Opening Moves (The Red Gambit Series)
Page 75
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Battle of the Bulge
Soviet 4x4 light armoured car with two crew and a machine-gun.
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.
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.
Branden
burghers
Rough German equivalent of commando, who were trained more in the arts of stealth and silent killing.
Bund Deutsche Madel
The League of German Girls, young females’ organisation of the Nazi Party.
Camel
US cigarette brand
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.
Chesterfield
Combat Command [CC]
American cigarette brand.
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.
Colibri
High-class men's accessories producer, initially specialising in cigarette lighters.
Colloque Biarritz
The fourth symposium based at the Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg.
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.
Edelzwicker
Fallschirmjager
Alsatian wine that is a blend of noble and standard grapes, and as a result is sometimes hit and miss, sometimes superb.
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
FFI
FG42
Federal Bureau of Intelligence, which was also responsible for external security prior to the formation of the CIA.
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.
Fallschirmgewehr 42, a hybrid 7.62mm weapon which was intended to be both assault rifle and LMG.
Firefly
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.
Gamayun
GAVCA
Creature from Russian folklore with the body of a large bird and the head of a beautiful woman.
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.
Gro²deutschland
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.
Hapsburg
European monarchy that ruled Austro-Hungary amongst other European states.
Hauptmann
Equivalent of captain in the German army.
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.
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
Jeep
½ Ton 4x4 all terrain vehicle, supplied in large numbers to the Western Allies and the Soviet Union.
Kalibr
Codename of David Greengrass, US Army Sergeant who was a Soviet Spy.
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.
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.
Leutnant
German Army rank equivalent to 2nd Lieutenant.
Liebfraumilch [Liebfrauenmilch]
German semi-sweet white wine.
Lisunov Li-2
Soviet licenced copy of the DC-3 twin-engine transport aircraft,
Little Boy
Uranium based fission bomb.
Luftwaffe
German Air Force
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 many 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.
&nb
sp; M20
M21
US 6x6 Armoured utility car, which was basically an M8 without the turret.
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
M5 HST
M5 Stuart
Often known as the Grease Gun, issued in .45 or the rarer 9mm calibres with a 30 round magazine.
Based on the M5 Stuart chassis, this was a high speed tractor, used as ammunition portee, crew transport and prime mover for US artillery units.
Light US tank armed with 37mm gun, mainly used for recon work.
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.
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.
Metgethen
Scene of a successful German counter-attack in 1945, where evidence of Soviet atrocities against the civilian population was uncovered.
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 notoriety as the first 'miniature' spy camera.
Mlad
Codename of Theodore Hall, Nuclear Physicist, and Soviet Agent.
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 infantry rifle.
Mosquito
DH98 De Havilland Mosquito was a multi-purpose wooden aircraft, much envied by the Luftwaffe.
Mustang
P51 Mustang, US single seat long-range fighter armed with 6 x .50cal machine-guns.
Nagant pistol
Standard Soviet revolver, very rugged and powerful using long case 7.62mm ammunition.
Natzwiller-Struhof
Concentration camp in Alsace.
NKGB
Narodny Komissariat Gosudarstvennoi Bezopasnosti, the Soviet Secret Police, separated from the NKVD in 1942 and absorbed once more in 1946.
NKVD
Narodny Komissariat Vnutrennikh Del, the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs.
OFLAG XVIIa
Offizierslager or OfLag No 17A, prisoner of war camp run by the Germans for officer detainees.
Operation Anvil
August 1944 landing in Southern France.
Operation Apple Pie
US project to capture German officers with specific knowledge about the Soviet Union’s industry and economy.
Operation Kurgan
Soviet joint-operation to employ paratroopers, Naval Marines, NKVD agents and collaborators to attack and neutralise airfields, radar, communications and logistic bases throughout Europe. Subsequently enlarged to include assassinations of Allied senior officers.
Operation Paperclip
OSS project to recruit German Scientist to the Allied cause post May 1945.
Operation Sumerechny
Soviet plan to remove German leadership elements from their prisoners.
Operation Unthinkable
Study ordered by Churchill to examine the feasibility of an Allied assault on Soviet held Northern Germany.
Panther Tank
German heavy-medium tank carrying a high-powered 75mm gun and 2-3 machine-guns, considered by many to be the finest all-round tank of World War 2.
Panzer IV
German tank, which served throughout the war in many guises, mainly with a 75mm gun.
Panzer V
See Panther Tank
Panzer VI
See Tiger Tank
Panzertruppen
The German tank crews.
PanzerVIb
See King Tiger Tank
PE-2
The Soviet Petlyakov PE-2 was a twin-engine multi-purpose aircraft considered by the Luftwaffe to be a fine opponent.
PIAT
Acronym for Projector, Infantry, Anti-tank, the PIAT used a large spring to hurl its hollow charge shell at an enemy.
Plan Chelyabinsk
Soviet assault plan utilising lend-lease equipment in Western Allies markings.
Plan Diaspora
Soviet overall plan for assaulting in the East and for supporting the new Japanese Allies.
Plan Kurgan
Soviet joint-operation to employ paratroopers, Naval Marines, NKVD agents and collaborators to attack and neutralise airfields, radar, communications and logistic bases throughout Europe. Subsequently enlarged to include assassinations of Allied senior officers.
Plan Zilant
The Soviet paratrooper operations against the four symposiums, detailed as Zilant-1 through Zilant-4.