| AA | Anti-Aircraft |
| AAA | (Anti-Aircraft Artillery) |
| A/C | aircraft |
| AAC | (Army Air Corps) - name of the aviation branch of the U.S. Army until June 20, 1941 when it was changed to AAF |
| AAF | (Army Air Force) name of the aviation branch of the U.S. Army June 20, 1941 on. |
| ABDA | American-British-Dutch-Australian, Force |
| abort | to break off or abandon a mission - mechanical problems were a major cause of aborts. |
| Abwehr | intelligence and counter-espionage service of the German High Command. |
| Ace | a pilot who has shot down five aircraft (scored five victories) see experte. |
| acceleration | rate of change of velocity, sometimes the term deceleration is used when velocity is decreasing. |
| accelerometer | a device that precisely measures changes in acceleration |
| ack-ack | anti-aircraft fire |
| ADGB | (Air Defense Great Britain), coherent defense of Great Britain, consisting of Fighter Command, Anti-Aircraft Command, Balloon Command and the Royal Observer Corps against the V-1 flying bomb offensive. |
| adjutant | a staff officer in the army, air force, or marine corps who assists the commanding officer and is responsible especially for correspondence |
| aerial | antenna |
| aerodrome (airdrome) | airbase |
| Africa Korps | Deutsches Afrika Korps (DAK) |
| AFV | (Armored Fighting Vehicle) |
| Aggregate (rocket) | (Aggregate 4) A-4 better known as the V-2 rocket |
| air raid | a bombing attack by aircraft |
| airdrop | the dropping of supplies by aircraft, typically canisters or crates which deploy parachutes. |
| airlift | a sustained effort to move men and/or supplies via aircraft. |
| airfoil | a shape such that air flows faster over one side than the other, generating lift - a wing is an airfoil. |
| AI (radar) | (Airborne Interception) radar |
| ailerons | interconnected flaps at the rear of the wings which move in opposite directions, allowing the plane to roll (bank). |
| airburst | the detonation of a shell or bomb above the ground, this usually causes more damage to personnel. |
| airscrew | propeller |
| aircraft carrier | a dedicated ship which can launch and receive aircraft. |
| airframe | the structure that supports the loads acting upon the airplane. |
| 'all-or-nothing' armor scheme | using thick armor over the magazines, turrets and vital spaces of a ship and no armor over the rest. |
| anti-personnel | designed to primarly kill/wound people |
| anti-aircraft gun | gun capable of high elevation and fairly rapid fire. |
| anti-tank rifle | essentially a conventional shoulder-fired rifle firing heavy armor-piercing bullets |
| anti-tank gun | high-velocity gun that fires armor-piercing shells on a flat trajectory. |
| 'Anzio Annie' | K5(E) railway gun of 28cm caliber that shelled the Anzio beach head. In total, Germany had over 25 of these weapons. |
| Angle of Attack (AOA) | the angle that a wing (airfoil) meets the oncoming airflow. |
| apogee | the highest point in a trajectory. |
| armament | the weapons that are part of a plane, ship, tank or other vehicle. |
| AP | Armor-Piercing |
| APC | Armor-Piercing (Capped) |
| APCBC | (APC + Ballistic Cap) |
| APCR | (Armor-Piercing Composite Rigid) 'arrow head' shell Hartkernmunition (Pzgr.40) |
| APDS | (Armor-Piercing Discarding Sabot) |
| Apron | A defined area on an airfield intended to accommodate aircraft for purposes of loading or unloading passengers or cargo, refueling, parking, or maintenance. |
| 'Amerikabomber' | Messerschmitt Me 264 |
| Amatol | mixture of TNT and ammonium nitrate |
| amphibious ships | specialized ships for amphibious landings and supporting troops on hostile beaches. |
| Anzac | Australian and New Zealand Army Corps |
| area bombing | to saturate an area of a city with bombs, rather than aiming for a specific target. |
| armistice | suspension of hostilities by agreement between the opponents |
| artillery | |
| armor | any material used to deflect or absorb the energy from projectiles |
| armor plate | two main types: homogenous and face-hardend or cemented armor. |
| armored car | wheeled armored fighting vehicle |
| ASV | (Air-Surface-Vessel) radar |
| ASW | anti-submarine weapon / anti-submarine warfare |
| AT | anti-tank |
| attitude | the state of a vehicle's roll, pitch and yaw at a given moment. |
| attaché | a technical expert on the diplomatic staff of his country at a foreign capital, military attaché |
| Atlantic wall | extensive fortifications built along the coastline of Nazi Europe, not a single continuous barrier but rather pillboxes, coastal batteries, bunkers and minefields situated in areas suitable for a beach landing. |
| attrition | to reduce the effectiveness of a force by destroying its materiel and personnel directly. |
| AWPD | (Air War Plans Division) |
| Asdic | British term for sonar |
| aspect ratio | |
| AVG | American Volunteer Group - the 'Flying Tigers' |
| avgas | aviation gasoline (aircraft petrol) |
| Axis | |
| azimuth | bearing or direction. |
| Azon (bomb) | American radio guided bomb VB-1 (Azimuth Only |
| Bailey bridge | prefabricated bridge developed for the British Army |
| Baka (bomb) | 'foolish' or 'stupid' bomb, American name for the Japanese MXY-7 Ohka manned suicide rocket plane. |
| Bangalore torpedo | a metal tube packed with high explosives, used by the Allies for cutting through barbed wire, blowing up railway tracks, detonating buried mines, and as an element in booby traps. |
| banzai attack | a wild suicide charge conducted by Japanese troops |
| ballast | weight, usually water or cargo, used to control the buoyancy of a ship or boat. |
| ballistic pendulum | accurate device for measuring muzzle velocity. |
| barge | a flat-bottomed boat used chiefly for the transport of goods on inland waterways and usually propelled by towing |
| barrage | Fire which is designed to fill a volume of space or area rather than aimed specifically at a given target. |
| barrage balloon | a tear-drop shaped balloon anchored close to the ground with steel cables as a deterrent to low-flying aircraft. |
| barometric fuse | fuse that works through changes in air pressure. |
| battalion | |
| battery | the basic unit of artillery: 4, 6 or 8 guns of the same type grouped together. |
| BAR | Browning Automatic Rifle. |
| barbette | the armored mounting for a gun turret. also a remote control gun turret on aircraft. |
| barrel | a strong metal tube - allows the expanding gases from the propellant charge to act on the projectile. |
| bail out | to leave a damaged or out-of control aircraft via parachute |
| ballistic cap | windshield, a covering for APC shells to provide a more streamlined shape |
| ballistic trajectory | The trajectory traced after the propulsive force is terminated and the body is acted upon only by gravity and aerodynamic drag. |
| balloon bombs | paper ballons of clever design that the Japanese sent aloft to be carried by winds to North America, each one with a payload of several small bombs, although over 9,000 were launched only a few hundred landed in North America causing minimal damage and only 6 deaths. |
