This is a list of words, terms, concepts, and slogans that were used by the German military during World War II. Some have also been used in other times, and some are still in use today. Ranks and translations of the nicknames Germans gave their vehicles during the war are included. Also included are some general terms from the German language found frequently in military jargon. Some terms are from the general German cultural background, others are given to show a change that was made before or after the Nazi era. Some factories that were the primary producers of military equipment, especially tanks, are also given. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... German (called Deutsch in German; in German the term germanisch is equivalent to English Germanic), is a member of the western group of Germanic languages and is one of the worlds major languages. ... National Socialism redirects here. ...

Glossary

A

• abgeschossen — shot down; destroyed.
• Abschnitt — sector, district.
• Abteilung (Abt.) — detachment, section, battalion.
• Abteilungen - combat team.
• Abwehr — defense; however, this term was also a name for the counter-espionage service (German Secret Service) of the high command, headed by Admiral Canaris.
• Abzeichen — insignia; badge of rank, appointment or distinction.
• Adlerangriffe — "Eagle Attack"; term for projected "decisive attack" by the Luftwaffe on RAF Fighter Command.
• Aggregat-4 (A4) — earlier name for the German V2 rocket.
• AGRU-Front — Technische Ausbildungsgruppe für Front U-Boote – technical training group for front-line U-boats.
• Allgemeine-SS — "General SS"; general body of the Schutzstaffel consisting of full-time, part-time, and honorary members.
• Alte Hasen -- Old hares; slang for military veterans who survived front-line hardships.
• Ami — German slang for an American soldier.
• Amt — office, main office branch.
• Amt Mil — German Army intelligence organization which succeeded the Abwehr.
• Angriff — attack.
• "Arbeit macht frei" — "Work sets you free"; notorious slogan seen in some concentration camps.
• Armee — army.
• Armeeabteilung — command between a corps and an army, an enlarged corps headquarters.
• Armeekorps — infantry corps.
• Armee-Nachrichten-Führer — Army Signals Officer, served on the staff HQ of an Army.
• Armeeoberkommando — Field Army Command.
• Armee-Pionier-Führer — Army Engineer Officer, served on the staff HQ of an Army.
• Armee-Sanitäts-Abteilung — Army medical unit.
• aufgelöst — dissolved; disbanded, written off the order of battle after being destroyed.
• Aufklärung — reconnaissance.
• Aufklärungs-Abteilung — reconnaissance unit or battalion, also used to designate certain battalion-sized units.
• Aus der Traum — literally, "The dream is over"; a slogan painted by German soldiers near the end of the war expressing the surreality of their situation.
• Ausführung (Ausf.) — version, model, variant, batch.
• Ausschreitungen — bloody atrocities (see Greuelerzählungen).
• Auszeichnung — accolade, distinction.

The Abwehr was a German intelligence organization from 1921 to 1944. ... This article is about the 20th-century German military officer. ... RAF redirects here. ... Fighter Command was one of three functional commands that dominated the public perception of the RAF for much of the mid-20th century. ... Arbeit Macht Frei gate at KZ Sachsenhausen Arbeit Macht Frei at Auschwitz, with the inverted B. Arbeit Macht Frei at concentration camp Terezin in the Czech Republic. ... Mixed reconnaissance patrol of the Polish Home Army and the Soviet Red Army during Operation Tempest, 1944 Reconnaissance is the military term for the active gathering of information about an enemy, or other conditions, by physical observation. ...

B

• Banditen — bandits; bewaffnete banden — armed gangs; Soldaten in Zivilkleidung — soldiers in civilian dress; (see Franktireure).
• Batterie — battery, artillery piece.
• Baubelehrung — boat famililarization; when a U-boat crew studied the construction of a new submarine; see "KLA."
• Baupionier — army construction engineer.
• B-Dienst — Beobachtungsdienst, literally, observation service; German Navy cryptanalytical department.
• BDM Bund Deutscher Mädel — League of German Girls, the girls' segment of Hitler Youth.
• BdU — Befehlshaber der U-boote – Commander-in-Chief of the U-boats (Adm. Donitz); see FdU.
• Befehl (pl. Befehle) — order, command.
• Beobachtungswagen — observation or reconnaissance vehicle.
• Bergepanzer — armored salvage or tank-recovery vehicle.
• Beute-Panzer — captured tank or armored vehicle.
• Blechkoller — tin fright; in U-boats, a form of nervous tension that could be caused by depth charge attacks and resulted in violence or hysteria.
• Blitzkrieg — lightning war; fast moving battle tactics developed by German generals, most notably Erwin Rommel, Heinz Guderian, and Erich von Manstein, using massed tanks and ground-attack bombers to speedily penetrate enemy lines at points and move to their rear, causing confusion/panic among them.
• Brückenleger — bridgelayer.
• Brummbär — grumbler; a children's word for "bear" in German. It was the nickname for a mobile artillery piece.
• Bundeswehr — name adopted for the West German armed forces after the fall of the Third Reich (between 1945 and 1955 there was no German army). Consists of Heer (Army), Luftwaffe (Air Force) and Marine (Navy), as well as 'Streitkräftebasis' und 'Sanitätsdienst' (since the late 1990s).

The B-Dienst (Beobachtungsdienst) was a German Naval codebreaking organisation During World War II, B-Dienst solved British Naval Cypher No. ... After the Nazi Gleichschaltung in Germany in 1933, the Bund Deutscher Mädchen (frequently used in its abbreviated form, BDM) (League of German Girls) was the all-German party organization for girls between 14 and 18 years of age, as the girls segment of the Hitler Youth. ... The Hitler Youth (German: Hitler-Jugend, abbreviated HJ) was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party that existed from 1922 to 1945. ... U-boat is also a nickname for some diesel locomotives built by GE; see List of GE locomotives October 1939. ... The defining characteristic of what is commonly known as Blitzkrieg is that it is a highly mobile form of mechanized warfare. ... Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel ( ) (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was one of the most distinguished German field marshals of World War II. He was the commander of the Deutsches Afrika Korps and also became known by the nickname “The Desert Fox” (Wüstenfuchs,  ) for the skillful military campaigns he... Heinz Wilhelm Guderian (ca. ... Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... General characteristics Length 5. ... The Bundeswehr (Federal Defence Force,  ) is the organization that controls and administers the armed forces of Germany. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ...

C

• Chef des Generalstabes — Chief of the General Staff.
• Konzentrationslager — concentration camp, any internment camp for holding "enemies of the Third Reich." The construction of concentration camps began almost immediately after Hitler came to power. There were several kinds: labor camps, prison camps and death camps.

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945, standard German pronunciation in the IPA) was the Führer (leader) of the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi Party) and of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. ...

D

• Daimler Benz (DB) — A producer of military vehicles.
• Deutsches Afrika Korps (DAK) — German troops send to North Africa under the command of Erwin Rommel to prevent the loss of Libya by the Italians.
• Todesmärsche — "Death Marches" – At the end of the war when it became obvious that the German army was trapped between the Soviets to the east and the advancing Allied troops from the west, the Nazis, in an attempt to prevent the liberation of camp inmates, forced them to march westward. Thousands died in these marches.
• Dienstdolch — service dagger (uniform dagger).
• Drahtverhau — barbed-wire entanglement. Slang term used by German soldiers during World Wars I and II for a military-issue mixture of dried vegetables.
• Drang nach Osten — "Push to the East" into Poland.

The Deutsches Afrikakorps (often just Afrika Korps or DAK) was the corps-level headquarters controlling the German Panzer divisions in Libya and Egypts Western Desert during the North African Campaign of World War II. Since there was little turnover in the units attached to the corps the term is...  Northern Africa (UN subregion)  geographic, including above North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, generally divided by the formidable barrier of the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ...

E

• Eagle's Nest — English name given to Hitler's mountain-top home at Berchtesgaden in the Bavarian Alps, also known as the Berghof. In German, it is known as the Kehlstein Haus.
• EGz.b. V. — Einsatzgruppe zur besonderen Verwendung – SS Special Purpose Operational Group.
• Ehrendolch — literally, "honor dagger", a presentation dagger awarded for individual recognition, especially by the SS.
• Eichenlaubträger -- oak-leaf cluster to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
• Einheit — detachment or unit.
• Einsatz — duty, mission, encouragement.
• Einsatzbereit — statement meaning, "Ready for action."
• Einsatzgruppen "mission groups", or "task forces" — battalion-sized, mobile killing units of the Security Police and SS Security Service or SS Special Action Groups that followed the German armies into occupied territories of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. These units were supported by units of the uniformed German Order Police and auxiliaries of volunteers (Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, and Ukrainian). Their victims, primarily Jews, were executed by shooting and were buried in mass graves from which they were later exhumed and burned. At least a million Jews were killed in this manner. There were four Einsatzgruppen (A, B,C,D), which were subdivided into company-sized Einsatzkommandos.
• Einsatzkommando — company-sized subunits of the Einsatzgruppen which took care of the mobilization and killing of Jews during the German invasion into the Soviet Union.
• Eisenbahn — iron way; railroad.
• Eisernes Kreuz -- iron cross; medal awarded for valorious service.
• Elefant — elephant; an anti-tank Panzerjäger (tank hunter).
• Elektra — a German radio-navigational system.
• Endlösung or Endziel — the "Final Solution"; refers to the genocide planned against the Jewish people.
• Enigma — German message encryption equipment.
• Entmenscht — dehumanized (see Untermenschen).
• Erkennungsmarke — identity tag; "dog tag".
• Ersatz — substitute, replacement, reserves; could refer to replacement troops or any substance used in place of another, e.g., ersatz coffee, ersatz rubber, etc.
• Ersatzbataillone or Marschbataillone — coherent military replacement groups.
• Etappendienst — German naval intelligence department.
• Etappenschwein — (slang) "rear swine" (REMF).
• Exerzierpanzer — practice or exercise tank.

