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Below is a glossary of World War II terms.

A6M1 Zero

Single-engined prop-driven Japanese fighter. Built by Mitsubishi, it was the most famous Japanese aircraft of the War.

Abwehr

The German Intelligence Service.

ANZAC

Australian New Zealand Army Corps.

Anzio

Town on west coast of Italy. Site of Allied amphibious invasion in January of 1944.

Avalanche

Code name for the Allied invasion of Salerno in September of 1943.

B-17 Flying Fortress

Four-engined U.S. bomber. Gained fame by flying precision daylight bombing raids from England into Europe. Flew 40% of the missions.

B-24 Liberator

U.S. bomber that carried the brunt of the precision daylight bombing mission in Europe. Flew 60% of the missions.

B-25 Mitchell

U. S. twin-engined light bomber. Highly successful in all theaters.

B-26 Marauder

U. S. twin-engined medium bomber. Used against Germans and Japanese.

B-29 Superfortress

U. S. four-engined high altitude bomber. Used extensively in the Pacific late in the War. A B-29 dropped two atomic bombs on Japanese cities, forcing the Japanese to sue for peace.

Bangalore torpedo

A threaded tube containing explosives. Any number of segments could be threaded together, pushed into an obstacle, and detonated from a distance. Mainly used for breaching wire obstacles.

BAR

Browning Automatic Rifle.

Barbarossa

Code name for German invasion of Russia in June of 1941.

barrage balloon

A large captive balloon supporting a steel cable forming part of an anti-aircraft defence.

bazooka

A shoulder-fired unguided anti-tank rocket launcher. Normally operated by a two-man team.

beach-master

An officer supervising the landing of troops.

blitzkrieg

German lightning warfare. Characterized by highly mobility and concentrated forces at point of attack.

broom handle

German machine pistol.

buzz bomb

German pulse jet-powered cruise missile. Launched from the Low Countries and often targeted against London.

Crossbow

Code name for operation against German V-1 launch sites.

DUKW

An amphibious vehicle, also known as a Duck, used to transport troops from a ship to the beach.

Dutch Harbor

Town in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. Attacked by the Japanese in 1942 as a diversion to their planned attack on Midway.

Dynamo

British evacuation of Dunkirk beachhead in May and June of 1940.

Eagle's Nest

Hitler's redoubt in the Bavarian Alps.

Enigma

German coding machine. Capture and study of an enigma machine allowed the Allies to intercept and make use of thousands of German messages.

Enola Gay

The name of the B-29 bomber that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. It was named by the pilot for his mother.

ETO

European Theater of Operations.

F4F Wildcat

U. S. Navy carrier fighter. Was in production at start of war.

F4U Corsair

Single -engined piston-driven fighter with an inverted gull wing. Used by USMC in the Pacific. It was fast and rugged.

F6F Hellcat

U. S. Navy carrier fighter. Replaced the F-4 Wildcat in mid-war.

Final Solution

Hitler's plan of genocide for the Jewish people.

flak

Anti-aircraft fire. From the German word 'fliegerabwehrkanone', which means 'aviator-defence-gun'.

Fw-190

German single-engine prop-driven fighter.

Gestapo

The German Secret Police. An acronym for the German name 'Geheime Staatspolitzei' which translates to 'Secret State Police'.

Gloster Meteor

British twin-engined jet fighter. Saw very limited combat service.

Gustav Line

German defensive line in Italy, centered on Monte Cassino.

half-track

A vehicle having wheels in front and tracks at the rear.

Husky

Code name for Allied landings in Sicily in July of 1943.

in defilade

shielded from observation or enemy file by natural obstacles or fortifications.

Iwo Jima

Island in the Western Pacific. Site of hotly contested battle. U. S. Marines invaded the island in February of 1945. The island fell after a five week battle.

Josef Stalin

Russian leader during World War II.

JU-87 Stuka

A single-engined German light dive bomber.

Ju-88

German twin-engined prop-driven light bomber and night fighter.

Juno Beach

Principally Canadian beach in Normandy in June of 1944.

Lightfoot

Code name for British offensive at El Alamein in October of 1942.

Luftwaffe

The German Air Force.

M-1 Garand

The standard infantry weapon for U. S. troops. It was a clip-fed, semi-automatic weapon, chambered in 30-06 and weighing 9.5 pounds.

M26 Pershing

U.S. medium tank. Produced late in the war.

Magic

Code name for U.S. code-breaking operations against the Japanese.

Manhattan Project

Code name for U.S. program to develop the atomic bomb.

Me-109

German single-engined prop-driven fighter.

Me-262

German twin-engined jet fighter.

MTB

Motor torpedo boat. Also known as PT boats. They had three large engines and could outrun anything else on the water.

Nagasaki

City in Japan. Site of the second nuclear attack, only days after Hiroshima.

National Socialism

Nazism. The doctrines of nationalism, racial purity, anti-Communism, and the all-powerful role of the State. Advocated by Adolf Hitler in Germany.

Okinawa

Largest island of the Ryukyu chain. Very near to Japan. Invade by U.S. troops in April of 1945. Island fell in July.

Omaha Beach

One of the Normandy beaches assigned to the U. S. on D-Day in June of 1944.

Overlord

The Allied invasion of Normandy in June of 1944.

P-38 Lightning

A U.S. twin-engined fighter aircraft. Used in the Pacific, due to its excellent range.

P-39 Airacobra

American single-engined prop-driven fighter. Built by Bell.

P-40 Warhawk

A U.S. fighter aircraft, used against the Japanese by the Flying Tigers in support of the Chinese.

P-47 Thunderbolt

U.S. fighter-bomber. Sturdy aircraft, also know as the Jug. Inflicted great damage on Nazi forces and infrastructure in Europe.

P-51 Mustang

A high performance U. S. fighter aircraft, used extensively in Europe. With drop tanks, had sufficient range to escort bombers on raids deep into Germany.

P-61 Black Widow

American twin-engined prop-driven night fighter. Built by Northrup. Used in the Pacific.

P-61 Black Widow

American twin-engined prop-driven night fighter. Built by Northrup. Used in the Pacific.

panzer

A German tank.

PBY Catalina

A large twin-engined flying boat. Used for many functions. Excellent patrol bomber.

potato masher

German hand grenade. So names for its long wooden handle.

RAAF

Royal Australian Air Force.

RAF

Royal Air Force. Britain's air force.

RCAF

Royal Canadian Air Force.

Red Army

The Soviet Army.

RNZAF

Royal New Zealand Air Force.

Sherman

U. S. light tank, gasoline powered, with an inferior main gun. It was no match for the German Panzers.

Supermarine Spitfire

British single-engined prop-driven fighter. Thousands were built in numerous versions.

T-34

Soviet medium tank.

tin can

A naval destroyer. So called because they were lightly armored.

Torch

Code name for Allied invasion of Northwest Africa in November 1942.

Tripartite Pact

The formal alliance between Germany, Italy and Japan. Signed in September 1940.

USAAF

United States Army Air Forces.

Utah Beach

A beach assigned to U. S. troops in the Normandy invasion of June 1944.

Wermacht

German military forces.

window

Chaff. Aluminum strips dropped from bombers to cloud enemy radar scopes.

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