Breakthrough (The Red Gambit Series)

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Breakthrough (The Red Gambit Series) Page 52

by Gee, Colin


  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.

  BA64

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

  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-engined 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 a 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.

  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.

  Buffalo

  British term for the LVT or Amtrak, the amphibious tracked vehicle which 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.

  C47

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

  Camel

  US cigarette brand

  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.

  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.

  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.

  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

  Fallschirmjager

  German Paratroops. 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 elan 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-engined 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 Expediationary 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.

  Groβdeutschland

  Literally, 'Greater Germany', the elite Grossdeutschland Division was not an SS formation although it wore a cuff title on its right arm.

  GRU

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

  Halifax, Handley Page

  British four-engined heavy bomber

  Hapsburg

  European monarchy that ruled Austro-Hungary amongst other European states.

  Harai Ritual

  Harai or Harae are rituals for purifying and removing factors such as sin, uncleanliness and bad luck from objects, places, and people.

  Hauptmann

  Equivalent o
f captain in the German army.

  Hellcat Tank-Destroyer, M18.

  US tank destroyer armed with a 76mm gun. Capable of high speed.

  Hero of the Soviet Union award

  The Gold Star award was highly thought of and awarded to Soviet soldiers for bravery, although the medal was often devalued by being given for political or nepotistic reasons.

  Hitler Youth [Hitler Jugend]

  Young males’ organisation of the Nazi Party.

  Hohenzollern

  Noble house of Germany, Prussia, and Romania.

  Horsch 108

  German transport that served throughout WW2 in a variety of roles from officer's car to ambulance.

  IL-4, Ilyushin.

  Soviet twin-engined medium bomber.

  Infected Fleas

  Factual Japanese weapon. A load of infected fleas were dropped on Quzhou in 1940, resulting n the deaths of over 2000 people.

  IR

  Infra-red, a technology that the Germans pursued late in the war.

  IS-II

  Soviet heavy tank with a 122mm gun and 1-3 mg's

  IS-III

  Iosef Stalin III heavy tank, which arrived just before the German capitulation and was a hugely innovative design. 122mm gun and 1-2 mg

  IS-III

  Iosef Stalin tank, armed with the fearsome 122mm gun.

  Jeep

  ½ Ton 4x4 all terrain vehicle, supplied in large numbers to the Western Allies and the Soviet Union.

  Job tvoyu mat

  With apologies, this is translated in a number of ways, and can mean anything of the same ilk from 'Gosh' through to 'Fuck your mother."

  Kalibr

  Codename of David Greengrass, US Army Sergeant who was a Soviet Spy.

  Kangaroo

  Allied infantry carrier, either converted from a tank, mainly M4 Shermans and M7 Priest SP's, or purpose built from the Canadian RAM tank.

  Kar98K

  German standard issue bolt action rifle.

  Katana

  The main sword of a samurai or Japanese officer.

  Katorga

  Soviet penal system, also accepted as a noun for a place of hard servitude.

  Katyn

  1940 Massacre of roughly 22,000 Polish Army officers, Police officers and intelligentsia perpetrated by the NKVD, Site was discovered by the German Army and much propaganda value was made, although in reality there was no sanction against the USSR for this coldblooded murder.

  Katyusha

  Soviet rocket artillery weapon capable of bringing down area fire with either 16, 32 or 64 rockets of different types.

  Kavellerie

  German translation of Cavalry.

  K-Class Blimp

  US Airship [dirigible] used in reconnaissance and anti-submarine roles

  Kerch

  Soviet peninsular that juts out into the Black Sea, known in English as the Crimea.

  Ki-84

  Japanese single-engined fighter aircraft, considered to be the finest fighter in the Japanese inventory.

  King Tiger tank

  German heavy tank carrying a high-velocity 88m gun and 2-3 machine guns.

  Kingdom 39

  The Fairytale Kingdom in Russian Folklore.

  Kradschutzen

  Motorcycle infantry, term also applied to reconnaissance troops.

  Kreigie

  US slang for a German prisoner of war.

  Kreigsmarine

  German Navy

  Kriegsspiels

  Wargames

  LA-7

  Single-engine Lavochkin fighter aircraft, highly thought of despite poor maintenance history.

  Lavochkin-5

  Soviet single-engined fighter aircraft.