Berchtesgaden is a town in the German Bavarian Alps. ... The geographic region and Free State of Bavaria (German: Freistaat Bayern), with an area of 70,553 km² (27,241 square miles) and 12. ... A member of Einsatzgruppe D is just about to shoot a Jewish man kneeling before a filled mass grave in Vinnitsa, Ukraine, in 1942. ... Regions of Europe as delineated by the United Nations (UN definition of Eastern Europe marked salmon):  Northern Europe  Western Europe  Eastern Europe  Southern Europe Pre-1989 division between the West (grey) and Eastern Bloc (orange) superimposed on current national boundaries: Russia (dark orange), other countries of the former USSR (medium... A stylized version of the Iron Cross, the emblem of the Bundeswehr, Germanys Armed Forces. ... The Panzerjäger Tiger (P) Elefant (Sd. ... The Final Solution of the Jewish Question (German Endlösung der Judenfrage) refers to the German Nazis plan to address the Jewish problem through systematic relocation and later extermination through genocide during World War II. The term was coined by Adolf Eichmann, a top Nazi official who supervised the genocidal... The plugboard, keyboard, lamps and finger-wheels of the rotors emerging from the inner lid of a three-rotor German military Enigma machine (version with labels) In the history of cryptography, the Enigma was a portable cipher machine used to encrypt and decrypt secret messages. ... The U.S. Army, like any bureaucratic organization, produces its own acronyms, which often come to have meaning beyond their bare expansions. ...

F

• Fahne (pl. Fahnen) — flag or banner.
• Fallschirmjäger — paratroopers; German airborne troops.
• FdU — Führer der U-Boote; Commander-in-Chief of U-boats (used from WWI to 1939, when title was reduced to Regional Commander).
• Feindbild — enemy image; prejudiced 'bogeyman' image of the enemy.
• Feld — field.
• Feldgendarmerie — German military or field police.
• Feldgrau — field gray; term used to describe the color of the ordinary German soldier's tunic – by extension the soldiers themselves.
• Feldlazarett — field hospital.
• Feldpolizeibeamte — field police officers.
• Feldpost, Feldpostbrief — mail to and from troops at the front.
• Feind — enemy.
• Feindfahrt — enemy trip; in U-boat terminology, a war cruise/patrol against the enemy.
• Festung — fortress.
• Feuerschutz — suppressive fire, covering fire.
• FlaK — Fliegerabwehrkanone, Flug(zeug)abwehrkanone – air defense gun; ballistic ground to air cannon, anti-aircraft gun; e.g., the "eighty-eight".
• FlaK-Helfer — FlaK helper; often underaged troops used to load and operate FlaK batteries.
• FlaKpanzer — anti-aircraft tank, such as the Möbelwagen.
• Flammpanzer — flame-throwing tank.
• Flammenwerfer — flame-thrower.
• Fliegerabwehr-Abteilung — anti-aircraft battalion.
• Fliegerabwehrkanone — see FlaK.
• Fliegerschwert — airman's sword (officers').
• Flucht nach vorn — flight to the front; trying to assault rather than wait or retreat while under threat.
• Flugzeug — aircraft.
• Flug(zeug)abwehrkanone — see FlaK.
• Forschungsamt — intelligence service of the Luftwaffe.
• Franktireure — terrorists; (see Freischärler).
• Franktireurkrieg — terrorist warfare.
• Freikorps — volunteer corps; (see Freiwillige).
• Freischärler — irregular/guerilla (see Widerstandskräfte).
• Freischärlerunwesen — pestering by guerillas; guerilla activities or terrorist incidents.
• Freiwillige — volunteer.
• Fremde Heere Ost/West (FHO/FHW) — Foreign Armies East/West, staff intelligence specialist on subject.
• Fronterlebnis — battle-front experience.
• Frontgemeinschaft — front-line community/comradeship.
• Frontkämpfer — battle-front soldier.
• Frontgemeinschaft — frontline combat soldier.
• Führer — leader; title given to exclusively to Adolf Hitler: Mein Führer, Der Führer.
• Funke — 1.: radio [die Funke, f., slang abbreviation for Funkgerät]; 2.: spark [der Funke, m.].
• Funker — radio operator (from funken [verb], to transmit by radio).
• Füsilier — historic term often used to refer to heavy infantry, originally named after the fusil, or musket, once carried. During WWII, a name given to infantry formations with some recon abilities that replaced an infantry division's recon battalion mid-war when the Germans reduced the number of standard infantry battalions in their divisions from 9 to 6.
• Freya radar — first operational radar with the Kriegsmarine.

Fallschirmjäger photo taken from The Hague, Bezuidenhout during the invasion of the Low Countries, morning of May 10, 1940 , often rendered Fallschirmjager in English, is the German word for paratrooper. ... A German Feldpost Postage stamp from World War II. Feldpost is the German military mail service and its history goes back to the 18th century in the Kingdom of Prussia during the Seven Years War and War of the Bavarian Succession and has existed ever since in different forms and... German 8. ... The Flakpanzer IV (Sd. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... Europäische Freiwillige is a German term meaning European Volunteers. It was used to describe non-German Europeans (neither Reichsdeutsche or Volksdeutsche) who volunteered to fight for the Third Reich during World War Two. ...   (Fuehrer when an umlaut is not used) is a proper noun meaning leader or guide in the German language. ... Fusilier was originally the name of a soldier armed with a light flintlock musket called the fusil. ... A 1941 RAF PRU photograph of the two Freyas at Auderville Freya radar was an early form of radar deployed by Germany during World War II, named after the Norse Goddess Freya. ... The Kriegsmarine (or War Navy) was the name of the German Navy between 1935 and 1945, during the Nazi regime, superseding the Reichsmarine. ...

G

• Gauleiter — supreme territorial or regional Nazi party authority(-ies).
• Gebirgsjäger — mountain troops; a mountain unit, might be described as either Gebirgs or Gebirgsjäger.
• gefallen — killed in action.
• Gefreiter — Corporal.
• geheim — secret.
• Geheime Feldpolizei — secret field police.
• Geheimfernschreiber — (literally, "secret distance writer") cipher machine.
• Gemeindepolizei — local police.
• Gemeinschaft — a community of men who shared a great destiny.
• Generalfeldmarschall — Field Marshal.
• Generalkommando — the headquarters of an army corps.
• Generalstab des Heeres (Gen. St.d. H.) — German Army General Staff.
• gepanzert — armored.
• Geschütz — gun.
• Gestapo — Geheime Staatspolizei, literally, secret state police; the official state secret police force of Nazi Germany, coordinated with the Kripo under the SD.
• Gewehr — rifle, such as the Gewehr 43.
• Gift — poison; giftig: poisonous/toxic.
• Gleichschaltung — coordination, coordination of everything into Nazi ideals.
• Goldfasan (Golden pheasant) — derogatory slang term for high-ranking Nazi Party members. Derived from the brown-and-red uniforms similar to the colors of male pheasants and the perceived behaviour of high-ranking party officials living in peace and luxury at home.
• Gothic Line — German defense line in Italy, north of Florence.
• Grabenkrieg — trench warfare.
• Granatwerfer — grenade thrower; mortar.
• Grenadier — traditional term for heavy infantry, adopted during WWII from mid-war onward as a morale-building honorific often indicative of low-grade formations.
• Grenze — border.
• Grenzschutz — border patrol.
• Greuelerzählungen — numerous atrocities.
• Gröfaz — German soldiers' derogatory acronym for Größter Feldherr aller Zeiten, a title initially publicized by Nazi propaganda to refer to Adolf Hitler during the early war years; literally, "Greatest War Lord of all Time".
• Gruppe — group; could be either small or large units.
• Gruppenstab — command staff.
• Gustav Line — German defense line in Italy, centered on the monastery of Monte Cassino.

STURGEON exhibit at the National Cryptologic Museum. ... This article is about algorithms for encryption and decryption. ... Shoulder boards of a Generalfeldmarschall Generalfeldmarschall ( â–¶(?)) (General Field Marshal, usually translated simply as Field Marshal, and sometimes written only as Feldmarschall) was a rank in the armies of several German states, the Holy Roman Empire, and Austrian Empire. ... The   (contraction of Geheime Staatspolizei; Secret State Police) was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. ... The Gewehr 43 or Karabiner 43 (G43, K43; Gew 43, Kar 43) was a semi-automatic rifle of Nazi Germany developed during World War II that was developed from the G41(W) but using a modified gas system somewhat similar to that of the Soviet Tokarev Tokarev SVT40. ... Binomial name Chrysolophus pictus (Linnaeus, 1758) The Golden Pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus) is a gamebird of the order Galliformes (gallinaceous birds) and the family Phasianidae. ... Genera Ithaginis Catreus Rheinartia Crossoptilon Lophura Argusianus Pucrasia Syrmaticus Chrysolophus Phasianus † See also partridge, quail Pheasants are a group of large birds in the order Galliformes. ... Florences skyline Florences skyline at night from Piazza Michaelangelo Florence (Italian: ) is the capital city of the region of Tuscany, Italy. ... Trench warfare is a form of war in which both opposing armies have static lines of defense. ... A Grenadier was originally a specialized assault trooper for siege operations, first established as a distinct role in the early 17th century. ... An Australian anti-conscription propaganda poster from World War One U.S. propaganda poster, which warns against civilians sharing information on troop movements (National Archives) The much-imitated 1914 Lord Kitchener Wants You! poster Brochure of the Peoples Temple, portraying cult leader Jim Jones as the loving father of the... The restored Abbey. ...