| bandit | enemy aircraft |
| barracks | the dedicated living quarters for a group of soldiers. |
| battleship | a large, heavily armored naval vessel armed with very large caliber guns. |
| battlecruiser | similar to a battleship but sacrificing armor for speed. |
| bearing | direction |
| Bat (missile) | American anti-ship missile |
| bazooka | hollow-charge weapon, 2.36 inch diameter |
| beacon | a marker that emits light or radio signals for navigation purposes. |
| beam | side |
| beached | when a vessel's keel is resting against the sea bed, usually close in to shore. |
| beachhead | during an amphibious invasion the area taken and secured by the invading troops |
| BEF | British Expeditionary Force |
| B-Dienst | (Beobachtungdienst) 'observation service' - German Navy cryptoanalytical service |
| blast | the sudden, tremendous wave of air pressure created when a bomb or shell explodes; see fragmentation and shock. |
| blind bombing | non-visual bombing aided by radar or radio systems |
| Blitz | September 7 1940 to the end of March 1941, the sustained aerial bombing offensive against London and most large British cities by the Luftwaffe. |
| Block buster | RAF 4,000 pound HC bomb |
| blitzkrieg | combination of two German words: blitz meaning lightning and krieg meaning war, but blitzkrieg is not a German word. |
| blockade | cutting off an enemy's supply of raw materials and keeping his warships confined to their harbors. |
| BOAC | (British Overseas Airways Corporation) - state airline of Britain, during the war aircraft of the BOAC ferried men and cargo usually on special missions. |
| Bofors | Swedish gun manufacturer famous for their 40-mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun. |
| bogie | unidentified aircraft |
| bomb | an explosive device dropped by an aircraft. at first, little more than artillery shells with fins but steady improvements followed. Generally the amount of explosive making up the total weight of the bomb increased, the shape became more streamlined and they also became more specialized for the target and mission (cluster and incendiary bombs for example) |
| Bombe | early computers used to assist in quickly decoding German Enigma communications |
| bombsight | can be rudimentary, but often consisted of a device that could compensate for the major factors that affect the trajectory of falling bombs: altitude, airspeed, crosswinds, etc. |
| bomb shelter | a place to stay during an air raid, can be improvised or purpose-built. Subway tunnels, ordinary basements and hardened concrete structures offer people shelter from the bombing |
| bomber | an aircraft designed to carry and deliver a payload of bombs against enemy targets |
| bomber stream | a tactical change in RAF bomber operations in 1942 where bombers would fly to the target in a narrow concentrated stream, giving ground-controlled night fighters less time to make an intercept and too many targets to engage. |
| bombing run | the period from the initial point to 'bombs away' when a bomber had to fly straight and level. Depending upon the particular aircraft and target this could take 90 seconds or longer. It was here that a bomber was most vulnerable to flak. |
| bouncing bombs | a series of bombs designed by the British for special missions, these bounced across the surface of any body of water for considerable distance. |
| bore | inside diameter of the gun barrel |
| bow | front end of a ship or boat |
| Bomber Command | The bomber component of the Royal Air Force |
| booster (rocket) | a high thrust rocket that quickly gets a vehicle up to speed. |
| bombardment | |
| bombardment shell | |
| broadside | When all of the ship's main guns fire at the same target |
| Brandenburgers | name given to German special forces and commando-style units |
| Bren gun | highly successful gas-operated light machine gun .303in cal |
| breech | the closed end of the barrel at the rear of the gun, where most guns are loaded. |
| briefing | |
| brissance | the ability to shatter steel, concrete and other hard substances - a key characteristic of high explosives. |
| bulkhead | a partition that divides a ship or plane into compartments. |
| bulges | underwater protection consisting of a protrusion beyond the hull of the ship. |
| bunker | any fortified structure but primarily a buried or semi-buried structure that is highly resistant to blast and shock offering a high degree of protection from enemy attack. see reinforced concrete. |
| Burney gun | British recoilless gun |
| burster | the main explosive charge of a shell |
| Burp gun | Soviet submachingun used in large quantities (PPSh M1941 7.62mm) |
| Cab Rank | patrolling fighter-bombers on instant call for tactical attacks. |
| caliber | The diameter of a shell measured in fractions of an inch or millimeters. |
| carbine | similar to a rifle but with a shorter barrel, less range, and less stopping power. |
| CAM ship | (Catapult Armed Merchantman) ship |
| cannon | somewhat arbitrary, guns 20mm and larger firing shells containing a small explosive charge. see machine gun. |
| canted | set at an angle to the main body. |
| cantilever | |
| casemate | a fortified position or chamber or an armored enclosure from which guns are fired through embrasures (openings with sides flaring outward). |
| catalyst | a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction but that does not change itself. |
| catapult | a launch mechanism moved by high pressure gases or other method to quickly bring an aircraft up to speed for flight. |
| CAP | (Combat Air Patrol) - a defensive screen of fighters over a ship or other asset. |
| canopy | the transparent enclosure over an airplane cockpit |
| capital ship | Battleships and battlecruisers |
| carpet bombing | concentrated bombing of a small area, as in laying a carpet of bombs to shock and destroy enemy troops. |
| cartridge | a metal tube containing a complete charge for a firearm and usually an initiating device (primer) |
| casualties | military personnel lost through death, wounds, injury, sickness, internment, or capture or through being missing in action (MIA). |
| CBI | (China-Burma-India) theater |
| ceiling | the highest altitude a piece of artillery can throw a projectile. Also refers to the highest altitude an aircraft can reach and maintain flight |
| CEP | (Circular Error, probable) |
| chemical energy (CE) | using energy supplied by explosives to pierce armor (hollow charge, HEAT) rather than kinetic energy. |
| CIC | (Combat Information Center) |
| CO | (Commanding Officer) |
| Coastal Command | |
| cockpit | a space or compartment in a airplane from which it is piloted |
| conning tower | a raised structure on the deck of a submarine used especially for navigation and attack direction. |
| commandos | generic term for an elite group of highly trained soldiers |
| commerce raiding | using armed ships disguised as merchant vessels to sink enemy shipping. Warships could and did go after merchant ships but with no great or lasting success especially for the effort expended. |
