WW2 - RAF & RCAF
Slang, Abbreviations,
Acronyms & Other Gen
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| 1TAF | First Tactical Air Force |
| 2TAF | Second Tactical Air Force |
| A/A |
Aircraft Apprentice or Anti-Aircraft fire (Ack-Ack) |
| AAEE |
Aircraft & Armament Experimental Establishment (Boscombe Down) |
| AAF |
Auxiliary Air Force |
| AASF |
Advanced Air Striking Force |
| ABC unit | Automatic Boost Control |
| AC |
Aircraftsman |
| A/C |
Air Commodore |
| AC1 or A/C 1 | Aircraftman First Class |
| AC2 or A/C 2 | Aircraftman Second Class |
| Ace | Pilot with 5 destroyed planes to his credit (in the air & without help) |
| ACHGD |
Aircrafthand, General Duties |
| ACHQ | Air Command Headquarters or Area Combined Headquarters |
| ACIs |
Air Council Instructions |
| Ack-Ack |
Anti-Aircraft fire |
| ACM or A.C.M. | Air Chief Marshal |
| ACU | Aircrew Conditioning Unit |
| ADGB |
Air Defence of Great Britain |
| adm. | Admitted |
| AEM | Air Engine Mechanic |
| AFC |
Air Force Cross |
| AFHQ | Air Force Headquarters |
| AFM |
Air Force Medal or Air Frame Mechanic |
| AFRO |
Air Force Routine Orders |
| AFS | Advanced Flying School |
| AFU |
Advanced Flying Unit |
| A/G or AG |
Air Gunner |
| AGGTS | Air Gunner Ground Training School |
| AGL |
Above ground level |
| AGS | Air Gunnery School |
| AGTS | Aircrew Graduate Training School |
| AHU | Administrative and Holding Unit |
| AHQ |
Air Headquarters |
| AI | Airborne Interception |
| AID | Aeronautical Inspection District |
| |
|
| A/M or AM |
Air Marshall |
| AMD | Auxiliary Manning Depot |
| AMES |
Air Ministry Experimental Station |
| Ammo | Ammunition |
| AMO |
Air Ministry Order |
| AMWD |
Air Ministry Works Directorate |
| Angels | Altitude; to "gain angels"; 1 Angel = 1000 feet |
| ANS |
Air Navigation School |
| AOC |
Air Officer Commanding |
| AOC-in-C |
Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief |
| AOS |
Air Observer School |
| AP |
Air Publication: also Armor Piercing |
| APE | Address Prior to Enlistment |
| Apron |
The tarmac around a hangar |
| Ar. |
Arado |
| ARC | Appraisal and Refresher Course |
| Arm B | Armourer Bombs |
| Arm G | Armourer Guns |
| Arrival |
An aircraft landing of barely adequate standard. |
| ASL |
above sea level |
| ALG |
Advanced Landing Ground |
| ASO |
Assistant Section Officer |
| ASR |
Air Sea Rescue |
| ASV |
Air-Surface Vessel |
| ASW | Anti-Submarine Warfare |
| ATC |
Air Traffic Control: also, Air Training Corps |
| auth. | Authorized, Authority etc. |
| AVG |
American Volunteer Group (the Flying Tigers) |
| A/V/M or AVM |
Air Vice Marshall |
| AW |
Air Woman |
| AWL or AWOL | Absent Without Leave |
| B/A or BA |
Bomb Aimer |
| Bail out | To abandon an aircraft, usually by parachute |
| Bank | To turn involving raising of one wing |
| Bandit |
Enemy aircraft |
| BAT |
Blind (or Beam) Approach Training |
| Bat Boy |
Personal assistant / Go-fer |
| BCATP |
British Commonwealth Air Training Plan |
| BD |
Bomb Disposal |
| Beat up | To attack a target continuously or put on a low-flying display |
| Beehive |
Bomber formation closely escorted by fighters |
| BEF |
British Expeditionary Force |
| BEM |
British Empire Medal |
| Benders |
Knees |
| Bf or BF |
Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (Bavarian Aircraft
Works) |
| BGS or B&GS |
Bombing & Gunnery School |