H

• Halt — Stop/Freeze.
• Hakenkreuz — (hooked cross) the version of the Swastika used by the Nazi Party.
• Handelsmarine — German merchant marine.
• Hannoversche Maschinenbau AG (Hanomag) – producer of military vehicles.
• Härteübung — hardiness training.
• Haubitze — howitzer.
• Hauptamt Sicherheitspolizei (HA-Sipo) — Security Police headquarters.
• Heckenschützen — terrorist-snipers.
• Heer — regular German Army.
• Heeresgruppekommando (HGr.Kdo) — Army Group Command.
• Heimat — home, homeland.
• Heimatschuß — homeland shot; a wound not severe enough to be permanently disabling but of enough severity to require evacuation from the battlefront. The German soldier's equivalent of the American G.I.'s "million-dollar wound."
• Heldenklau — stealing or snatching of heroes; slang term used to denote the practice of commandeering rear-echelon personnel for front-line service.
• Hetzer — agitators, also the name of a tank-hunter.
• Hilfsfreiwillige (HIWI) — German Army volunteer forces usually made up of Soviet volunteers serving in non-combat capacities.
• Himmelfahrtskommando — literally, "trip to heaven unit", a suicide mission.
• Hinterhalt — ambush.
• Hitler Jugend (HJ) — Hitler Youth organization.
• Hilfswilliger (Hiwi) — Eastern European volunteer "helper" to the military.
• Höckerhindernisse — anti-tank obstacles often referred to as "Dragon's Teeth".
• Hoheitsabzeichen — national insignia (eagle and swastika).
• Hummel — bumble-bee; nickname for a piece of mobile artillery.
• Hundehütte — literally, "dog house", punishment hut.

A right-facing Swastika in a decorative Hindu form In the Western world, since World War II, the swastika is usually associated with the flag of Nazi Germany and the Nazi Party. ... Hanomag-Henschel F 65 Hanomag (Hannoversche Maschinenbau AG) is a german producer of tractors, trucks and military vehicles. ... Loading a WW1 British 15 in (381 mm) howitzer A howitzer or hauwitzer is a type of field artillery. ... The German Army (German: Heer, [IPA: heɐ]  ) is the land component of the Bundeswehr (Federal Defence Forces) of the Federal Republic of Germany. ... Polish-seized Hetzer on a baricade during the Warsaw Uprising Based on the Czech Panzer 38(t) chassis Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer was an excellent tank destroyer: it was better armoured than the earlier Panzerjäger (60 mm sloped armour at 60 degrees, giving a equivalence of about 180 mm... The Hitler Youth (German: Hitler-Jugend, abbreviated HJ) was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party that existed from 1922 to 1945. ... The Hummel (‘Bumble Bee’) was a self-propelled artillery unit based on the Geschutzwagen III/IV chassis, armed with a 150 mm howitzer. ... Artillery with Gabion fortification Cannons on display at Fort Point Continental Artillery crew from the American Revolution Firing of an 18-pound gun, Louis-Philippe Crepin, (1772 – 1851) A forge-welded Iron Cannon in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. ...

I

• Infanterie — infantry.
• Ivan — German slang for a Soviet soldier (similar to "Jerry" or "Kraut", the British and American slang terms for Germans).

Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, or other means. ...

J

• Jabo (Jagdbomber) — fighter-bomber.
• Jagdgeschwader (JG) — single-engine fighter wing.
• Jagdpanzer — tank hunter; armored, mobile tank destroyer.
• Jagd-Kommando — hunting commando; generally refers to a commando outfit that remained behind enemy lines when an area was overrun and would carry out sabotage and other guerrilla actions. These units did not generally operate as such and were later taken over by the SS and used as frontline combat troops in 1944-45.
• Jäger — light infantry; used alone or as part of a specialty such as Gebirgsjäger or Fallschirmjäger. The root Jagd- is also used in its literal meaning of hunter for weapon systems such Jagdtiger.
• jawohl — simply the word "yes" with the emphatic "wohl", which one might translate as "yes, indeed!" or "absolutely yes!" Widely used in WWII, it became strongly associated with the war, such that it is not used in the modern German Army (the Heer).
• Junkerschule — officer academy.

In military science, the term commando can refer to an individual, a military unit or a raiding style of military operation. ... Look up guerrilla in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Jäger (plural also Jäger, both pronounced as the surname Yeager) is a German word for hunter. In English it is often written with the plural Jägers, or as jaeger (pl. ... Fallschirmjäger photo taken from The Hague, Bezuidenhout during the invasion of the Low Countries, morning of May 10, 1940 , often rendered Fallschirmjager in English, is the German word for paratrooper. ... The Jagdtiger (SdKfz 186) (Ger. ... The German Army (German: Heer, [IPA: heɐ]  ) is the land component of the Bundeswehr (Federal Defence Forces) of the Federal Republic of Germany. ...

K

• Kadavergehorsam — "absolute duty and blind obedience till death."
• Kameradschaft — small military unit, or phrase for "comrade support amongst soldiers" (see Volkgemeinschaft).
• Kampf — struggle, fight or conflict.
• Kampfgeist — fighting spirit.
• Kampfgeschwader (KG) — bomber wing.
• Kampfgruppe — battlegroup; formal designation of an ad hoc task force, or informal description of a combat unit at greatly reduced strength.
• Kampfmesser — combat knife.
• Kampfschwimmer — frogman.
• Kampfzone — battle zone.
• Kampfwunde — battle injury.
• Kapo — prisoner who acted as an "overseer" of his fellow inmates in the concentration camps (see Konzentrationslager).
• Kaserne — barracks.
• Kavallerie — cavalry.
• Ketten — track, such as a tank track; tracked vehicle.
• Kettenhund — chained dog, slang for a Military Policeman (derived from the metal gorget worn on a chain around the neck).
• Kettenkraftrad — a tracked motorcycle; also Kettenkrad.
• Kindersärge — children's coffins, slang term applied to small, wooden, antipersonnel box-mines.
• KLA: Kriegsschiffbaulehrabteilung — was a warship-construction training division which supervised a Baubelehrung.
• Kleinkampfverband (K-Verband) — special naval operations by a few frogmen.
• Kleinkrieg — guerrilla war.
• Knochensammlung — gathering the bones of dead soldiers.
• Kommandanten-Schießlehrgang — U-boat Commander's Torpedo Course.
• Kommando — command; detachment; detail.
• Kommissarbefehl — the notorious 6 June 1941 "commissar order" to kill all political commissars in the Red Army and civil government.
• Kompanie — company, unit.
• Konzentrationslager (KZL) — concentration camp.
• Knickebein — crooked leg, also "bent leg" (in sense of "dogleg"); German navigational system using radio beams to guide bombers.
• Krad (Kraft-Radfahrzeug) — motorcycle.
• Kradschütze(n) — motorcycle unit or soldier.
• Kraut — for sauerkraut; slang term used by Americans to refer to Germans.
• Krieg or Krieg(s)- — war or "wartime-".
• Kriegsgefangener — prisoner of war.
• Kriegsgericht — court martial; slang for a war dish or poor meal.
• Kriegsmarine — German Navy, 1935-1945.
• Kriegsneurose — battle fatigue.
• Kriegstagebuch — war diary.
• Kriminalpolizei (Kripo) — Criminal police.
• Krupp (Kp) — famous German steel producer, manufactured most of the tanks, howitzers and heavy mortars, as well as armor plates for battleships (notably and most famously: the Bismarck). Later renamed "Krupps" and still active today in household appliances and various other domains.
• Krupp-Daimler (KD) — See Krupp.
• Kübel — literally, bucket or tub, short for Kübelwagen, open-topped military utility cars.
• Kugel — bullet (also ball)'
• Kugelblitz — literally "ball lightning", fireball.
• Küstenfischkutter (KFK) — patrol vessels constructed to a fishing-vessel design; (see Vorpostenboote).

The Kampfgruppe was a common combat formation used by the German Wehrmacht during the Second World War. ... It has been suggested that Gendarmerie be merged into this article or section. ... June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining // 1508 - Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year truce and cede several territories to Venice 1513... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... Knickebein (crooked leg in German, but also the name of a magic raven in a German fairy tale) was a radio navigation system used by the Luftwaffe early in World War II to aid bomber navigation. ... A scooter and a motorcycle Mika Kallios KTM125 racing motorcycle A motorcycle or motorbike is a single-track, two-wheeled motor-vehicle powered by an engine. ... Sauerkraut and sausage on a plate Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. ... The Kriegsmarine (or War Navy) was the name of the German Navy between 1935 and 1945, during the Nazi regime, superseding the Reichsmarine. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Post-traumatic stress disorder. ... A 1951 VW Kübelwagen (LIM 111). ... Ball lightning reportedly takes the form of a glowing, floating object often the size and shape of a basketball, but it can also be golf ball sized or smaller. ...