| compressibility | when airflow over the wings of a plane comes close to the speed of sound it generates such pressure on the ailerons the pilot can't control the plane. |
| Cookie | nickname for British 4,000 pound HC bomb |
| concrete-piercing | |
| coned bore gun | an artillery piece in which the barrel caliber is sharply reduced at some point. achieves the same effect as a tapor bore gun but is easier and cheaper to manufacture. |
| counter-air | air strikes to disrupt and destroy enemy aircraft on the ground usually involving low-level attacks on enemy airfields with para-frag bombs and lots of strafing. |
| contrail | |
| convergence zone / point | the point in front of a fighter plane where the bullets from its guns are set to converge. |
| convoys | merchant vessels traveling together for mutual protection, accompanied by escorts. |
| cordite | propellant |
| co-axial | aligned on the same axis as the main gun, as in a co-axial machine gun on a tank. |
| charge / weight ratio | a way of classifying bombs, the percentage of total weight made up by the bomb's explosive content. MC bombs % HC bombs % |
| Chief of Staff | |
| Combined Bomber Offensive | |
| contrarotating propellers | propellers that spin in opposite directions. |
| counter-battery fire | fire to disrupt/suppress the operation of enemy artillery. |
| corvette | small anti-submarine vessel based on a whalecatcher design |
| CP | (Command Post) |
| crew | the men needed/assigned to a particular vehicle, gun, or other piece of ordnance. |
| crosswinds | |
| CRT | (cathode ray tube). electronic screen as in a television screen. |
| cruciform | arranged in the form of a cross. |
| cruiser | |
| cwt | hundredweight. 1 cwt = 112 pounds or 50.8 kg. British measurement. |
| D-Day | June 6, 1944. The Allied invasion of occupied Europe at Normandy. |
| dam-busting bomb | see bouncing bombs. |
| dead (deduced) reckoning | navigation based on maps, headings, ground speed, wind and time |
| decoy | something used to draw the enemy's attention and or fire |
| de-housed | a cold euphemistic term for the destruction of dwellings in area bombing attacks |
| depot | a place for the storage of military supplies |
| damage control | the organized effort to contain fires, control flooding and repair damage on a vessel, often the single most important factor in terms of saving a ship. |
| destroyer (DD) | the workhorse the Navy. Initially tasked with fending off attacks by torpedo boats, World War II saw their role and importance expand greatly - they did everything. |
| destroyer escort (DE) | a small, austere destroyer optimized for the anti-submarine role |
| detonate | explode |
| depression | the extent that a gun barrel can be pointed down from the horizontal in degrees. |
| DD Sherman | (Duplex-Drive) Sherman tank |
| deflagrate | burn rapidly rather than explode (low explosive); often used as propellant |
| degaussing | a process of rendering a ship less vulnerable to magnetic mines using electrical cables. |
| demolition bomb | another name for a light case bomb with a very high proportion of explosive to total weight. |
| deck | |
| deflection | |
| depth bomb | depth charge |
| depth charge (DC) | typically a drum-shaped cylinder packed with explosives. the depth that it will explode can be quickly set just before use. |
| depth charge rack | device mounted on the stern of a ship, allowing depth charges to be released quickly. |
| depth charge thrower (DCT) | a device that shoots a depth charge out away from the ship. |
| deterrence | measures taken to deter an opponent from certain courses of action |
| DFS | (Deutsches Forschungsinstitut für Segelflug) - glider research and development |
| ditch | to try and make a controlled crash-landing on water, usually because of lack of fuel. |
| direct fire | fire at targets the gunner can see. |
| director | a station or position that directs the fire of a particular gun. |
| discipline | military discipline is really control - a disciplined group of soldiers fights well, follows orders and shows cohesion, especially in combat |
| displacement | warships are rated by the amount of water they displace; 35 cubic feet of sea water equals one displacement ton. this gives a rough indication of actual weight in long tons. |
| division | A major administrative and tactical unit/formation which combines in itself the necessary arms and services required for sustained combat, larger than a regiment/brigade and smaller than a corps. |
| doctrine | a set of principals that govern a particular activity, armed forces operate by doctrine. |
| dorsal | relating to or situated near or on the back of as in a dorsal machine gun |
| DP (gun) | Dual-purpose (gun). Capable of both low angle and high angle fire. |
| DP (bomb) | (Deep-Penetration) 'earthquake' bomb. see Grand Slam and Tallboy |
| dreadnought | traditional name for the battleship |
| driving band | a soft copper ring on a projectile that engages the gun's rifling |
| drop tanks | external fuel tanks |
| drop zone (DZ) | designated area for paratroopers to jump |
| drag | resistance of the air to the airplane's passage through it. |
| dry dock | a dock that can be kept dry for use during the construction or repairing of ships |
| DUKW 'duck' | (Duplex Universal Karrier, Wheeled) 2½ ton amphibious truck. |
| dud | see UXB (unexploded bomb) |
| Dumbo | friendly nickname for U.S. aircraft used for air-sea rescue |
| elevation | the amount a gun can be moved vertically, also the angle a gun barrel must be at to hit a particular target. |
| elevators | flaps on the back edge of an aircraft's tail plane that control pitch. |
| Enigma | an intricate machine that was used to code and decode virtually all German high level communications. The Allies over time gained access to the workings of the device. see Ultra. |
| espionage | spying, counter-espionage is concerned with trying to detect and interfere with the spying activities of the other side. |
| ETO | (European Theater of Operations) |
| experte | German pilot who's proven his skill in combat over time. plural is experten. |
| FAA | (Fleet Air Arm) - British Naval Aviation |
| faired / fairing | covered or shaped to be more streamlined and aerodynamic. |
| Fat Man | second atomic bomb, dropped on Nagasaki. |
| feint | military action designed to draw the enemy's attention away from the real point of attack. |
| ferry | to relocate something, from one place to another, as in a ferry flight. |
| fighter | aircraft whose main purpose is to destroy enemy aircraft. |
| fighter-bomber | aircraft purpose-built but more often adapted to carry and launch bombs, rockets or other ordnance. |
| fin-stabilized | projectile stabilized in flight by pop-out fins |
| Firefly | Sherman tank fitted with a high-velocity 17-pdr gun |
| firepower | A somewhat abstract assessment of the amount of fire which may be delivered by a position, unit, or weapon system. |
| Fido | U.S. air-dropped homing torpedo (also called Mark 24 mine as a cover) |
| FIDO | (Fog Investigation and Dispersal Operation) |
