Authors: Anthony G Williams
Vickers MG
standard medium machine gun throughout WW2
Vickers-Browning
British heavy machine gun: an adaptation of the Browning MG to take the Vickers .5 inch cartridge [curiously, the IJA did exactly that to produce the 12.7 mm Ho103 aircraft gun]
VT fuze
"variable time" (proximity) fuze for AA shells
Naval Treaty
1922 agreement limiting the size of navies and the types of ships in them
Window
code word for strips of aluminium foil dropped by aircraft in order to confuse enemy radar
British Weapon Calibres:
2 pdr
tank/anti-tank gun
[modified to use Bofors 40mm ammunition]
6 pdr
tank/anti-tank gun
[modified to use Bofors 57mm ammunition]
17 pdr
tank/anti-tank gun, 76.2 mm calibre
25 pdr
artillery field gun, 88 mm calibre
14 pdr
tank gun using a cartridge based on the 6 pdr case necked out to 76.2 mm [equivalent to historical 75 mm, but with longer case designed for APDS]
35 pdr
tank gun based on the 17 pdr case necked out to 102 mm calibre, designed for APDS
62 pdr
medium artillery gun firing the same 4.7 inch/120 mm shells as naval guns [used instead of 4.5 and 5.5 inch guns]
.303 inch
rifle and machine-gun cartridge (7.7x56R mm)
.5 inch Vickers
heavy machine gun cartridge (12.7x81mm)
3 inch
AA gun, using the same ammunition as the 17 pdr tank/anti-tank gun [used instead of 3.7 inch gun]
4 inch
naval dual-purpose gun
4.7 inch
naval dual-purpose gun
[L/50 gun with 62 lb shells standardised instead of earlier 4.7 inch L/45 and later 4.5 inch guns]
7.5 inch
[coast defence gun, taken from Cavendish class cruisers]
9.2 inch
coast defence gun
15 inch
naval gun; battleship main armament
16 inch
naval gun; main armament of battleships
HMS Rodney
and
Nelson
9mm Mauser Export
pistol and submachine gun cartridge (9x25 mm)
[adopted for Solen SMG and Colt pistols]
40mm Bofors
army and naval AA gun
[adopted earlier and more widely used]
57mm Bofors
Swedish automatic anti-aircraft gun
[historically not developed until after 1945]
British Aircraft
Albemarle
STOL/rough
field
tactical
transport designed by Armstrong Whitworth with two Hercules engines, capacious fuselage with rear
ramp between twin booms [historical
Albemarle
was an unsuccessful medium bomber]
Auster
light observation aircraft
Beaufighter
British single-Hercules-engined single seat naval fighter-bomber built
by
Bristol
[the historical Beaufighter was a twin-engined strike fighter]
Beaufort
British two/three seat single engined naval torpedo/dive bomber and anti-submarine/reconnaissance aircraft, built by
Bristol
[the historical Beaufort was a twin-engined torpedo bomber]
Brigand
British fighter bomber designed by
Bristol
, a version of the Beaufighter without naval equipment but with extra armour [the historical Brigand was a postwar twin-engined light bomber]
Blenheim
twin-engined light bomber and night-fighter designed by Bristol
Hampden
British twin-Hercules-engined day and torpedo bomber built by Handley Page [the historical Hampden was a less powerful and versatile aircraft]
Hereford
version of Hampden equipped for ground attack, with twin 40mm (Mk.1) or single 57mm (Mk.2) Bofors guns [historical
Hereford
was a version of the Hampden with different engines)
Horsa
troop-carrying glider
Hurricane
single engined single-seat fighter designed by Hawker
[replaced by Brigand after 1940]
Manchester
four-Merlin-engined high-altitude high-speed unarmed heavy bomber, designed by Avro [the historical aircraft was an unsuccessful twin-engined precursor to the
Lancaster
]
Mosquito
high speed twin-engined bomber/night-fighter designed by de Havilland
[developed earlier and used more extensively]
Reaper
twin-Merlin-engined single-seat long range fighter and reconnaissance aircraft, built by Gloster
Spitfire
single engined single-seat fighter designed by Supermarine
[earlier improvements to engine power and armament]
Stringbag
nickname for Swordfish