L

• Landekopf — beachhead.
• Landratsamt — civil administration.
• Landsturm — historically, infantry of non-professional soldiers; a kind of militia.
• Landser — historical term for a German infantryman; slang: "Schütze Arsch".
• Landwehr — Territorial Army.
• Latrinenparole — latrine talk slang for "rumor talk."
• laufende Nummer — serial number.
• Lebensraum — "living space", or in Hitler-speak the minimum space the German people needed to live in.
• Lehr — demonstration; usually part of the name of an elite formation used as or mobilized from instructional troops, e.g., Panzer Lehr.
• leicht — light, usually to refer a lighter type, such as light tank: leichter Panzer. Several classes of divisions were also classified as "light".
• Liechtenstein — German airborne radar used for nightfighting.
• Lorenz Schlüsselzusatz — German cipher machine.
• Lorenz (navigation) — pre-war blind-landing aid used at many airports. Most German bombers had the radio equipment needed to use it.
• Luchs — lynx; nickname given to a version of the Panzer II.
• Leuchtkugel — signal flare.
• Luftadler — air eagle; Luftwaffe's eagle insignia.
• Luftangriff — air attack, air raid.
• Luftwaffe — air force; the German Air Force.
• Luftschutzpolizei — air raid protection police.

The Landsturm is the German equivalent of the levee en masse, or general levy of all men capable of bearing arms and not included in the other regularly organized forces, standing army or its second line formations, of Continental nations. ... Lexington Minuteman representing militia minuteman John Parker Militia is the activity of one or more citizens organized to provide defense or paramilitary service, or those engaged in such activity. ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, or other means. ... The Landwehr was a type of militia found in 19th- and early 20th-century Europe. ... Lebensraum (German for habitat or living space) was one of the major political ideas of Adolf Hitler, and an important component of Nazi ideology. ... Panzergrenadiers of I./902. ... This long range Radar antenna, known as ALTAIR, is used to detect and track space objects in conjunction with ABM testing at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein atoll[1]. Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine and map the location, direction, and/or speed... For the fish, see Tuna. ... This article is about algorithms for encryption and decryption. ... Prior to the World War II the Germans had deployed the Lorenz blind-landing aid at many airports and equipped most of their bombers with the radio equipment needed to use it. ... The Panzer II was a German tank used in World War II. Designed as a stopgap while other tanks were developed, it played an important role in the early years of World War II, during the Polish and French campaigns. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ...

M

• MAN — German armed anti-Nazi resistance group named after the MAN engineering works in Bavaria.
• Mannschaften — enlisted personnel
• Maus — mouse; nickname for a large, heavy tank that never passed beyond prototype stage.
• Maybach (M) — a company that manufactured engines for many of the German panzers.
• Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg (M.A.N.) — Augsburg-Nuremberg Machine Factory; a German engineering works and truck manufacturer. Now called MAN AG.
• Maschinenfabrik Niedersachsen Hannover (MNH) — weapon (tank) development and production firm.
• Maschinengewehr (MG - pronounced 'em-gay') — machine gun, as in the MG-42.
• Maschinenpistole (MP) — submachine gun, as in the MP40.
• Mine (pl. Minen) — an anti-personnel, tank or ship mine.
• Minensuchboote (M-boats) — large minesweepers.
• Mißliebige — undesirables.
• Munitionsschlepper — munitions or ammunition carrier.
• Mütze — cap or small hat, such as the M43 field cap, also known as the Einheitsfeldmütze.

The geographic region and Free State of Bavaria (German: Freistaat Bayern), with an area of 70,553 km² (27,241 square miles) and 12. ... The Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus (Sd. ... Several Maybach 57 and 62 models at the 2005 Concours dElegance in Pebble Beach, CA. Maybach-Motorenbau GmbH (IPA: ), founded by Wilhelm Maybach and his son Karl, was a German manufacturer of engines for Zeppelins and later, large and luxurious automobiles. ... MAN AG (formerly called Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg AG, ISIN: DE0005937007) is a German transportation company. ... The Maschinengewehr 1942, or MG42, is a German machine gun, first manufactured in 1942 as the successor to the MG34. ... The MP40 (Maschinenpistole 40, literally machine pistol 40) was a submachine gun developed for and used extensively by Nazi Germany during World War II. The MP40 was a very well made weapon. ... The M43 field cap or Einheitsmütze used by the German Wehrmacht and SS, during World War II. There were 5 main variants: The SS oakleaf camouflage Wehrmacht splinter pattern Field grey wool Wehrmacht Field grey wool SS Black wool issued to Panzer crews The M43 cap finds its...

N

• Nachricht(en) — signals / news / communication.
• Nachschubtruppen — supply troops.
• Nacht und Nebel — night and fog; code for some prisoners that were to be disposed of, leaving no traces.
• Nachtjagdgeschwader (NJG) — night-fighter air wing.
• Nahkampfmesser — close-combat fighting knife.
• Nahverteidigungswaffe — Close Defense Weapon; an attachment to Panzers to combat close-assaulting infantry.
• Nashorn — rhinoceros, nickname for a tank destroyer.
• Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP) — National Socialist German Worker's Party – Nazi Party.
• Nationalsozialistische Führungsoffiziere (NSFO) — National Socialist Leadership Officers.
• Nationalsolzialistische Volksfürsorge (NSV) — National Socialist People's Welfare centers.
• Naxos radar detector — "Naxos Z" was developed for night fighters, "Naxos U", was provided to U-boats.
• Nebelwerfer (Nb. W) — fog thrower; rocket artillery, multi-barrel rocket launchers that could be used for smoke or high-explosive projectiles.
• Norden — north.
• NSKK -- the Nationalsozialistisches Kraftfahrerkorps, or National Socialist Motor Corps.
• Nummer (Nr.) — Number; used to describe some divisional organizations with a unit number but no combat assets, often converted to ordinary divisions later on. (E.g., Division Nr. 157.)

The Nahverteidigungswaffe was a close defense weapon for German panzers to combat close assaulting infantry. ... Panzer IV Ausf. ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, or other means. ... Nashorn (Ger. ... National Socialism redirects here. ... Naxos radar detector was a World War II German counter measure to centimetric radar produced by a cavity magnetron. ... The Nebelwerfer (or smoke shell mortar) was a German towed artillery piece, developed during the 1930s for World War II. It had six 150mm barrels, from which it fired rockets over a period of ten seconds. ... The National Socialist Motor Corps (Nationalsozialistisches Kraftfahrerkorps), also known as the National Socialist Drivers Corps, was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi party that existed between the years of 1931 and 1945. ... Division Nr. ...

O

• Ober-* — higher; part of several military ranks like Oberleutnant.
• Oberst* — German equivalent of a Colonel.
• Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres (Ob.d.H.) — Commander-in-Chief of the Army.
• Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH) — Army High Command; Army General Staff.
• Oberkommando der Kriegsmarine — Navy High Command.
• Oberkommando der Luftwaffe — Supreme Command of the Air Force.
• Oberkommando der Wehrmacht — Armed Forces High Command.
• Offizier-Lager (Oflag) — officer camp; German prisoner of war camp for Allied officers.
• Ordnungspolizei (Orpo) — order police.
• Ortskampf — combat in towns.
• Osten — east.
• Ostjuden — eastern Jews in Poland.
• Ostmark — post-Anschlus Austria.
• Ostpreußen — Province of East Prussia.

The Oberkommando der Heeres (OKH) was Germanys Army High Command from 1936 to 1945. ... The Oberkommando der Marine (or OKM for short) was Germanys Naval High Command until 1945. ... The Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (OKL) was the Airforce High Command of the Third Reich. ... The command flag for the Chief of the High Command of the German Armed Forces (1938 - 1941) The command flag for a Generalfeldmarschall as the Chief of the High Command of the German Armed Forces (1941 - 1945) The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht or OKW (Wehrmacht High Command, Armed Forces High Command... Flag of the Ordnungspolizei The Ordnungspolizei (OrPo) was the name for the regular German police force that existed in Nazi Germany between the years of 1936 and 1945. ... Motto: Suum cuique Latin: To each his own Prussia at its peak, as leading state of the German Empire Capital Königsberg, later Berlin Political structure Duchy, Kingdom, Republic Duke1  - 1525–68 Albert I  - 1688–1701 Frederick III King1  - 1701–13 Frederick I  - 1888–1918 William II Prime Minister1,2...

P

• Panje — horse-cart wagon.
• Panzer — armor; German word is derived from Old French pancier, meaning "armor for the belly". It can refer to a tank (see Panzerkampfwagen below), or to an armored formation. (Panzer Division is literally "Tank Division"; the adjective for "armored" is gepanzert.)
• Panzerabwehrkanone (PaK) — anti-tank gun; literally, "tank defence cannon".
• Panzerbefehlswagen (Pz. Bef.Wg) — the commanding tank of any panzer detachment.
• Panzerfaust — a light disposable infantry anti-tank weapon, a small recoilless gun firing a shaped charge grenade.
• Panzerschreck — a heavy re-usable infantry anti-tank weapon firing a rocket-propelled shaped charge grenade. Modelled on the US bazooka. Also called Offenrohr (stovepipe), for its appearance.
• Panzergrenadier — mechanized infantry.
• Panzerjäger — tank hunter, anti-tank weapon; e.g., Elefant.
• Panzerkampfwagen (Pzkpfw.) — armored fighting vehicle; usually a reference to a type of tank.
• Panzerschiffe — armored ships; i.e., "pocket battleships".
• Panzertruppen — tank forces.
• Panzerzerstörer — tank destroyer; name was sometimes also given to units in an attempt to boost morale.
• Pionier (pl. Pioniere) — combat engineer.
• Porsche (P) — company that designed and produced tanks and other military vehicles. They now produce cars.