| firestorm | when large numbers of incendiary bombs are dropped on a dense urban area the resulting fire can cause a column of hot air to rise drawing in cooler air from nearby. This incoming air eventually reaches hurricane strength and temperatures climb past 1400° F. (760° C.) as fires burn uncontrollably. Trees, people and anything else not underground or heavily constructed can be pulled into the inferno. |
| fire bombs | fighter aircraft drop tanks filled with Napalm, Class C fire bombs |
| fire control | |
| flame thrower | a weapon that projects and ignites a flammable liquid |
| flechette | fin stabilized steel projectiles similar in appearance to arrows (little darts) |
| flank (speed) | the absolute fastest speed a ship can be brought to |
| flying boat | aircraft whose main body consists of a single hull, or boat, that permits take-off or landing on water. |
| Fighter Command | Fighter component of the Royal Air Force |
| fire mission | orders specifying how many guns to use against what target and how long they should maintain fire |
| Flagship | the ship in a fleet that the highest ranking commanding officer chooses to command from accompanied by his staff |
| Flak | Flugzeugabwehrkanone 'aircraft attack gun' |
| Flak jacket / suit | heavy canvas vest with small overlapping metal plates, protects the wearer from flak splinters |
| Flak tower | huge concrete towers located in many German cities. used as a platform for large Flak guns as well as shelter during air raids. |
| flame-out | the sudden unplanned extinction of combustion in a jet engine |
| flaps | hinged wing surfaces that are lowered to give more lift at low speeds |
| flying wing | an aircraft design where the wing forms virtually the entire airplane. |
| forward observer (FO) | soldier, in communication with HQ or a gun battery, helps direct gunfire onto targets. |
| formation | an ordered arrangement of two or more aircraft proceeding together. |
| Foxer | towed decoy used against German homing torpedoes. |
| fragmentation | one of main effects of an exploding bomb or shell, the casing shatters and metal fragments fly in all directions. see blast and shock. |
| friendly fire | weapon's fire from your side - not the enemy. |
| fuze/fuse | Mechanical/electrical device for detonating a shell under very specific conditions. percussion (impact) fuse is the most common, impact with delay is crucial to armor piercing weapons. a time fuse is necessary for anti-aircraft fire. see proximity fuse. |
| Führer | 'Leader' - 'der Führer' used only for the person of Adolf Hitler. |
| Führerbunker | Hitler's last and most elaborate headquarters, constructed beneath the Reich Chancellery building in Berlin. |
| gallon | U.S. gallon = 3.785 liters, British or Imperial gallon = 4.546 liters |
| Garand | American M1 0.30in cal rifle |
| garrison | A relatively small force of troops which occupy and fight from a city, fortification or other strategic site. |
| GB-1 | (Glide Bomb)-1 American weapon 2,000-lb (907 kg) warhead. |
| GCI | (Ground Control Interception) |
| GHQ | General Headquarters |
| GI | government issue, general issue; American soldiers |
| glider | an airplane that is towed into the air then released. a glider has a pilot and control surfaces so it can be 'flown' during its descent. |
| GM-1 | Nitrous oxide - used to temporarily boost engine horsepower and thus increase the speed of the aircraft |
| glycol | aircraft engine coolant |
| GNAT (torpedo) | (German Naval Acoustic Torpedo) Zaunkönig |
| GP | (General Purpose) bomb; high explosive |
| Grand Slam (bomb) | The largest conventional bomb used during the war. 22,000 pounds. |
| grenade | a small bomb thrown by hand, ejected from a rifle, or fired by a special-purpose grenade launcher |
| 'grease gun' | American M3/M3A1 submachinegun |
| guidance | the method of controlling the trajectory of a bomb, missile, or rocket. typically maintained by radio or signals sent through wires trailing behind the weapon (wire-guided). |
| gun | artillery which fires shells on a relatively flat trajectory to long range. barrel length greater than 40 calibers |
| gunsight | |
| gun-howitzer | compromise design between a gun and a howitzer. barrel length between 30 and 40 calibers |
| gyroscope | a rapidly spinning ball or wheel (going at many thousands of RPMs) which maintains its alignment despite outside motion |
| gyroscopic precession | The tendency for a spinning projectile to drift in the direction of spin as it travels. |
| half-track | armored fighting vehicle that uses a combination of tracks and wheels. |
| hangar | a large enclosure for aircraft. |
| hardstand | |
| hangar deck | the deck below the flight deck where aircraft are stowed and made ready on an aircraft carrier. |
| HC (bomb) | High Capacity bomb |
| HE | high (detonating) explosive |
| HEAT | high explosive anti-tank; Anti-tank projectile which works by a shaped-charge |
| HEI (HE+I) | high explosive incendiary |
| howitzer | artillery which lobes shells on a parabolic trajectory to plung down on targets. barrel length between 23 and 39 calibers |
| hollow-charge | warhead with explosive packed around an inverted cone lined with metal. Upon impact the explosive 'focuses' the metal liner into a narrow high speed jet that cuts through armor. |
| HTP | High Test Peroxide, near pure hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) |
| Hedgehog | British designed anti-submarine weapon |
| High-pressure pump (V-3) | Hochdruckpumpe - cover name for a multi-chamber gun to bombard London with. It was to have been the third vengeance weapon but the project never saw completion. Also known as the 'Busy Lizzie' or 'Millipede' |
| horsepower | The rate of doing work. 1 horsepower = 550 foot pounds per second; shp = (shaft horsepower) |
| HF | High-Frequency radio waves |
| HF/DF (Huff-Duff) | High-Frequency/Direction Finding |
| H/A | High-Angle (gun) capable of high elevation (use against aircraft) |
| Home Guard | British Home Guard, Volksstrum ('People's Storm'); essentially civilians with minimal weapons and training used to defend the home front. |
| hull | |
| hunter-killer groups | when enough warships became available later in the war small groups were formed to pursue German Uboats, independent of convoy duties. |
| hydraulic | operated by the pressure or movement of a liquid. |
| hydrophone | listening device for submarines, later called passive sonar. |
| hydrostatic fuse | fuse that works through changes in water pressure. |
| hypergolic | igniting spontaneously when two products are brought into contact. |
| IAS | (Indicated Air Speed) |
| IFF | (Identification, Friend or Foe) - electronic equipment onboard an aircraft that lets friendly forces know its identity. |
| immune zone | |
| indirect fire | fire at targets hidden from the gunner's view. |
| inertia | the resistance of an object to a change in velocity. |
| incendiary | fire producing |
| incendiaries | fire producing bombs |
| infantry gun (IG) | an artillery piece that can be brought up to provide direct fire in support of ground troops. |
