB
Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Board
JARIC (UK)
Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre (United Kingdom) (later JARIC)
JCS
Joint Chiefs of Staff
JIC
Joint Intelligence Committee based in London
JIC(G)
Joint Intelligence Committee (Germany)
JNCO
Junior Non-Commissioned Officer
JRC
Joint Reconnaissance Center
JSPI
Joint School of Photographic Interpretation
K-17
US camera system producing 9in × 9in images
K-18
US camera system producing 9in × 9in images
K-22
US camera system producing 9in × 9in images
K-30
US camera system producing 9in × 18in images
K-38
US camera system producing 9in × 18in images
K-42
US camera system producing 36in × 18in images, see Pie Face
KA-81A
US panoramic camera system producing images on 5in-wide film
KA-82
US panoramic camera system producing images on 5in-wide film
KA-95
US panoramic camera system producing images on 5in-wide film
KA-116
US-origin sideways-looking panoramic camera fitted with 72in lens
Ladbrook
UK code name for RAF Corridor photographic flights circa 1965–66
Live Oak
NATO contingency planning staff in Paris to prepare military responses to possible Soviet restrictions to Allied access to Berlin
MAC
Military Airlift Command
MANPADS
Man-Portable Air Defence System
MASDC
Military Aircraft Storage and Disposal Centre (later AMARC)
Maskirovska
Russian military term for all forms of deception and concealment
MBRL
Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher
MBT
Main Battle Tank
MD
Military District
MEDEVAC
Medical Evacuation
Medius
Code name for BRIXMIS Chipmunk flights 1967–71
MF
Medium Frequency
MFPS
Mobile Field Photographic Section
MFPU
Mobile Field Photographic Unit
MfS
Ministerium für Staats Sicherheit
MI5
See Security Service
MI6
See SIS
The ‘Mission’
Slang name for BRIXMIS
MMFL
Le Mission Militaire Français de Liaison. French equivalent of BRIXMIS, affectionately known as FROGMIS
MND
Ministry of National Defence
MoD UK
Ministry of Defence United Kingdom
MRR
Motor Rifle Regiment
MT-LB
Soviet tracked armoured personnel carrier
NAAFI
Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes
NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
NCO
Non-commissioned officer
NIIRS
National Image Interpretability Rating Scales
NORTHAG
Northern Army Group – NATO ground force command
NRO
National Reconnaissance Office
NSA
National Security Agency
NSC
National Security Council
NVA
Nationale Volks Armee – East German Army
Nylon
UK code name for BRIXMIS Chipmunk flights
Oberon
UK code name for BRIXMIS Chipmunk flights circa 1990
ODCSI
Office of Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence
Olive Harvest
US project name for U-2 flights over the Levant
ORB
Operations Record Book
ORBAT
Order of Battle
OSIRIS
Organisation Système d’Intégration du Renseignement et des Informations SIGINT
P-51 Mustang
US fighter aircraft used in photographic role
PAP
Plotter Air Photography
PARPRO
Peacetime Airborne Reconnaissance Programmes
PDI
Photographic Data Index
Pembroke
British twin-engine light transport aircraft manufactured by Percival
Philaria
UK code name for BRIXMIS Chipmunk BCZ photographic flights 1966–67
PHOTINT
Intelligence derived from optical photographic material
PI
Photographic Interpreter or Photographic Interpretation
PID
Photographic Interpretation Detachment. Became Photographic Intelligence Department
Pie Face
Project name for K-42 camera, see also Big Bertha and Daisy Mae
Plainsman
UK code name for RAF Corridor photographic flights
PM
Prime Minister
POL
Petroleum Oil and Lubricants
PPMS
Precision Parameter Measurements System
PR
Photographic Reconnaissance
PR
Public Relations
PRA
Permanently Restricted Area
PSMS
Phase Stability Measurement System
PX
Post Exchange – US equivalent of the British NAAFI, see also BX
QFI
Qualified Flying Instructor
R and D (R&D)
Research and Development
RADINT
Radiation Intelligence
RAF
Royal Air Force
RAFG
Royal Air Force Germany
RAFG
PRU
Royal Air Force Germany Photographic Reproduction Unit
RAFVR
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Raindrop
Project name for corridor photographic flights in circa 1965
Raven
US nickname for electronic warfare officers