Panzer IV Ausf. ... Anti-tank, or simply AT, refers to any method of combating military armored fighting vehicles, notably tanks. ... 4 Panzerfausts in the original casing, displayed in Helsinki Military Museum Panzerfaust. ... M67 recoilless rifle The first recoilless rifles (RCL) were developed near the end of World War II as a lightweight form of anti-tank weaponry. ... Sectioned HEAT round with the inner shaped charge visible A shaped charge is an explosive charge shaped to focus the effect of the explosives energy. ... The Panzerschreck (German: tank terrorizer) was the popular name for the Raketenpanzerbüchse (rocket tank rifle, abbreviated to RPzB) an 88 mm calibre reusable anti-tank rocket launcher developed by the Germans in World War II. Another popular nick-name was Ofenrohr (stove pipe). It was given to infantry to... Sectioned HEAT round with the inner shaped charge visible A shaped charge is an explosive charge shaped to focus the effect of the explosives energy. ... For other meanings, see Bazooka (disambiguation) The bazooka was a man-portable anti-tank rocket launcher made famous during World War II where it was one of the United States Armed Forcess primary infantry anti-tank weapons. ... This article needs cleanup. ... Mechanized infantry are infantry equipped with armored personnel carriers (APCs), or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also mechanized force). ... The Panzerjäger Tiger (P) Elefant (Sd. ... Tiger II, perhaps the most advanced Panzer Panzer is an abbreviation of Panzerkampfwagen, a German compound noun which translates as Armoured Combat Vehicle. It became synonymous with German tanks during the 1930s, and is usually shortened to become PzKpfw. ... An armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) is a military vehicle, equipped with protection against hostile attacks and often mounted weapons. ... Dr. Ing. ...

Q

• Quist — one of several manufacturers of German helmets both during and after WWII.

R

• Radikale Niederwerfung — ruthless suppression.
• Rasputitsa — slang for watery, mud-filled trenches or landscape in Russia.
• Räumboote (R-boats) — small motor minesweepers.
• Reich — realm, empire.
• Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD) — compulsory labor service in Nazi Germany.
• Reichsbahn — railway system.
• Reichsführer-SS — Reich Leader of the SS, an office held by Heinrich Himmler.
• Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RSHA) — Reich Security Main Office or Reich Security Central Office; organization created by Himmler to coordinate all German security and police departments, including the Gestapo, Kripo and SD (Sicherheitsdienst der SS).
• Reichswehr — name for the German Armed Forces under the Weimar Republic, from 1919 to 1935.
• Reissen und scheissen — slang for aches and bowel runs.
• Reiter — cavalryman.
• Ritterkreuz — Knight's Cross (of the Iron Cross); award for valorous service for those who had already received the Iron Cross. 7318 of these were awarded during the war.
• Ritterkreuzträger — a holder of the Knight's Cross.
• Rollkommando — small unit.
• Rommelspargel — Rommel's asparagus; slanted and barb-wired poles placed in key places behind the Atlantic Wall with the intention of preventing paratroop and glider landings.
• Rotes Kreuz — Red Cross.

  (IPA: ; German: IPA: ), is the German word for realm or empire, cognate with Scandinavian rike/rige, Dutch rijk and English ric as found in bishopric. ... Heinrich Himmler as the Reichsführer-SS Reichsführer-SS was a special SS rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945. ...   (October 7, 1900 – May 23, 1945) was the commander of the German Schutzstaffel (SS) and one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany. ... The Reichswehr (help· info) (literally National Defense or Imperial Defense) formed the military organization of Germany from 1919 until 1935, when the government rebranded it as the Wehrmacht (Defence Force). ... Anthem: Das Lied der Deutschen The Länder of Germany during the Weimar Republic, with the Free State of Prussia (Freistaat Preußen) as the largest Capital Berlin Language(s) German Government Republic President  - 1919-1925 Friedrich Ebert  - 1925-1933 Paul von Hindenburg Chancellor  - 1919 Philipp Scheidemann  - 1933 Adolf Hitler... 1813 Iron Cross 1870 Iron Cross The Iron Cross (Eisernes Kreuz) was established in 1813 as a military honor by King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia. ... German coast artillery in the Pas-de-Calais area, with laborers at work on casemate. ... The Anarchist Black Cross was originally called the Anarchist Red Cross. The band Redd Kross was originally called Red Cross. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

S

• SA — see Sturmabteilung.
• S-Mine — a common type of anti-personnel landmine.
• Sanität — (1) medical unit; (2) medical personnel.
• Sanka — acronym for Sanitätskraftfahrtzeug, a term for German field ambulances.
• Saukopf — pig's head, used to refer to the shape of a gun mantlet or mount.
• Schanzzeug — entrenching tool; slang term for fork and knife.
• Scharfschütze — sharpshooter, sniper, marksman.
• Schatten — shadow; used to describe division headquarters that controlled just a few combat assets, usually for the purpose of misleading enemy intelligence.
• Schlacht — battle.
• Schlachtschiff — battleship.
• schnell — fast.
• Schnellboot (S-boot) — motor torpedo boat (British term, E-boat, for "enemy").
• Schnelltruppen — mechanized troops (whether armor or infantry).
• Schrecklichkeit — using terror against civilians.
• Schutzhaft — protective custody.
• Schutzpolizei — uniformed police.
• Schutzstaffel (SS) — protective squads; operated the concentration camps; (1) elite "Black Shirts" guard of the Nazi Party; (2) Shock Troops on battlefields. Had a tri-force structure: original Allgemeine SS, later organized as SS-Totenkopf, then finally reorganized as the SS-Verfügungstruppen.
• Schürze — skirting, armor skirting added to tanks to give additional protection
• Schütze — rifleman; see also Scharfschütze.
• Schützenpanzerwagen (SPW) — armored half-track.
• Schutzhaft — protective custody; a euphemism for the power to imprison people without judicial proceedings, typically in concentration camps.
• Schutzhaftbefehl — detention order; document declaring that a detained person desired to be imprisoned; normally this signature was forced by torture.
• Schwadron (pl. Schwadrone) — squadron; used in the cavalry, a squadron was basically company-sized.
• Schwarze Kapelle — Black Orchestra; a term used to describe a group of conspirators within the German Army who plotted to overthrow Hitler and came near to successfully assassinating him on July 20, 1944.
• Schweinereien — "scandalous acts" – crimes against civilians.
• schwer — (1) adjective meaning "heavy", the word "gross" (large) can mean the same; (2) hard/difficult.
• Schwerer Kreuzer — heavy cruiser.
• Schwert — sword.
• Schwimmpanzer — amphibious or "swimming" tank.
• SD — see Sicherheitsdienst.
• Seekriegsleitung (SKL) — directorate of the Naval War.
• Seitengewehr — bayonet.
• Selbstfahrlafette — self-propelled.
• Selbstschutz — ethnic German civilian militia.
• Sicherheitsdienst (SD) — security department; the Nazi Party security service, intelligence gathering, and counter-espionage wings of the RSHA headed by Reinhard Heydrich.
• Sicherheitspolizei (Sipo) — secret security police, namely the Kripo and Gestapo; the Nazi Party's own internal intelligence and security service.
• Sicherungsflottillen — (1) escort ships, (2) paramilitary organization of unemployed ex-soldiers, who were recruited to protect Nazi speakers, and because of their clothing were called "Brown Shirts".
• Sigrunen — the name of the double "S" runes used by the SS.
• Sipo — see Sicherheitspolizei.
• Sippenverhaftung — the practice of arresting members of a person's family for political crimes or treason committed by that person.
• Soldat — soldier/enlisted man.
• Soldbuch — pay book carried by every member of the German armed forces. Unit information, a record of all equipment issued, and other details were entered into this book.
• Sonderbehandlung — special treatment; a Nazi euphemism meaning torture or killing of people in detention.
• Sonderfahndungslisten — wanted-persons list.
• Sonderkommando — special unit; an official term that applied to certain German and foreign SS units that operated in German-occupied areas. They were responsible for the liquidation of persons not desirable to the Nazi government.
• Sonderkraftfahrzeug (Sd. Kfz.) — special purpose motor vehicle, usually abbreviated and referring to an Ordinance Inventory Number.
• Sonderreferat — special administrative section.
• Späher — scout.
• Spähwagen — scout/reconnaissance vehicle.
• Sperrlinie - blocking line.
• Sperrschule — Mine Warfare School at Kiel-Wik.
• Spieß — colloquial name for the highest-ranking non-commissioned officer in a company, usually a Hauptfeldwebel. He exercised more authority than his American counterpart (Sergeant-Major).
• SS — see Schutzstaffel.
• SSTV — SS-Totenkopfverbände (SS Death's Head Units).
• SS-Verfügungstruppen — "units available" or military formations of the SS, renamed Waffen-SS in early 1940.
• Stab (pl. Stäbe) — staff, sometimes HQ.
• Stabsfeldwebel — Staff Sergeant.
• Stacheldraht — barbed wire.
• Stadtkommandant — military commander of a city.
• Staffel — squadron; the smallest operational air unit.
• Stahlhelm — (1) literally steel helmet; (2) inter-war nationalist organization.
• Stalag — acronym for Stammlager, German prisoner-of-war camp for ranks other than officers.
• Standarte — SS unit equivalent to a regiment.
• Stielhandgranate — stick hand grenade: the "potato masher" Model 24 grenade.
• Stellung — position.
• Stoßtruppen — shock or attack troops.
• Stuka — acronym for Sturzkampfflugzeug, literally, dive-bombing aircraft. Used to designate the German Ju-87 dive bombers which were prevalent early in the war.
• Stukageschwader — a Ju-87 air wing.
• Stupa — a Sturmpanzer IV assault gun.
• Sturm — assault.
• Sturmabteilung (SA) — storm troopers, not part of the army, basically, in the beginning Hitler's praetorian guard (bodyguard) of "brown shirts" as a faction of the Nazi party, later dismissed by the Schutzstaffel (SS).
• Sturmbann [plural: Sturmbanne] — a battalion; used by SA and SS units until 1940.
• Sturmgeschütz (StuG) — self-propelled assault gun, such as the Sturmgeschütz III.
• Sturmgewehr — assault rifle.
• Süden — south.
• Swastika — also known as Hakenkreuz.