| interceptor | a fighter designed to quickly climb and intercept incoming aircraft |
| interned | confined, held; neutral countries usually interned combatants that landed in their country for the duration of the war |
| interdiction | degrading and isolating an enemy force by cutting off its sources of supply, reinforcement, and lines of communication. |
| IP | (Initial Point) a point several miles from the target where the bombing run actually begins. |
| jet (turbo-jet) | an engine that produces a high speed jet of heated air, this exhaust pushes the aircraft forward. |
| jet stream | |
| Jabo (Jagdbomber) | 'fighter-bomber' |
| JagdPz | (Jagdpanzer) 'hunting tank' Jagdpanther Jagdtiger |
| jink / jinking | short, violent movements made by a pilot to throw off the aim of enemy fire. |
| 'K-gun' | depth charge thrower |
| kamikaze | 'divine or heavenly wind' - Japanese suicide pilots |
| Katyushka | Soviet free-flight rockets. Also called 'Stalin's Organ'. |
| keel | the main structural member of a ship or boat, running longitudinally along the center of the bottom of the hull from stem to stern. |
| kinetic energy | energy of motion. |
| knots (kts) | speed in nautical miles per hour. |
| Kriegsmarine | German Navy 1935 on |
| laminar flow (wings) | design where the thickest point of the wing is located near the middle of the wing rather than near the leading edge, allows the air to flow over it in laminations, numerous even layers, one on top of the other. |
| landing craft (LC) | generic term, vessels that bring troops up to the shore during an amphibious landing. |
| Leigh light | powerful airborne searchlight used against U-boats in conjuction with radar |
| Lend-Lease | |
| liaison | a person who conveys information between two different groups, liaison officer. |
| Liberty ship | mass produced cargo ship |
| lift | the upward acting force that counters a plane's weight. |
| Light gun (LG) | leichte Geschütz - cover name for work on recoilless guns. |
| line of sight (LOS) | |
| Litter | a device (as a stretcher) for carrying a sick or injured person |
| Little boy | first atomic bomb, dropped on Hiroshima. |
| Littlejohn adaptor | British device attached to the end of a gun which squeezes down special ammunition to raise muzzle velocity |
| LNSF | (Light Night Striking Force) |
| Long Lance | Japanese 24in diameter torpedo powered by an enriched oxygen motor. It outperformed other torpedoes by a wide margin in range, speed, and reliability. |
| logistics | The science of planning and carrying out the movement and maintenance of forces. |
| Lox | liquid oxygen, German designation A-Stoff |
| Luftwaffe | German air force |
| Luftwaffefeldivisionen | air force field divisions |
| Luger | 'Parabellum' Model 1908 9-mm pistol |
| LUT (torpedo) | (Langen Unabhängiger Torpedo). German pattern running (zig-zag) torpedo. |
| LST | landing ship, tank |
| LVT | landing vehicle, tracked 'Buffalo' amphibious tractor (amtrac) |
| LZ (landing zone) | designated area for a glider landing |
| MAD | (Magnetic Anomaly Detector) - mounted in low-flying aircraft can detect submerged submarines. |
| matériel | resources |
| main armament | the primary weapon(s) of a ship, plane or tank. |
| Mach | the speed of sound defined. |
| machine gun (MG) | a gun for sustained rapid fire that uses bullets |
| Machinengewehr MG42 | one of the best machineguns ever made. |
| magazine | a holder in or on a gun for cartridges to be fed into the gun chamber; also refers to a room in which powder and other explosives are kept in a fort or a ship |
| Maginot Line | elaborate series of fortifications along the French-German border. bunkers, artillery in retracting turrets. The Germans went around the Maginot line except for a few key positions they took by glider borne assault. |
| Magic | name for U.S. decoding of Japanese high level secret communications. |
| Manhattan project | the American-led effort to develop the atomic bomb. |
| marshalling yard | a place where trains are brought together and ordered in an effective way |
| MC (bomb) | Medium Capacity bomb |
| mechanized (motorized) | descriptive of any armed force that is sufficiently equipped with internal transport to be able to move rapidly and keep up with armored forces. sometimes called 'armored infantry'. |
| Mein Kampf | 'My struggle' - title of Adolf Hitler's book published 1925 |
| Merchant Marine | U.S. maritime agency that carried cargo to all fronts during the war. |
| missile | guided rocket or jet. |
| mil | An angular measurement used in sighting and fire control. 6400 mils = 360° |
| Milch cow | German submarines that could refuel and replenish U-boats at sea |
| Milk run | a relatively safe combat mission |
| mine | |
| Molotov cocktail | a bottle of flammable liquid with a rag at the neck for igniting just before throwing |
| morale | the 'spirit' of the troops, morale is crucial to overall efficiency and combat effectiveness. |
| Motor torpedo boat | (MTB) PT boats Schnellboote (E-boats) |
| Mousetrap | anti-submarine weapon. see Hedgehog |
| mountain gun | A rather specialized form of artillery which is ideally suited for fighting in mountainous terrain: highly mobile, lightweight howitzer that can be broken down and carried over rough terrain. |
| mortar | simple and cheap form of artillery which fires shells called bombs on a steep trajectory to short ranges. |
| Mk. | Mark |
| mm | millimeter. There are 25.4 millimeters in one inch. |
| momentum | The total energy of an object (mass times velocity). |
| MPI | (Mean Point of Impact) |
| MTO | Mediterranean Theater of Operations |
| muzzle | the front, open end of the barrel |
| muzzle brake | A design that allows some of the propellant gases to exit the barrel to either side - reducing gun recoil. |
| muzzle flash | |
| muzzle velocity | velocity of a projectile as it leaves the muzzle of a gun. Also known as initial velocity. |
| MW50 | methanol-water mixture used to temporarily boost engine horsepower and thus increase the speed of the aircraft |
| Napalm | mixture of gasoline and a thickening agent. Aluminum salts of napathenic acid and palmitic acid used for this purpose gave us the term napalm. The thick jelly-like material burns at up to 1830° F. (1000° C.) and clings to anything it touches. |
| nautical mile (nm) | 1 nm = 6080 feet (1852m); varies somewhat according to latitude. |
| NDSAP (Nazi) | Nationalsozialistiche Deutsche Arbeiterpartei National Socialist German Workers' party |
| nominal | performing as expected, standard or usual. |
| Nebelwerfer | 'smoke projector' - cover name for German rocket artillery. nicknamed 'moaning minnies' by allies. |
| NKVD | (Narodnyy Komisariat Vnutrennikh Del) Soviet secret police, predecessor to the KGB. |
| oblique | striking or looking at something from any angle except straight-on. |
| obsolete | no longer useful or effective. |
| obsolescent | aging; going out of use - becoming obsolete. |
| Odessa | (Organization for SS members) - the most famous of the organizations set up to assist Nazis escape justice in the wake of the war. |
