Italy Volume II : From Cassino to Trieste
Glossary
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– 611 –
Glossary
| AA | anti-aircraft |
| AA & QMG | Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster-General |
| AAI | Allied Armies in Italy |
| A Branch (Office) | staff of division or higher formation or command devoted to administration |
| ACV | Armoured Command Vehicle |
| acqua | water |
| ADC | aide-de-camp |
| Adm, Admin | Administration |
| ADMS | Assistant Director of Medical Services |
| ADOS | Assistant Director of Ordnance Services |
| ADS | Advanced Dressing Station |
| adv | advance(d) |
| AFHQ | Allied Forces Headquarters |
| AFV | Armoured Fighting Vehicle (tank or armoured car) |
| AGRA | Army Group, Royal Artillery |
| Air OP | |
| AOP | Air Observation Post |
| alpe; alpi | high mountain, summer pasture |
| amn | ammunition |
| anvil (later dragoon) | code-name for Allied landing in southern France |
| AP | armour-piercing |
| AQMG | Assistant Quartermaster-General |
| arco; archi | arch |
| Ark | turretless Sherman or Churchill tank with hinged ramps for the bridging of canals, etc. |
| armd | armoured |
| armoured brigade | formation of fast cruiser tanks, etc. |
| army tank brigade | formation of slow infantry tanks, etc. |
| arty | artillery |
| ASC | Army Service Corps |
| aslt | assault |
| A-Tk | |
| a-tk | anti-tank |
| autostrada; autostrade | State motor-road |
– 612 –
| AVRE | Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers (a Churchill tank with a large calibre mortar for demolition work, also carrier of fascine) |
| Bde | brigade (British or Allied formation, normally three tank or infantry battalions) |
| B Ech(elon) | non-fighting elements of unit or formation which can temporarily be dispensed with in battle; or transport for same |
| bel or bello, bella; bei or hegli, belle | beautiful |
| BEM | British Empire Medal |
| BGS | Brigadier, General Staff (chief staff officer at Corps or Army HQ) |
| bianc-o, -a; bianch-i, -e | white |
| BM | Brigade Major (chief staff officer at Bde HQ) |
| Bn | battalion (a unit of tanks or reconnaissance troops, normaliy three squadrons plus HQ; of infantry, four rifle companies plus HQ company; of machine-gunners, four companies of Vickers guns) |
| Bn | Battalion (German unit of tanks, anti-tank or anti-aricraft guns, engineers, infantry, machine-gunners, or motor-cyclists) |
| bocca; bocche | mouth, estuary; pass; volcanic vent |
| Bofors | 40-millimetre light anti-arircraft gun of Swedish design |
| bonifica | reclaimed land |
| borgo; borghi | market-town; suburb |
| borro | ravine, watercourse |
| Breda | Italian heavy machine gun or light automatic cannon |
| Bren | standard British light machine gun |
| Bren-carrier | light armoured tracked vehicle intended to carry Bren gun, but also used for reconnaissance, carrying ammunition or wounded under fire, etc. |
| brhead | bridgehead |
| Brig | Brigadier |
| Bty | battery (two, three or four troops of guns) |
| buckland | code-name for Eighth Army's attack across the Senio River, April 1945 |
| campanile | bell-tower, belfry |
| campo; campi | field |
| canale; canali | canal, channel |
| Capt | Captain |
| carrier | see Bren-carrier |
– 613 –
| carabiniere; carabinieri | policeman, gendarme |
| casa; case | house |
| casale; casali | hamlet, outlying houses |
| cascina; cascine | farm-building |
| casella, caselle | small house |
| casetta | diminutive of casa |
| casino; casini | small house; casino |
| casone; casoni | hut, blockhouse |
| casotto | cottage, hut |
| castel or castello | castle, keep; fortified village |
| Cav | Cavalry (light tanks, armoured cars, carriers) |
| cavalcade | code-name for operation for advance to Ravenna |
| CB | Companion of the Order of the Bath; counter-battery (fire), locating and silencing of hostile guns |
| CBE | Commander of the Order of the British Empire |
| CCRA | Corps Commander, Royal Artillery |
| CCS | Casualty Clearing Station (large medical establishment between MDS and fiedl hospital) |
| Cdn | Canadian |
| CE | Chief Engineer (Corps or Army) |
| cerro; cerri | Turkey (southern European) oak |
| CGS | Chief of the General Staff |
| chiat-o, -a; -i, -e | clear |
| chiesa; chiese | church |
| CIGS | Chief of the Imperial General Staff |
| C-in-C | Commander-in-Chief |
| CM | counter-mortar (fire) |
| CMF | Central Mediterranean Force |