The seal of SA The   or SA (German for Storm Division, usually translated as stormtroops or stormtroopers), functioned as a paramilitary organization of the NSDAP — the German Nazi party. ... Minefield redirects here. ... The double-Sig Rune SS insignia. ... Modern day Schütze insignia Schütze is a rank of the Armed Forces of Germany which predates the First World War. ... The Schwarze Kapelle (Black Orchestra) was a group of conspirators within the German military who plotted to overthrow Adolf Hitler. ... July 20 is the 201st day (202nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 164 days remaining. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Sicherheitsdienst (SD) sleeve insignia. ... Reinhard Heydrich as SS-Gruppenführer. ... The Sicherheitspolizei (security police) was a term used in Nazi Germany to described the combined forces of the Gestapo and Sicherheitsdienst (the SD) between 1934 and 1939. ... Two Sig Runes: The symbol of the Nazi SS Sig Rune is the name given by Guido von List for the Sigel or s rune of the futhark. ... The double-Sig Rune SS insignia. ... The SS-Totenkopfverbände (SS-TV) — the Skull Formations — were made up of Nazi Germanys concentration camp guards. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Feldwebel is a German military rank which has existed since at least the 18th century with usage as a title dating to the Middle Ages. ... German Stahlhelme from the Second World War Stahlhelm (plural, Stahlhelme) is German for steel helmet. The Imperial German Army began to replace the traditional leather Pickelhaube (spiked helmet) with the Stahlhelm during the First World War in 1916. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Stick grenades. ... Junkers Ju 87 Dive-Bombers The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka was the most famous Sturzkampfflugzeug (German dive bomber) in World War II, instantly recognisable by its inverted gull-wings and fixed undercarriage. ... General characteristics Length 5. ... German StuG III with high-velocity 75 mm gun, 1943 An assault gun is a gun or howitzer mounted on a motor vehicle or armored chassis, designed for use in the direct fire role in support of infantry when attacking other infantry or fortified positions. ... The seal of SA The   or SA (German for Storm Division, usually translated as stormtroops or stormtroopers), functioned as a paramilitary organization of the NSDAP — the German Nazi party. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Sturmgeschütz is a German word for assault gun, abbreviated StuG. They were widely as fire support to infantry, panzer and panzergrenadier units. ... The Sturmgeschütz III (StuG III) assault gun was Germanys most produced armored fighting vehicle during World War II. It was built on the chassis of the Panzer III tank. ... Sturmgewehr 44 (StG44) was an assault rifle developed in Nazi Germany during World War II and was the first of its kind to see major deployment. ... A right-facing Swastika in a decorative Hindu form In the Western world, since World War II, the swastika is usually associated with the flag of Nazi Germany and the Nazi Party. ...

T

• Tauchpanzer — submersible tank.
• Teilkommando — a small, section-sized command group.
• Tiger — nickname given to the PzKW Panzer VI "Tiger I" and "Tiger II" series of tanks, as well as the Jagdtiger and Sturmtiger built on the same chassis.
• Tommy — German slang for a British soldier (similar to "Jerry" or "Kraut", the British and American slang terms for Germans).
• Tropenhelm — pith helmet; a wide-rimmed helmet used in tropical areas, most notably by the Afrika Korps.
• tot — dead.
• Totenkopf — death's head.
• Totenkopfverbände — Death's Head units, employed earlier as guards in concentration camps, they later became the first unit of the Waffen-SS, the SS Division Totenkopf.
• Totenkopfwachsturmbanne — Death's Head Guard battalions; units of the SS that guarded concentration camps during the war.
• Truppenamt — "Troop Office", the disguised Army General Staff after the Versailles Treaty abolished the German Army General Staff.

Tiger II, perhaps the most advanced Panzer Panzer is an abbreviation of Panzerkampfwagen, a German compound noun which translates as Armoured Combat Vehicle. It became synonymous with German tanks during the 1930s, and is usually shortened to become PzKpfw. ... The Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. ... The Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. ... The Jagdtiger (SdKfz 186) (Ger. ... The Tiger-Mörser, 38 cm RW61 auf Sturm(panzer)mörser Tiger, or Sturmmörser Tiger, more commonly known as the Sturmtiger or Sturmpanzer VI, was a World War II German assault gun built on the Panzer VI Tiger I chassis armed with a large naval mortar, the 38cm... Pith helmet of Harry S. Truman The Pith Helmet (also known as Sun helmet, Topee, or Topi) is a lightweight helmet made of cork or pith typically from the sola or a similar plant [1], with a cloth cover, designed to shade the wearers head from the sun. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The SS-Totenkopfverbände (SS-TV) — the Skull Formations — were made up of Nazi Germanys concentration camp guards. ... Waffen-SS recruitment poster; Volunteer to the Waffen-SS The Waffen-SS was the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel. ... SS-Division Totenkopf Kampfgruppe Eicke 3. ...

U

• UAA — see U-Fahrausbildungslehrgang.
• U-bootjäger (UJ-boats) — steam trawlers equipped for anti-submarine operations.
• U-Fahrausbildungslehrgang — where submarine personnel learned to operate U-boats.
• U-Lehrdivision (ULD) — U-boat Training Division (see Kommandanten-Schießlehrgang).
• Untermenschen — those peoples the Nazis derided as subhuman (see Entmenscht).
• Unteroffizier — non-commissioned officer.
• Unterführer — non-commissioned officer.
• Unterseeboot (U-boat) — submarine.
• Urlaub — furlough; also: vacation.

Unteroffizier insignia Unteroffizier is a military rank (non-commissioned officer) of the German Bundeswehr that has existed since the 19th century. ... U-boat is also a nickname for some diesel locomotives built by GE; see List of GE locomotives October 1939. ... Vacation is a term used in English speaking North America to describe time away from work or school, a trip abroad, or simply a pleasure trip away from home. ...

V

• V1 — the first of the operational German weapons of vengeance, or Vergeltungswaffen – the V-1 was a pilotless flying bomb powered by a pulse-jet engine and carried an 850 kg (1875 lb) high-explosive warhead. They had a range of up to 200 km. Nicknamed "buzz bombs" by Allied troops ("doodlebug" by Australians) due to the sound they made.
• V2 Rocket — Also known as the A4, the successor to the V-1 was a long-range rocket powered by liquid oxygen and alcohol, it had a 975 kg (2150 lb) high-explosive warhead and a range of 320 km.
• V3 — long-range, smooth-bore gun designed to fire shells carrying up to a 10 kg (22 lb) high-explosive warhead at a range of 93 km. It was never very successful as most installations were destroyed by bombing before they could be used.
• Verband — formation (from a battalion to a brigade).
• verdächtige Elemente/Personen — suspicious elements/persons.
• Verfügungs Truppen-SS — units-available branch; developed from various counter-revolutionary or counter-terrorist units.
• Vergeltungsmaßnahmen — reprisals; retaliatory punitive measures.
• Vernichtungskrieg — (1)"war of annihilation" against (1) USSR civilians, (2) dogmatic offensive.
• Vernichtungslager — extermination camp.
• Versuchskonstruktion — prototype.
• Vichy France — French regime set up in the city of Vichy under Marshal Petain in collaboration with the Germans following the fall of France in 1940. It governed the southern half of France until its dissolution in 1944.
• völkisch — an adjective used to describe the racist, nationalist ideology which divided people into "pure" Aryans and inferior Untermenschen.
• Volksdeutsche — ethnic Germans.
• Volksgemeinschaft — national community or civilian population; public support (see Kameradschaft).
• Volksgrenadier — "People's Infantryman", a morale-building honorific given to low-grade infantry divisions raised or reconstituted in the last months of the war.
• Volkskrieg — "People's War".
• Volkssturm — people's semi-military defense force, made up mostly of boys and older men.
• Volkstumskampf — ethnic struggle.
• Vorpostenboote (VP-boats) — coastal escort work, with anti-submarine and minesweeeping gear. Also called Küstenfischkutter (KFK), as they were patrol vessels constructed to a fishing-vessel design.

The term V1 can refer to: The V-1 flying bomb, the first modern cruise missile, developed by the German Luftwaffe during the Second World War Decision speed, where an aircraft pilot must opt to abort the take-off or continue the run for lift-off at V2 speed. ... A B61 nuclear bomb in various stages of assembly; the nuclear warhead is the bullet-shaped silver cannister in the middle-left of the photograph. ... V2 V2, Japanese musical duo formed by Yoshiki of ex-X Japan and Tetsuya Komuro V2 Records V2 word order, the verb-second word order of Germanic languages Velocity 2, the speed where an aircraft accelerating on a runway must lift-off Visual cortex#V2 area Vatican II or Second... V3 can mean: V-3 cannon Motorola RAZR V3 Station V3 Area V3 of the visual cortex Version 3 of the Unix research system Spin-off board of 313, the regional board for United Kingdom on GameFAQs This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share... The Holocaust}} Extermination camps were the facilities constructed by Nazi Germany in World War II where the Nazis systematically killed millions of Jews as part of what was later deemed The Holocaust[1]. Bodies of those killed by the Nazis were usually either cremated or buried in mass graves. ... Motto: Travail, famille, patrie (Work, family, country) unoccupied zone of Vichy France (until November 1942) Capital Vichy Language(s) French Religion Roman Catholicism Government Republic President of the Council  - 1940 - 1944 Philippe Pétain Legislature National Assembly Historical era World War II  - Battle of France June 16, 1940  - Battle of... The Opera in Vichy. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Volksgrenadier was the name given to a type of German army division formed in the Fall of 1944 after the double loss of Army Group Center to the Soviets in Operation Bagration and the 6th Panzer Army to the Allies in Normandy. ... German Peoples Storm Defense Force The Volkssturm, literally translated as Peoples Storm in the meaning of National Storm, was a German national militia of the last months of the Nazis Third Reich. ...