| Oerlikon | Swiss gun-maker famous for developing 20-mm rapid fire cannon. |
| ogive | the curved area making up the nose of a projectile. |
| Ohka | 'Cherry blossom' Japanese MXY-7 manned suicide rocket plane. |
| optimum | ideal, perfect |
| ordnance | military supplies including weapons, ammunition, combat vehicles, and maintenance tools and equipment |
| OSS | Office of Strategic Services, predecessor to the CIA. |
| oxidizer | a substance that supplies oxygen so fuel can burn |
| PAC | (parachute and cable) rocket |
| pack howitzer | A 75mm howitzer which could be stripped down and carried by pack mules. Because of its light weight and mobility it was very useful in airborne and amphibious operations. |
| PAK | (Panzer Abwehr Kanone) German anti-tank gun |
| panzer | German word for armor |
| panzerblitz (rockets) | 'tank lightning' air-to-ground anti-tank rockets |
| Panzerwerfer | self-propelled Nebelwerfer rocket artillery launcher |
| panzerfaust | 'armor fist' - anti-tank grenade launcher |
| panzerbuchse (PzB) | anti-tank rifle |
| panzerschreck | 'tank terror' Raketenpanzerbüchse 43 RPzB 43 Ofenrohr 'stove pipe' close copy of the American Bazooka. |
| parachute | a high drag device made of silk, nylon or other strong, lightweight material used to slow the descent of a falling object/person to manageable speeds. |
| para-frag bombs | fragmentation bombs fitted with small parachutes so they can be safely dropped by a low-flying aircraft. |
| para-demolition bomb | demolition bomb fitted with a parachute. |
| paratroopers | troops trained to 'jump' (parachute) from aircraft |
| partisans | irregular forces which use guerrilla tactics when operating in enemy-occupied territory. |
| PBY | Catalina patrol seaplane. |
| pendulum | a weight that swings back and forth on a fixed string, wire, or rod. |
| PFF | (Path Finder Force) RAF |
| photoflash (bomb) | a pyrotechnic device used for night photography or night reconnaissance |
| photo reconnaissance (PR) | reconnaissance conducted by camera equipped aircraft |
| PIAT | (Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank) - British hollow-charge weapon |
| plastic | a synthetic material that can be easily shaped to form an object. |
| plunging fire | high trajectory gun fire which plunges down on a target. |
| pocket battleship | series of three ships built by Germany during the 1930's displacing 11,000 tons and armed with six 11-inch guns. The Germans called them panzerschiff 'armored ships'. |
| pom-pom | Vickers designed 2-pound gun in a mutiple mounting with 8 or 4 barrels |
| penetration | the thickness of homogenous armor that a projectile can pierce. |
| periscope | |
| picket | |
| pdr (pounder) | British rating of artillery by the weight of projectile it fires in pounds, as in a 17pdr gun. |
| pillbox | a small low concrete emplacement for machine guns and antitank weapons |
| pilotage | flying by reference to landmarks |
| pitch | |
| PLUTO | (Pipe Line Under The Ocean) |
| Pointblank directive | |
| POL | petroleum, oils, and lubricants - the life blood of any army. |
| pontoon (bridge) | a flat-bottomed boat or portable float used in building a floating temporary bridge |
| port | to the left, on the left side. |
| pressurization | the pressurization of an aircraft's cockpit and crew spaces, although technically challenging this allows the crew to work in much greater comfort without the constant need for oxygen masks and electrically heated suits. The only pressurized aircraft produced in large quantity during the war was the B-29 bomber. |
| propellant | an explosive used to propel a projectile or other weapon. |
| prototype | A model suitable for evaluation of design, performance, and production potential. |
| predictor | mechanical/electrical device that calculates settings for a gun to fire on to hit a target, especially a moving target. |
| projectile | the part of the shell that leaves the muzzle. |
| propeller (prop) | airfoil that generates thrust |
| Peenemünde arrow shell | Peenemünde Pfeilgeschoss, fin-stabilized dart-like projectile test fired from a K5 railway gun barrel bored out to 31cm to a range of 93 miles (150 km). |
| pneumatic | operated by the force of compressed air. |
| predicted fire | |
| pre-registered (gun) | |
| prime mover | vehicle for towing artillery |
| propaganda | a sustained effort by an institution to manage public opinion, this can be accomplished through distributing flyers, dropping leaflets, radio broadcasts or other methods. |
| proximity fuse | fuse that detonates a shell when it's in proximity (close to) a target. |
| putsch | 'uprising, insurrection' Beer Hall Putsch 1923, Hitler's abortive attempt to overthrow the German government. |
| psi | pounds per square inch, a measure of pressure |
| PSP | (Pierced-Steel-Plank) also known as Marston Mat - perforated steel planks used by the US military to surface airfields for rapid use |
| pyrotechnic | illuminating |
| PzKpfw | (Panzer Kampf Wagen) 'Armored Battle Vehicle' German tank |
| radar | (radio direction and ranging) |
| radar horizon | the limit at which radar can be used because of the curvature of the earth. |
| radio telephony (R/T) | voice communication, radio |
| RAF | Royal Air Force |
| RAAF | Royal Australian Air Force |
| RCAF | Royal Canadian Air Force |
| RN | Royal Navy |
| RNZAF | Royal New Zealand Air Force |
| range | distance |
| rangefinder | two main types: coincidence and stereoscopic. the first splits the view into two separate pieces, usually one above the other, the two views are moved into alingment to get the range. sterescopic has two seperate images, one for each eye, that must be blended together to get the correct range. |
| RAP | (Rocket Assisted Projectile) increasing the range of a gun by incorporating a rocket into the shell. Accuracy suffers somewhat when using RAPs. |
| RATO | (Rocket Assisted Take-Off) units, rocket pods used to help aircraft take off |
| recoilless gun | a gun that elimates recoil, propellant gases can accomplish this by being directed out of the rear of the weapon. a counter-shot of equal mass to the projectile can do the same thing. |
| recoil | the rearward motion or kick of a gun upon firing |
| reconnaissance | one of the most important activities of any armed force. Up-to-date reports on enemy strength and movement are key to success in offensive or defensive operations. |
| reverse slope | the opposite side of a slope (the one hidden from your view) |
| revetment | an area adjacent to a runway or taxiway, surrounded by a protective wall or mound of earth where aircraft may be dispersed for temporary shelter, refueling or rearming. |
| reinforced concrete | Concrete made with iron reinforcing rods. Also called ferroconcrete and armored concrete. |
| RF | Rapid Fire (gun); same as QF (quick fire) |
| RHA | rolled homogeneous armor. steel armor of uniform strength and hardness |
| ricochet | when a projectile deflects off a hard surface (armor) rather than breaking-up or penetrating. |
| rifling | spiral grooves on the inside surface of a gun barrel. These impart spin to projectiles, greatly increasing the range and accuracy of the weapon. |