| CMG | Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George |
| CO | Commanding Officer (usually of a unit) |
| Col | Colonel |
| colle; colli (col) | rising ground, hill |
| Coln | Column |
| Comd | Commander; Commanding |
| comn | communication(s) |
| company | |
| coy | (own) sub-unit of engineers, infantry or ASC troops (in infantry, three paltoons; in other units, three or four sections); (enemy) sub-unit of tanks (=squadron), anti-tank or anti-aircraft guns, engineers, signals, infantry, service or medical troops |
| corduroy | a method of covering unmetalled road with timber for the passge of wheeled vehicles |
| corno; corni | horn, peak |
| COS | |
| C of S | Chief of Staff |
– 614 –
| Cpl | Corporal |
| CRA | Commander, Royal Artillery (of a division) |
| CRASC | Commander, Royal Army Service Corps (of a division; became CNZASC in 2 NZEF) |
| CRE | Commander, Royal Engineers (of a division) |
| CREME | Commander, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers |
| croce; croci | cross |
| Crocodile | flame-throwing tank |
| CSM | Company Sergeant-Major |
| CSO | Chief Signal Officer |
| DAF | Desert Air Force |
| DAQMG | Deputy Assistant Quartermaster-General |
| DCGS | Deputy Chief of the General Staff |
| DCIGS | Deputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff |
| DCM | Distinguished Conduct Medal |
| del or dello, della; die or degli, delle | of the |
| di | of |
| dickens | code-name for the operation by NZ Corps to capture Cassino |
| Div | |
| Division | formation above brigade or Regiment, below corps |
| Div Arty | Divisional Artillery (or NZA) |
| Divisional Workshops | Ordnance unit for maintaining guns, vehicles and other equipment |
| DR | despatch rider (usually motor-cyclist) |
| dragoon (formerly anvil) | code-name for Allied landing in southern France |
| DSO | Distinguished Service Order |
| DUKW | buoyant lorry driven over land on six wheels and through water by propeller |
| Dvr | Driver |
| Echelon (First, Second, Third) | First, Second and Third Contingents of 2 NZEF to go overseas |
| ED | Efficiency Decoration |
| engr(s) | engineer(s) |
| en portée | (of two-pounder gun) carried on special lorry, ready to fire |
| ENSA | Entertainments National Services Association |
| ERS | Education and Rehabilitation Services |
| fabbrica; fabbriche | factory |
| faggio; faggi | beech |
| Fantail | amphibious tracked vehicle |
| fascine | bundle of logs used for filling ditches, etc. |
– 615 –
| FC/CTH | First City/The Cape Town Highlanders |
| fd | field |
| Fd Amb | Field Ambulance (medical unit) |
| Fd Coy | Field Company (of engineers) |
| FDL(s) | forward defended locality (localities) |
| Fd Pk Coy | Field Park Company (of engineers) |
| Fd Regt | Field Regiment (unit of artillery) |
| fiume; fiumi | river |
| fondo | bottom; farm, estate |
| fontana; fontane | fountain; regulated spring |
| fonte; fonti | spring, source |
| FOO | Forward Observation Officer (field or medium artillery) |
| formation | any group higher than unit |
| fossa; fosse | pit, ditch; watercourse |
| fosso; fossi | large pit or ditch |
| fwd | forward |
| GAF | German Air Force |
| G Branch (Office) | staff of division or higher formation or command devoted to operations |
| GCB | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath |
| GCMG | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George |
| Gds | Guards |
| Gen | General |
| Gen Tpt Coy | General Transport Company, RASC |
| GHQ | General Headquarters |
| Gk | Greek |
| GOC(-in-C) | General Officer Commanding (-in-Chief) |
| gora | conduit, irrigation channel, stream |
| Goumiers | North African tribesmen organised in Tabors (approximately battalions) of Goums (or companies) in the French Expeditionary Corps |
| Gp | |
| Group | (battalion or brigade) force of all arms; (RAF) major formation, above Wing |
| grand-e; -i | great |
| Gren | Grenadier |
| Grid (line) | numbered map ruling, part of pattern usually of one or ten kilometre squares |
| gross-o, -a; -i, -e | big, thick, coarse |
| grousers | metal plates bolted on to Sherman tank tracks to increase the area of the bearing surface and thus improve the performance of the tank over soft ground |
| GSO (I, II, III) | General Staff Officer (Class 1, 2, 3) |
| H | Hussars |
| HE | high explosive |
– 616 –
| Herbstnebel | autumn mist – German code-name for plan of withdrawal |
| HF | harassing fire |
| HMG | heavy machine gun |