W

• Wabos — in U-boat terminology, the nickname for Wasserbomben, literally depth charges.
• Wach- — guard (in conjunction).
• Waffe (pl. Waffen) — weapon, or can be an adjective meaning "armed".
• Waffenamt — arms inspection stamp or mark.
• Waffen-SS — militarized combat branch of the SS.
• Wagen — vehicle, car.
• Wehrkraftzersetzung — undermining the fighting spirit of the troops.
• Wehrkreis — Geman military district centered on an important city.
• Wehrmacht — German armed forced under the Third Reich consisting of three branches: the Heer (Army), the Luftwaffe (Air Force), and the Kriegsmarine (Navy).
• Wehrmachtsführungsstab — Armed Forces Operations Staff.
• Wehrmachtsadler — the Wehrmacht's eagle insignia.
• Wehrmachtsgefolge — Armed Forces Auxiliaries. These include those organizations that were not a part of the armed forces but which served such an important support role that they were given protection under the Geneva Convention and/or militarized. The armed forces auxiliaries consisted in part of the Reicharbeitsdienst, NSKK, Organization Todt, and the Volkssturm.
• Werwolf — German guerrilla fighters dedicated to harass Allied rear areas. Initially conceived as an adjunct to the Jagd-Kommando units and placed under the command of Otto Skorzeny, the idea was later appropriated by Joseph Goebbels to represent the general rising up of the German people to defend against foreign invasion. It was not widely effective or organized, and there were only a few known instances of involvement, mainly after the war ended and mostly in the Eastern regions.
• Wespe — wasp, a self-propelled 105 mm artillery piece mounted on the PzKpfw II chassis.
• Widerstandskräfte — insurgents (see Freischärler).
• Wolfsschanze — Wolf's Lair; code name for Hitler's headquarters near Rastenburg in East-Prussia.
• Wotan (navigation) — alternative name for Y-Gerät radio radio navigation system.
• Würzburg radar — German radar that went into service in 1940 and over 3,000 of all variants were built.

Waffen-SS recruitment poster; Volunteer to the Waffen-SS The Waffen-SS was the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel. ... Image:Wehrmacht 20 April 1939 Birthday Parade. ... The Geneva Conventions consist of treaties formulated in Geneva, Switzerland that set the standards for international law for humanitarian concerns. ... Otto Skorzeny Otto Skorzeny (June 12, 1908 - July 5, 1975) was an Obersturmbannführer in the German Waffen-SS during World War II. After fighting on the Eastern Front, he is known as the commando leader who rescued Benito Mussolini from imprisonment after his overthrow. ... Dr. Paul Joseph Goebbels (29 October 1897–1 May 1945), Nazi German politician, was Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda throughout the regime of Adolf Hitler from 1933 to 1945. ... The Wespe (German for wasp) was a German self-propelled artillery vehicle during World War II based on the Panzer II tank. ... The Panzer II was a German tank used in World War II. Designed as a stopgap while other tanks were developed, it played an important role in the early years of World War II, during the Polish and French campaigns. ... Wolfs Lairs location in the old East Prussia (modern borders shown) Führerhauptquartier Wolfsschanze (English: Wolfs Lair, Polish: ) was the codename used for a major Eastern Front military headquarters of Adolf Hitler during World War II. One of the larger bunkers in Wolfsschanze complex. ... Y-Gerät (Y-gadget) also known as Wotan was a radio navigation system used by the Luftwaffe in World War II to aid bomber navigation. ... Radio navigation is the application of radio frequencies to determining a position on the earth. ... The Würzburg radar was the primary ground-based gun laying radar for both the Luftwaffe and Wehrmacht during World War II. Initial development took place before the war, entering service in 1940. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ...

X

• X-Gerät — "X-device" or "X-equipment"; equipment using "X" guidance on German aircraft.

X-Gerät (X-gadget) was a radio navigation system used by the Luftwaffe early in World War II to aid bomber navigation. ...

Y

• Y-Beam — German aircraft navigational system which utilized a single station that radiated a directional beam plus a ranging signal which the bomber picked up and re-transmitted to enable the ground controllers to compute the range and know when to order the bombs to be dropped.
• Y-Gerät — equipment for using "Y" guidance on German aircraft.

Y-Gerät (Y-gadget) also known as Wotan was a radio navigation system used by the Luftwaffe in World War II to aid bomber navigation. ... Y-Gerät (Y-gadget) also known as Wotan was a radio navigation system used by the Luftwaffe in World War II to aid bomber navigation. ...

Z

• Z3 — pioneering computer developed by Konrad Zuse in 1941, it was destroyed by bombardment in 1944.
• z.b.V. — see Zur besonderen Verwendung.
• Zeltbahn — a triangular or square shelter quarter made of closely-woven, water-repellent cotton duck. It could be used on its own as a poncho or put together with others to create shelters and tents. Also called Zeltplane.
• Zentralstelle II P — Central office II P (Poland).
• Ziel — target, objective.
• Zimmerit — an anti-magnetic mine paste applied on the armor of German tanks to prevent magnetic mines from being attached. It was similar to cement, and was applied on the tanks with a rake, giving the vehicle a rough appearance. From the summer of the 1943 to mid-1944 Zimmerit became a standard characteristic on many German panzers.
• Zur besonderen Verwendung (z.b.V.) — for special use/employment. Sometimes a killing squad/unit, but also used for divisions raised for special reasons (e.g., the Division zbV Afrika).
• Zyklon-B — commercial name for the prussic acid (hydrocyanic acid) gas used in German extermination camps. Actually, Zyklon-B consisted of crystals of potassium cyanide, normally used as rat poison. Breathing the dust of these crystals made them dissolve in the water of the mouth, nose, throat and stomach, which hydrolysed the cyanide into hydrocyanic acid and resulted in death by paralysis of the respiratory muscles.

Konrad Zuses Z3 was the first working programmable, fully automatic machine, whose attributes, with the addition of conditional branching, have often been the ones used as criteria in defining a computer. ... Konrad Zuse (1992) Statue in Bad Hersfeld Konrad Zuse (June 22, 1910 – December 18, 1995) was a German engineer and computer pioneer. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Cotton ready for harvest. ... Zimmerit was an anti-magnetic mine coating produced for German armored fighting vehicles during World War II. It was created by the German company Chemische Werke Zimmer AG. The coating worked by providing a non-conducting, irregular surface that would reduce the area of contact between a mine and the... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Division zbV Afrika 90th Light Infantry Division 90th Light Afrika Division 90th Panzergrenadier Division Created in August 1941 as Division zbV Afrika, from units already in Africa under the control of . ... Hydrogen cyanide is a chemical compound with chemical formula H-C≡N. A solution of hydrogen cyanide in water is called hydrocyanic acid or prussic acid. ...

List of German military ranks

Approximate ranks relative to US ranks:

• Reichsmarschall – "Marshal of the Empire," the highest rank in the German armed forces during World War II (specifically created for Hermann Göring so that he sticks out from the Generalfeldmarschälle). No U.S. equivalent.
• Generalfeldmarschall – General of the Army
• Generaloberst – General
• General der Infanterie, Kavallerie, etc. – Lieutenant-General
• General-Leutnant – Major-General
• Generalmajor – Brigadier-General
• Oberst – Colonel
• Oberstleutnant – Lieutenant Colonel
• Major – Major
• Hauptmann – Captain
• Oberleutnant – First Lieutenant
• Leutnant – Second Lieutenant
• Hauptfeldwebel – Sergeant-Major
• Stabsfeldwebel – Master Sergeant
• Oberfeldwebel – Technical Sergeant
• Feldwebel – Staff Sergeant
• Unterfeldwebel – no equivalent
• Unteroffizier – Sergeant
• Obergefreiter – Corporal
• Gefreiter – Private First Class
• Obergrenadier/Oberschütze – Private
• Grenadier/Schütze – Private