| RLM | (Reichsluftfahrtministerium) German Air Mininstry |
| round | |
| roll | |
| rocket | propelled by thrust from the combustion of solid or liquid fuel incorporating its own oxidizer. |
| ROF | (Rate of Fire). Maximum ROF can usually only be maintained for a short time vs sustained ROF which can be maintained indefinitely. |
| rocket artillery | rockets used in the artillery role. |
| RP | (Rocket Projectile) |
| RPM | rounds per minute / revolutions per minute |
| rudder | a large flap on the vertical stabilizer (tail fin) that controls yaw. |
| SA | Sturm Abteilung 'storm battalion' brown shirts purged and disbanded 1934. |
| SAAF | South African Air Force |
| sabot | a lightweight sleeve of large diameter for a sub-caliber round, usually a dense narrow projectile. |
| sabotage | destructive or obstructive action carried on by a civilian or enemy agent to hinder a nation's war effort |
| salvo | a method of fire in which a number of weapons are fired at the same target simultaneously. |
| SAP | semi-armor piercing (bomb or shell) |
| SAS | (Special Air Service) |
| satchel charge | a field-expedient demolition device consisting of a satchel bag filled with explosives. |
| SBC | (Small Bomb Container) lightweight containers holding incendiaries |
| SBS | (Special Boat Squadron) |
| schnorchel (snorkel) | a tube-like device that allows a submarine to take in air while submerged and run its diesel engines. |
| scuttle | to deliberately sink one's own ship. |
| SD | Sicherheitsdienst 'security force' security arm of the SS established 1931. |
| secondary armament | the secondary or back-up weapon(s) of a ship, plane or tank. |
| Seabees | nickname for naval construction battalions (CBs) |
| seawall | a revetment or wall erected to prevent wave erosion and the encroachment of seas. |
| seige gun | a piece of artillery that can subject a fortification or other target to heavy fire for prolonged periods of time. |
| self-propelled (SP) gun | field artillery, anti-tank gun, or anti-aircraft gun mounted on and fired from a tracked or wheeled vehicle. |
| self-sealing fuel tanks | |
| shock | the blow transmitted through the ground, water, or structures in which a bomb or shell explodes; see blast and fragmentation |
| shock troops | detachment of soldiers liberally supplied with grenades and automatic weapons. |
| shrapnel | in modern usage, same as splinter |
| shuttle | mission / bombing |
| schräge Musik | 'jazz or slant music' upwards firing cannon installed in many German night fighters. |
| shell | often refers not just to the entire unit of ammunition but also to the actual projectile part of the unit. |
| SHAEF | Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force |
| shaped-charge | see hollow-charge |
| shot | solid hardened steel projectile used to pierce armor, armor-piercing shells are similar but contain a small explosive charge. |
| skip bombing | method of attacking ships, coming in very low and skipping a bomb into its side to explode. |
| skirting plate Schützen | flat metal sheets welded to the exterior of an armored fighting vehicle, offering some protection against Bazookas and other shaped-charge weapons. |
| sloop | |
| smoke shell | shell packed with white phosphorus that creates a thick cloud of white smoke upon impact. |
| smoothbore | a gun barrel without rifling. |
| SNLF | Japanese navy ground forces (Japanese marines) |
| sniper | a highly trained solider who uses camouflage and a firearm with telescopic sight to selectively strike at the enemy but can refer to anyone firing from a concealed position. |
| spaced armor | armor plate arranged in two layers with an air space in between, offers greater protection than a single plate of like thickness. |
| spall | pieces of armor knocked off the inner surface of armor plate - caused by shock transferred from a major impact. |
| spin | a dangerous situation for an aircraft when, after suffering a stall (loss of lift), one wing creates lift while the other is stalled - this causes the aircraft to rapidly spin and if not corrected results in a crash. |
| spin-stabilized | projectile stabilized in flight by spin. |
| splinter | fragments of a shell after detonation. |
| Split-S | The Abschwung, the Half-Roll; widely used maneuver to disengage from a dogfight, rolling inverted, followed by a hard pull into a vertical dive and a low-level pull out in the opposite direction. |
| squadron | |
| squeeze-bore | see coned bore gun |
| stabilized | platform isolated from external forces (movement), as in a stabilized gun on a vehicle. |
| strafe/strafing | when an airplane uses machine guns and/or cannon to attack surface targets. |
| stern | rear end of a ship or boat |
| Sturmgewehr | 'assault rifle' StuG 44 Maschinepistole 44; a superb weapon, grandfather of all modern assault rifles: selectable rate of fire, 35 round magazine of intermediate size (larger than pistol, smaller than rifle) ammo. |
| StuG | (Sturmgeschütz) 'Assault Gun' |
| star shell | illumination shell |
| Stuka | derived from Sturzkampfflungzeug which refers to any dive bomber. |
| starboard | to the right, on the right side. |
| Sonar | (Sound Navigation and Ranging) principal method of detecting underwater objects such as submarines. |
| sortie | one mission flown by one aircraft, standard measure of air power |
| SMERSH | (Smert Shpionam) 'death to spies' |
| SOE | (Special Operations Executive) |
| sloped armor | By sloping armor at 50-60° to the angle of attack, protection can be doubled without increasing the actual weight or thickness of armor plate carried. This is why sloping armor is such a critical factor in tank design. |
| sonobuoy | aircraft-laid hydrophones for detecting U-boats. |
| spoiler | control surface in the form of a small plate presented more or less square-on to the airstream causing high drag and possible loss of lift. |
| Springfield | American M1903A3 rifle |
| Squid | British three-barrelled anti-submarine mortar firing ahead under sonar control |
| SS | Schutz-Staffel 'protective squad' black shirts established 1925. |
| stall | the sudden, abrupt loss of lift in an airplane. |
| Sten gun | British developed cheap and simple submachinegun |
| strategic | dealing with long term / large scale events and objectives. |
| strategic bombing | bombing the industries and infrastructure that sustain the enemy on the battlefield |
| straddle | when a salvo lands on each side or all around the target but no hits are scored. |
| Sturmovik / Shturmovik | The Ilyushin IL-2, a highly effective Soviet armored ground attack aircraft. |
| subsonic | below the speed of sound. |
| supercharger | gear-driven air compresser powered by the airplane's engine. also called 'blower' |
| supersonic | faster than the speed of sound. |
| sustainer (rocket) | a rocket that takes over and maintains flight after a booster rocket has brought the vehicle up to speed. |
| submarine | a naval vessel designed for underwater operations |