| HMS | His Majesty's Ship |
| Honey tank | nickname for General Stuart tank (American Mark III) |
| HQ | headquarters |
| hy mor | heavy mortar |
| I | |
| Int | Intelligence (of the enemy) |
| 2 i/c | second-in-command |
| il; i | the |
| Ind | Indian |
| inf | infantry |
| inferiore; inferiori | lower |
| IO | Intelligence Officer |
| isola; isole | island |
| Kangaroo | turretless tank used to carry infantry or stores |
| KBE | Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire |
| KCB | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath |
| KDG | King's Dragoon Guards |
| KG | Knight of the Order of the Garter |
| la | the |
| LAD | Light Aid Detachment (Ordnance establishment for repairing guns, transport, etc., within brigade or unit) |
| lago; laghi | lake |
| laguna; lagune | lagoon |
| L-Cpl | Lance-Corporal |
| lido | shore (at Venice, long low islands bounding the lagoon) |
| line (transport) | |
| 1st | unit |
| 2nd | divisional (carrying between field maintenance centre and division) |
| 3rd | rear (carrying between railhead and field maintenance centre) |
| Littlejohn | two-pounder anti-tank gun with a tapered-bore muzzle attachment |
| LMG | light machine gun |
| LO | liaison officer |
| LOB | left out of battle |
| L of C | Line(s) of Communication |
| LRDG | Long Range Desert Group |
| Lt | Lieutenant; light |
| Luftwaffe | German Air Force |
– 617 –
| M10 | self-propelled anti-tank gun |
| MAAF | Mediterranean Allied Air Forces |
| maggiore; maggiori | greater |
| Maj | Major |
| mare | sea |
| marina | surface of the sea; sea coast; port of an inland village |
| Mark (I, II, etc.) | designation of production type, especially of tanks |
| masseria; masserie | tenancy including a number of farms |
| MBE | Member of the Order of the British Empire |
| MC | Military Cross |
| MDS | Medical Dressing Station (divisional medical establishment usually situated between ADS and CCS) |
| Med | medium |
| ME(F) | Middle East (Forces) |
| mezz-o, -a; i, -e | half, medium, middle |
| m.i.d. | mentioned in despatches |
| (M) MG | (medium) machine gun |
| MM | Military Medal |
| MO | Medical Officer |
| montagna; montagne | mountain |
| monte; monti | mound, height, mountain; spring and autumn pastures |
| MT | mechanical transport |
| mtn | mountain |
| NAAFI | Navy, Army, Air Force Institutes |
| naviglio | navigable canal, ship canal |
| NCO | non-commissioned officer |
| Nebelwerfer | German six-barrelled rocket-projector |
| ner-o, -a; -i, -e | black |
| nuov-o, -a; -i, -e | new |
| NZA | New Zealand Artillery |
| NZE | New Zealand Engineers |
| NZEF | New Zealand Expeditionary Force |
| NZEME | New Zealand Electrical and Mechanical Engineers |
| NZOC | New Zealand Ordnance Corps |
| OBE | Officer of the Order of the British Empire |
| OC | Officer Commanding (squadron, battery, company) |
| Ofenrohr | German rocket launcher similar to the American bazooka |
| offrs | officers |
| OKH | Oberkommando des Heeres (Army General Headquarters, War Ministry) |
| OKW | Oberkommando des Wehrmacht (Supreme Command of the Armed Forces, Defence Ministry) |
– 618 –
| OP | observation post |
| Ops | operations; staff branch dealing with operations |
| Ord (Fd Pk) | Ordnance (Field Park, unit for supplying and maintaining equipment issued through Ordnance) |
| ORs | other ranks (not officers) |
| ospedale | hospital |
| osteria; osterie | inn, tavern |
| OVERLORD | code-name for Allied cross-Channel invasion of western Europe |
| PA | Personal Assistant (to GOC) |
| palazzo | palace, palatial house |
| Panzer | |
| PZ | armour; armour plate |
| Panzerfaust | recoilless anti-tank grenade launcher |
| Panzerkampfwagen | German tank |
| para | parachute |
| passo | pass, passage, strait |
| pdr | |
| pr | pounder |
| piana (pian) | plain, small plain |
| piano (pian) | plain, plateau |
| Piat | projector, infantry, anti-tank |
| piazza | public square, market place |
| piccol-o, -a; -i, -e | small, little |
| pino; pini | pine |
| PLDG | Princess Louise Dragoon Guards |
| podere; poderi | peasant-farm or holding |
| poggio; poggi | height, hill |
| Point | height marked on map, usually in metres above sea level |
| Pt | |
| ponte; ponti | bridge |
| portée | see en portée |
| porto | port, harbour; ferry-boat |
| posn | position |
| posta | post, post office |
| pozzo, pozzi | well |
| prato; prati | meadow |
| Pte | Private |
| PW(s) | prisoner(s) of war |