For additional comparisons, see Comparative military ranks of World War II. The original uniform of the Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring shown in the Luftwaffe-Museum in Berlin. ... Hermann Wilhelm Göring (also Goering in English) (January 12, 1893 – October 15, 1946) was a German politician and military leader, a leading member of the Nazi Party, second in command of the Third Reich, and commander of the Luftwaffe. ... Shoulder boards of a Generalfeldmarschall Generalfeldmarschall ( ▶(?)) (General Field Marshal, usually translated simply as Field Marshal, and sometimes written only as Feldmarschall) was a rank in the armies of several German states, the Holy Roman Empire, and Austrian Empire. ... Colonel General is a senior military rank which is used in some of the world’s militaries. ... Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Colonel (IPA: or ) is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with the corresponding ranks existing in nearly every country in the world. ... Oberstleutnant is the German Army (Bundeswehr) equivalent to Lieutenant Colonel, above Major, and below Oberst. ... Major is a military rank the use of which varies according to country. ... Hauptmann (German: ) is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officers rank in the German Army. ... Oberleutnant is a rank of the German military which dates from the early 19th century. ... Second Lieutenant is the lowest commissioned rank in many armed forces. ... This page relates to the World War Two appointment. ... Feldwebel is a German military rank which has existed since at least the 18th century with usage as a title dating to the Middle Ages. ... Feldwebel is a German military rank which has existed since at least the 18th century with usage as a title dating to the Middle Ages. ... Feldwebel is a German military rank which has existed since at least the 18th century with usage as a title dating to the Middle Ages. ... Feldwebel is a German military rank which has existed since at least the 18th century with usage as a title dating to the Middle Ages. ... Unteroffizier insignia Unteroffizier is a military rank (non-commissioned officer) of the German Bundeswehr that has existed since the 19th century. ... Bundeswehr Obergreiter insignia Obergefreiter is rank of the German military which dates from the 19th century. ... Modern German Gefreiter insignia Gefreiter is the German equivalent for Private in the armed services. ... The World War II rank of Oberschütze was denoted by a silver pip worn on a uniform shoulder Oberschütze is a German military rank which was first used in the Bavarian Army of the late 19th century. ... A Grenadier was originally a specialized assault trooper for siege operations, first established as a distinct role in the early 17th century. ... The following table shows comparative officer ranks of major Allied and Axis powers during World War II. For modern ranks refer to Comparative military ranks. ...

List of code names for major German military operations

The German term for "Operation" is Unternehmen, literally "undertaking".

• Adlerangriffe (Eagle Attack) series of raids against Royal Air Force (RAF).
• Adlertag — Eagle Day; day one of intense raiding against RAF 13 August 1940 known as Operation Eagle Attack (postponed from 10 August).
• Anton — occupation of Vichy France, November 1942; later known as Atilla.
• Atilla — occupation of Vichy France, November 1942 (previously, Anton).
• Aufbau Ost — Eastern Buildup; build-up of arms prior to the invasion of the Soviet Union.
• Barbarossa — invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. Barbarossa, or "Red Beard" was the nickname for Emperor Frederick I, who attempted to unify Germanic states in the 12th century.
• Bernhard — scheme to counterfeit British bank notes and put them into circulation; began in 1942.
• Bestrafung — "punishment" air attacks on Belgrade, April 1941.
• Bodenplatte — Base Plate; air offensive against Allied airfields in north-western Europe, January 1945.
• Eiche — Oak; mission to rescue Mussolini by the fallschirmjäger (led by Skorzeny).
• Fall Gelb — Case Yellow; invasion of the Netherlands, Belgium and France.
• Fall Grün — Case Green; intended invasion of Czechoslovakia.
• Fall Rot — Case Red; counterstrike against France in the event of an attack from the West.
• Fall Weiß — Case White; invasion of Poland.
• Felix — plan to capture Gibraltar in 1941. It never took place.
• Fischfang — Fish Trap; counterattack on the Allied beachhead at Anzio in February 1944.
• Greif — Griffin; dropping of English-speaking troops wearing American uniforms behind the Allied lines in the Ardennes, prior to the Battle of the Bulge.
• Herbstnebel — Autumn Mist; offensive in the Ardennes, December 1944. Better known as the Battle of the Ardennes.
• Herkules — projected invasion of Malta by Fallschirmjäger and the Navy. Never executed.
• Kathrin — Plan to help the Irish Republican Army to commit terrorism and disrupt British internal security.
• Nordlicht — Northern Lights; attack on Leningrad in 1942.
• Paukenschlag — Drumroll or Drumbeat; offensive against Allied shipping in US and Caribbean waters in the first half of 1942.
• Pastorius — U-boat operation involving U-202 and U-548 setting 8 agents ashore in the USA in June 1942.
• Reinhard — covername for the entire process of building extermination camps, deportation of Jews first to ghettos, then to the concentration camps for extermination and incineration. Named for SD chief Reinhard Heydrich.
• Seelöwe — Sea Lion; projected amphibious assault on Great Britain in 1940/41. It never took place.
• Taifun — Typhoon; push towards Moscow in September 1941.
• Tiger — advance through the Maginot Line on the French border in June 1940.
• Weserübung — Weser Exercise (commonly, Water Exercise); invasion of Denmark and Norway, 9 April 1940
• Wintergewitter — Winter Gale; unsuccessful attempt to relieve the 6th Army at Stalingrad in December 1942.
• Zitadelle — Citadel; attack on Soviet salient at Kursk, July 1943.
• Stösser-parachute drop on evening of 16 December 1944; purpose was to seize a crossroads for Kampfgruppe Peiper during the Germans' Ardennes Offensive.

Unternehmen Adlerangriff (Operation Eagle Attack) was a series of Luftwaffe attacks against the Royal Air Force (RAF) as part of preparations for Operation Sealion (Unternehmen Seelöwe). ... RAF redirects here. ... August 13 is the 225th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (226th in leap years), with 140 days remaining. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Combatants Nazi Germany Romania Finland Italy Hungary Slovakia Soviet Union Commanders Adolf Hitler Ion Antonescu C.G.E. Mannerheim Benito Mussolini Miklós Horthy Jozef Tiso Joseph Stalin Strength ~3. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... Meanings of Barbarossa (Italian: Red Beard): Barbarossa was the nickname of two famous people in history: Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor Khair ad Din, Barbary pirate and Ottoman admiral. ... Belgrade (Serbian: Београд or Beograd  ) is the capital and largest city of Serbia. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... Benito Mussolini created a fascist state through the use of propaganda, total control of the media and disassembly of the working democratic government. ... Otto Skorzeny Otto Skorzeny (June 12, 1908 - July 5, 1975) was a Obersturmbannführer in the German Waffen-SS during World War II. He is best-known as the commando leader who rescued Benito Mussolini from imprisonment after his overthrow. ... In World War II, Battle of France or Case Yellow (Fall Gelb in German) was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, executed 10 May 1940 which ended the Phony War. ... Before World War II, Fall Grün (Case Green) was a German plan for an aggressive war against Czechoslovakia in 1938. ... In World War II, Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, executed 10 May 1940 which ended the Phony War. ... Fall Weiss (german spelling Fall Weiß) translates as Case White following the German militarys naming convention. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... The Ardennes (pronounced ar-DEN) (Dutch: Ardennen) is a region of extensive forests and rolling hill country, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France (lending its name to the Ardennes département and the Champagne-Ardenne région). ... Combatants United States United Kingdom Germany Commanders Dwight Eisenhower Omar Bradley George Patton Bernard Montgomery Walther Model Gerd von Rundstedt Adolf Hitler Strength Dec 16 - start of the Battle: about 83,000 men; 242 Sherman tanks, 182 tank destroyers, and 394 pieces of corps and divisional artillery. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... West Indian redirects here. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... A ghetto is an area where people from a specific racial or ethnic background are united in a given culture or religion live as a group, voluntarily or involuntarily, in milder or stricter seclusion. ... Reinhard Heydrich as SS-Gruppenführer. ... Location Position of Moscow in Europe Government Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Geographical characteristics Area  - City 1,081 km² Population  - City (2007)    - Density 10,469,000   8537. ... The Maginot Line (IPA: [maÊ’ino], named after French minister of defence André Maginot) was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, machine gun posts and other defenses which France constructed along its borders with Germany and with Italy, in the light of experience from World War I, and... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... April 9 is the 99th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (100th in leap years). ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Stalingrad is the former name of two cities: Volgograd, Russia Karviná-Nové Město, near Ostrava, Czech Republic Other uses: The Battle of Stalingrad (a major turning-point of World War II and arguably the bloodiest battle in human history) Stalingrad (German film set during the above battle) Stalingrad... Kursk (Russian: ; pronunciation: koorsk) is a city in Central Russia, the administrative center of Kursk Oblast. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... December 16 is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

See also

• Glossary of the Third Reich
• Weimar paramilitary groups
• Ranks and insignia of the Schutzstaffel
• Comparative military ranks of World War II
• List of SS personnel

This is a list of words, terms, concepts, and slogans that were specifically used in Nazi Germany. ... Paramilitary groups were formed throughout the Weimar Republic in the wake of Germanys defeat in World War I and the ensuing German Revolution. ... The Ranks and insignia of the Schutzstaffel were a paramilitary rank system used by the German SS, to differentiate the group from the German military, German state, and the Nazi Party. ... The following table shows comparative officer ranks of major Allied and Axis powers during World War II. For modern ranks refer to Comparative military ranks. ... Between 1925 and 1945, the German SS grew from a mere 8 members to over a quarter of a million Waffen-SS members and well over a million members of the Allgemeine-SS. The following list of SS personnel indicates a few of the SS members who were the most...

References

• Andrew, Stephen; Thomas, Nigel; The German Army 1939-45: Blitzkrieg. Osprey Publishing Lt., 1999.
• Bidermann, Gottlob Herbert. In Deadly Combat: A German Soldier's Memoir of the Eastern Front. Kansas, University Press of Kansas. (2001): ISBN 0-7006-1122-3.
• Sajer, Guy; The Forgotten Soldier. Brassey's Inc. (2001): ISBN 1-57488-286-4. Excellent, personal telling of a regular German soldier's experience of the Eastern Front in WWII.
• Shirer, William; The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. Simon & Schuster. (1990): ISBN 0-671-72868-7.