| submarine pens | massive sheltered piers for the protection of U-boats. reinforced concrete roofing over 20 feet thick made these targets all but impervious to allied attack. |
| submachinegun | a simple, lightweight automatic weapon which fires pistol cartridges. |
| surrender | to give up into the power of another, unconditional surrender is to surrender with no assurances or guarantees about anything |
| tactical | dealing with the immediate area or situation. |
| Tallboy (bomb) | 12,000-lb (5400 kg) deep penetration bomb |
| tank | a fully tracked, heavily armed armored fighting vehicle |
| tank trap / obstacle | any obstacle intended to slow down, block or impede the movement of armored fighting vehicles |
| tank destroyer (TD) | lightly armored vehicle mounting a tank gun usually in a fixed superstructure. |
| taper-bore | an artillery piece in which the caliber reduces gradually from breech to muzzle 'squeezing' the round to create tremendous velocity and great armor penetration. |
| task force (TF) | group of warships traveling together |
| task group (TG) | portion of a task force |
| taxiway | a strip usually paved for aircraft to taxi (move out) to the runway |
| Teller mine | German anti-tank mine |
| terminal velocity | a maximum speed (velocity) reached by a falling object due to air drag. |
| thermite | a mixture of aluminum powder and iron oxide that burns at a very high temperature. |
| Third Reich | Hitler proclaimed the birth of the Third Reich (kingdom) in 1933 and said it would last a thousand years. The First Reich being the Holy Roman empire, the second, the rise of Prussia and the unification of Germany. |
| thrust | the force that pushes an aircraft forward in flight. static thrust is the usual measure of jet engine performance, giving the thrust when the engine is at rest |
| TI | (Target Indicator) RAF pyrotechnic target marking bomb |
| 'Tommy gun' | American Thompson M1/M1A1 submachinegun |
| ton | one metric ton (tonne) = 1000 kilograms (2,204.6 pounds), short ton = 2,000 pounds, long or imperial ton = 2,240 pounds. |
| torpedo | a relatively sophisticated and deadly weapon, torpedoes can be launched from subs, surface ships or aircraft (aerial torpedoes). |
| torpedo tube (TT) | launch tube for torpedoes. |
| Torpex | torpedo explosive (37-41% TNT, 41-45% RDX, and 18% aluminium) |
| torque | a turning or twisting force |
| tour of duty | |
| TOT | time on target, a method of coordinating different artillery batteries to concentrate their fire on a single point. |
| towed artillery | artillery that has to be towed into action. |
| turbosupercharger | (turbocharger) some of the exhaust gases of an aircraft engine power a small turbine which compresses air. |
| trajectory | the path of a projectile. |
| tracer (fire) | |
| Transportation plan | |
| transonic | just below and just above the speed of sound, very important to understanding control and stability in high-speed aircraft. |
| traverse | the amount a barrel can be moved horizontally |
| trench | can be quite deep and elaborate to form an obstacle or part of a defensive line; a slit trench is a shallow trench a solider can lie in during an attack. |
| tricycle landing gear | |
| tungsten carbide | extremely hard alloy used in some armor-piercing weapons. |
| turbine | a motor in which a set of blades rotates when struck by a moving stream of liquid or gas. |
| turret | a revolving armored structure that protects one or more guns mounted within. |
| twist | rifling grooves make a spiral towards the gun muzzle. The length of the barrel necessary for the grooves to make one complete revolution is called "twist." This is usually expressed in calibers but sometimes appears in measurement units of inches or meters. |
| UDT | Underwater Demolition Team(s), skilled US Navy divers that would defuse mines, mark underwater obstacles and scout ahead of the main landing force. |
| UXB | unexploded bomb, a certain percentage of bombs and shells fail to explode properly due to improper angle of impact, faulty fuse or other problem. These weapons have to be dealt with by highly trained personnel. |
| U-Boat | (Unterseeboot) 'underwater boat' - German submarine |
| Ultra | name for decoding of German Enigma communications |
| undercarriage |
| V-1 | With a crude pulse-jet and a 1/2 ton warhead the V-1 was the precursor of modern cruise missiles. The V-1 had many names; 'buzz-bomb' 'diver' 'doodlebug' FZG-76 Fieseler Fi 103 |
| V-2 | Called the A-4, this ballistic missile was unstoppable once launched, striking at supersonic speeds. |
| V-E Day | Victory in Europe - May 8, 1945 |
| V-J Day | Victory in Japan - August 15, 1945 |
| velocity | speed and direction of an object. |
| ventral | relating to or situated near or on the bottom of as in a ventral machine gun |
| Vergeltungswaffe | Vengeance weapon, as in V-1 and V-2. |
| Versuch | 'test/research' vehicle, usually followed by a number as in V1, V2, V3, etc |
| VHF | (Very High Frequency) radio waves |
| Venturi | a nozzle with a constricted portion that increases gas velocity. |
| viaduct | a long elevated roadway usually consisting of a series of short spans supported on arches, piers, or columns |
| victories | number of aerial kills or victories over enemy aircraft, see ace. |
| Vierling | quadruple mounting |
| VLR aircraft | Very long range aircraft, closed the gap in the Atlantic where convoys had no air cover. B-24 or navy version of |
| VT fuse | Variable Time Fuse (radar proximty fuse) |
| Waffen-SS | fully militarized combat formations of the SS |
| wallbuster shell | squash-head shell |
| war emergency power | |
| war weary | ravaged by use, expendable. |
| warhead | the payload (explosive charge) of a missile, rocket or bomb. |
| WASP | (Women's Airforce Service Pilots) |
| waterline | a line corresponding to the surface of the water when the vessel is afloat on an even keel; often painted on the hull of a ship |
| Wehrmacht | the German armed forces |
| Weimar Republic | weak and ineffectual government established in Germany in the wake of the Versailles treaty after World War One. |
| wind-tunnel | |
| Window | strips of metal foil released to jam radar. called Chaff by the Americans and Düppel by the Germans. |
| wingman | |
| wireless telegraphy (W/T) | |
| Wolf's Lair (Wolfsschanze) | Hitler's headquarters for most of the war, located at Rastenburg in East Prussia, it was here on July 20 1944 that an attempt was made on Hitler's life with a bomb. |
| wolf pack | |
| WP | (White Phosphorus) |
| Wfr.Gr. Werfer-Granate | 21-cm rocket propelled shell |
| yaw | the rotation of an aircraft or missile about its vertical axis |
| 'Y-gun' | depth charge thrower |
| zenith | At the very top. The highest point. |
| Zero (Zeke) | The famous Type 00, or Zero-Sen fighter had great agility and performance but sacrificed armor and self-sealing fuel tanks to achieve it. |
| Zerstörer | 'destroyer' - twin-engine fighter with heavy firepower and long-range. The Messerschmitt Me 110 was the first of this type to see service. |
| Zwilling | twin or coupled |
| Z batteries | British anti-aircraft rocket batteries. |