Sunderland
four-engined maritime reconnaissance flying boat designed
by Short Bros of Belfast
[design modified to use
Bristol
Hercules engines, with a longer fuselage and wings]
Swordfish
Obsolete naval single-engined biplane torpedo/ bomber/anti- submarine aircraft, designed by Fairey
Typhoon
single-seat jet fighter [the historical Typhoon was a piston-engined fighter-bomber]
Warwick
very long range, heavy maritime reconnaissance bomber with four Hercules engines [the historical
Warwick
had two Centaurus engines]
Wellington
twin-engined medium bomber designed by Vickers
Whitley
twin-engined medium bomber designed by Armstrong Whitworth
British & Commonwealth Ships
Anson
battleship of the King George V class
nameship of 25,000 ton aircraft carrier class [the historical class did not have angled decks]
Atherstone
Hunt class corvette [the historical Atherstone was a Hunt class destroyer]
Australia
Australian heavy cruiser
Barham
battleship, Queen Elizabeth class
Berwick
heavy cruiser
Canberra
Australian heavy cruiser
Cornwall
heavy cruiser
Courageous
aircraft carrier, adapted from a WW1 battlecruiser
Dido
4,000 ton frigate with eight 4.7 inch guns [the historical Dido was a 5,500 ton light cruiser with 5.25 inch guns]
Eagle
aircraft carrier, adapted from an incomplete WWI battleship
Frobisher
light aircraft carrier [converted from the historical heavy cruiser]
Furious
aircraft carrier, adapted from a WW1 battlecruiser
Glasgow
light cruiser
Hawkins
light aircraft carrier [converted from the historical heavy cruiser]
Hood
battlecruiser
[extensively modernised before WW2]
Illustrious
aircraft carrier of the
Illustrious
class differed from the
Inflexible
aircraft carrier of the
Invincible
aircraft carrier of the
Jervis
destroyer
King George V
nameship of 35,000 ton battleship class (“KGVs”), built around four older 15 inch turrets [the historical ships had new 14 inch armament and were available later]
Kingston
destroyer
Malaya
battleship, Queen Elizabeth class
Manchester
10,000 ton light aircraft carrier based on cruiser hull [the historical
Manchester
was completed as a cruiser]
Nelson
battleship, sistership to
Rodney
Newcastle
light cruiser
Prince of Wales
battleship of the King George V class
Queen Elizabeth
battleship, WW1 vintage
Renown
battlecruiser, sistership to
Repulse
Repulse
battlecruiser, sistership to
Renown
[modernised before WW2]
Rodney
battleship, sistership to
Nelson
Seawolf
S class submarine
Sheffield
cruiser
Talisman
T-class submarine
Tribune
T-class submarine
Valiant
battleship, Queen Elizabeth class
Vindictive
light aircraft carrier [converted from the historical heavy cruiser]
Warspite
battleship, Queen Elizabeth class
Queen Mary
British passenger liner
German Terms
Abwehr
military intelligence and counter-intelligence organisation
Barbarossa
code name for invasion of Soviet Union
Befehlshaber der
U-boats Commander (Admiral Dönitz’s title)
U-boote
Blitzkrieg
"lightning war"; the principle of a sudden, overwhelming
attack using mechanized forces in conjunction with air support
bodenständige
an adjective describing a fortress (stationary) army unit
Christbäume
Christmas tree; name given by Germans to RAF Target Indicator flare
Düppel
term for Window (
q.v.
)
Einsatzgruppen
SS extermination squads
Elektroboot
submarine with high underwater speed and endurance
Eloka
Elektronische Kampfmassnahmen: electronic countermeasures
Enigma
Encoding machine
Ente
Duck: fighter controllers’ slang for a target
Fall Gelb
code name for the attack on France and the Benelux countries (“case yellow”)
Fallschirmjäger
paratroops
FAT
pattern-running torpedo (Feder-Apparat Torpedo), aka G7a
Feldwebel
Sergeant
FHQ
Führerhauptquartier (
q.v.
)
Flak
abbreviation (informally adopted by the British) of Fliegerabwehrkanone; anti-aircraft gun
Flak 38
2cm automatic anti-aircraft cannon (also available in four-barrelled Flakvierling)