  Leutnant

  German Army rank equivalent to 2nd Lieutenant.

  Liebfraumilch [Liebfrauenmilch]

  German semi-sweet white wine.

  Lightning, Lockheed, P38

  US twin-engined fighter, most successfully used in the Pacific Theatre.

  Lisunov Li-2

  Soviet licenced copy of the DC-3 twin-engine transport aircraft,

  Little Boy

  Uranium based fission bomb.

  Luftwaffe

  German Air Force

  Lysander, Westland.

  British single engine monoplane designed for Liaison activities, but best known for its use in ferrying agents into Occupied Europe.

  M-10

  Known as the Wolverine, this US tank destroyer carried a 3" gun with modest performance. It was subsequently upgunned in British service, and the more potent 17-pdr equipped vehicles became known as Achilles.

  M13/40

  Italian light tank with a 47mm gun and 3-4 machine-guns.

  M-16 half-track

  US half-track mounting 4 x .50cal machine-guns in a Maxon mount. For defence against aircraft at low level it was particularly effective against infantry.

  M1Carbine

  Semi-automatic carbine that fired a .30 cal round, notorious as being underpowered.

  M20

  US 6x6 Armoured utility car, which was basically an M8 without the turret.

  M21

  M3 halftrack with an 81mm mortar mount, providing mobile fire support.

  M24 Chafee

  US light tank fitted with a 75mm gun and 2-3 machine-guns.

  M26 Pershing

  US Heavy tank with a 90mm gun and 2-3 machine-guns. Underpowered initially, it had little chance to prove itself against the German arsenal.

  M3 Halftrack

  US standard half-track normally armed with 1 x .50cal machine-gun and capable of carrying up to 13 troops

  M3A1 sub-machine gun

  Often known as the Grease Gun, issued in .45 or the rarer 9mm calibres with a 30 round magazine.

  M4A4

  US medium tank, last of a number of developments, Armament ranged from 75mm through 76mm to 105mm Howitzer.

  M5 HST

  US fully-tracked high-speed artillery prime mover.

  M5 Stuart

  US light tank equipped with a 37mm gun, and capable of high speed.

  M8 Greyhound

  6x6 Armoured car with 37mm main gun and 1-2 machine-guns.

  Maior

  German Army rank equivalent to Major.

  Manhattan Project

  Research and development project aimed at producing the first atomic bomb.

  Market-Garden

  Montgomery's failed plan to drop paratroopers and secure river crossings into Northern Germany, thus ending the war by Christmas.

  Maskirova

  Soviets have a fondness for deception and misdirection and Maskirova is an essential of any undertaking.

  Matrose

  German naval term for a common sailor.

  Mauthausen

  More properly known as Mauthausen-Gusen Concentration Camp, the camp grew to oversee a complex of Labour camps throughout the area. The high estimate of persons dying within the Mauthausen camp system is 320,000.

  Maxon mount

  A single machine gun mounting which could be installed on a half-track of a trailer, by which means 4 x .50cal were aimed and fired by one man.

  Merville Battery

  German gun battery assaulted by the British 9th Para Battalion on D-Day.

  Meteor F3, Gloster

  British twin-engined jet fighter, which first flew in 1943.

  Metgethen

  Scene of a successful German counter-attack in 1945, where evidence of Soviet atrocities against the civilian population was uncovered.

  MG.08

  German WW1 machine gun. Many survivors were employed during WW2.

  MG34

  German standard MG often referred to as a Spandau.

  MG42

  Superb German machine gun, capable of 1200rpm, designed to defeat the Soviet human wave attacks. Still in use to this day.

  Mills Bomb

  British fragmentation hand grenade.

  Minox

  Gained notor
iety as the first 'miniature' spy camera.

  Mitsubishi Ki-46

  Japanese twin-engined reconnaissance aircraft.

  Mlad

  Codename of Theodore Hall, Nuclear Physicist, and Soviet Agent.

  Molotov Cocktail

  Simple anti-tank/vehicle weapon, consisting of a bottle, a filling of petrol, and a flaming rag. Thrown at its target the bottle shattered on impact and the rag did the rest.

  Moscow Crystal Vodka

  Highest quality triple distilled vodka.

  Moselle

  Mainly white wine originating from areas around the River of the same name.

  Mosin-Nagant

  Russian bolt-action infantry rifle.

  Mosquito

 

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