| Q | Quartermaster; (broadly) administration |
| QM(G) | Quartermaster(-General) |
| quad | lorry for towing British field gun or 18-pounder anti-tank gun |
| querce or quercia; querci or querce | oak |
– 619 –
| RA | Royal Artillery |
| RAC | Royal Armoured Corps |
| RAF | Royal Air Force |
| RASC | Royal Army Service Corps |
| RCD | Royal Canadian Dragoons (1 Armoured Car Regiment) |
| RCR | Royal Canadian Regiment |
| rd(s) | round(s) |
| RE | Royal Engineers |
| Recce | Reconnaissance |
| Regt | regiment (unit of tanks, reconnaissance troops, or artillery; in British Army also groups of tank, artillery or infantry units, e.g., RTR, RHA, King's Dragoon Guards) |
| Regt | (enemy) Regiment (formation of armoured troops or infantry, roughly equivalent to a brigade; also unit of field or medium artillery) |
| Reinforcements | successive contingents of 2 NZEF which went |
| (4th, 5th, etc.) | overseas after Third Echelon |
| REME | Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers |
| Res | reserve |
| RHA | Royal Horse Artillery |
| RHQ | Regimental Headquarters |
| rio | stream |
| ripa | bank, shore |
| riviera | strip of land between the hills and the sea; river |
| RMO | Regimental Medical Officer (of a unit) |
| RMT | Reserve Mechanical Transport (general carrier when not taking infantry into or out of action) |
| Res MT | |
| RN | Royal Navy |
| RNZA | Royal New Zealand Artillery (Regular Force only) |
| rocca; rocche | rock; crag; tower, keep |
| ross-o, -a; -i, -e | red |
| rotond-o, -a; -i, -e | round |
| Royals | The Royal Dragoons |
| RSM | Regimental Sergeant-Major |
| R/T | radio-telephony (wireless transmission of speech) |
| RTR | Royal Tank Regiment |
| R Tks | |
| ‘Ruatoria’ (‘Charing Cross’) | a road junction near Faenza |
| SA | South African(s) |
| SAA | small-arms ammunition |
| San or Santo, Santa, Sant' | Saint, Holy |
| sangar | rocks piled up for protection in lieu of slit trench where ground too hard to dig |
– 620 –
| sasso; sassi (sass) | stone, crag |
| SC | Staff Captain (administrative staff officer at Bde HQ) |
| Schmeisser | German machine carbine |
| scolo; scoli | drain |
| scuola; scuole | school |
| sec | section (2–3 guns; detachment of Signals; third of infantry platoon; third of ASC company, etc) |
| secc-o, -a; secch-i, -e | dry |
| selva; selve | wood (usually of cultivated trees) |
| serra | ravine, defile; barricade; cross-range of mountains; height |
| Sgt | Sergeant |
| Sigs | Signals (responsible for R/T, W/T, Dr, telephone and other communications) |
| sitrep | situation report |
| slit trench | one- or two-man trench for fire position or protection |
| sopra | above |
| sotto | below |
| SP | self-propelled (guns); starting point |
| spandau | nickname for standard German light and medium machine gun |
| Spr | Sapper |
| sqn | squadron (of tanks, reconnaissance troops, or aircraft) |
| SS (Schutzstaffel) | corps d'èlite of Nazi Party, security force with embodied military formations |
| ST | starting time |
| stazione; stazioni | station |
| strada; strade | road |
| Stuart (General) | American Mark III light cruiser tank |
| sul or sullo, sulla; sui or sugli, sulle | on the |
| superior-e; -i | upper |
| Svy | Survey |
| Tac HQ | Tactical Headquarters |
| Tac/R | (aerial) Tactical Reconnaissance |
| taverna | tavern, inn |
| Tedes-co, chi | German |
| Tentacle | wireless detachment, usually of Air Support Control |
| Tk | tank |
| Tommy gun | Thompson sub-machine gun |
| torre; torri (tor) | tower; summit |
| torrente; torrenti | mountain torrent |
| Tpr | Trooper |
– 621 –
| tp(s) | troop(s); part of squadron (usually four tanks or armoured cars); part of battery (4–6 guns) |
| tribunale | law-court |
| ufficio or uffizio | office |
| UNRRA | United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration |
| USAAF | United States Army Air Force |
| valle; valli (val) | valley; lagoon, broadwater |
| VC | Victoria Cross |
| VD | Volunteer Officers' Decoration |
| vecch-io, -ia;-i, -ie | old |
| via; vie | way |
| villa; ville | house with gardens |
| Voralpenstellung | Prealpine Defence Position |
| Wasp | flame-throwing Bren carrier |
| wastage | reduction in manpower |
| WE, war establishment | authorised full allotment (of men, weapons, etc.) |
| Wehrmacht | German Armed Forces |
| WO | Warrant Officer |
| W/T | wireless telegraphy |
– 622 –
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