| BGFU or B&GFU | Bombing & Gunnery Flying Unit |
| Bible-Puncher |
Padre or Chaplain |
| Billy can | A mess tin that an Aircraftsman can cook in if need be |
| Bind |
Both noun and verb to indicate some thing/one boring, depressing; monotonous; one who constantly complains - a binder; or "in a bind" |
| Black |
Error of judgment; "'put up a black" |
| Black out | To lose consciousness due to centrifugal force / or / a condition that requires all lights to be off such as a city hiding from bombers |
| Blackouts |
WAAF issue knickers (panties); winter, navy blue (see Twilights) |
| Blanket Drill |
Sleep; alt 'Horizontal Drill' |
| Blower | Supercharger on aircraft engine |
| Blood Wagon |
Ambulance |
| BoB |
Battle of Britain |
| Bob / Bobbing |
Modern equivalent of "brown-noser" or "brown-nosing" |
| Bod |
Person or body as opposed to just being a name on a list |
| Bogey |
An unidentified aircraft / suspected enemy aircraft (e/a) |
| Boner | A mistake; to "pull a boner" is to make a mistake. funny huh? |
| Boob |
Mistake or error |
| Boost | Amount of power given to engine by throttle setting / manifold pressure |
| BPD | Base Personnel Depot |
| Bought it |
Killed or missing |
| BR |
Bomber Reconnaissance Squadron |
| Brassed off |
Angry |
| Brock's Benefit | Heavy AA fire [for Brock's fireworks manufacturer] |
| Browned off |
Lesser degree of angry |
| Brat |
Short for 'Trenchard Brat' an ex-aircraft apprentice or boy entrant |
| Briefing | Instructions given to pilots before a sortie |
| Brolly |
Parachute |
| Brown Job |
Any member of the Army (see 'Pongo') |
| BSL |
Below Sea Level |
| BSU | Bombing Survey Unit |
| Buckshee | Extra or free |
| Buster | To move engine throttle rapidly to maximum power |
| Bumf / Bumph |
All paperwork; from 'bum-fodder' |
| Buzz bomb |
V-1 rocket bomb, slang |
| Bv. or BV |
Blohm & Voss |
| CAN/RAF |
Canadian in the RAF |
| Canteen Cowboy |
Airman who sees himself as a ladies man; alt 'NAAFI Romeo' |
| Can |
Full responsibility; take the blame; to "carry the can" |
| Carabiniari | Italian policeman |
| CAS |
Chief of Air Staff |
| CB |
Confined to Barracks. Punishment |
| CBE |
Award - Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire |
| CC |
Confined to Camp; punishment like CB |
| CEF |
Canadian Expeditionary Force |
| CFB |
Canadian Forces Base |
| CFI |
Chief Flying Instructor |
| CFS |
Central Flying School |
| CGM |
Conspicuous Gallantry Medal |
| CGS |
Central Gunnery School |
| Chairborne |
Any desk-bound job or duty |
| Cheese-cutter |
Airman's prewar peaked hat (slanged a "c_nt cap" in the US Army) |
| Cheesed, Cheesed-off |
Angry |
| Chief / Chiefy |
Flight Sergeant |
| Chute | Short for Parachute |
| Cine-gun film | Gun camera footage |
| Circus |
Fighter escorted, short range, bombing attack |
| CIU |
Clinical Investigation Unit |
| Civvy Street |
Civilian life |
| CLK | Clerk |
| Clock | Often refers to airspeed indicator |
| Close the hangar |
Stop talking shop (or Close the hangar doors) |
| Clot |
Fool; idiot; "thick" or dumbass |
| Clueless |
Ignorant, dumb (this word is now common english ;^) |
| CMU | Construction & Maintenance Unit |
| C/O or CO |
Commanding Officer. There can be only one on site |
| COMM |
Communications Squadron |
| Confetti | Machine gun ammo |
| Contour chasing | Low flying |
| Cookie |
4000 lb bomb (originally - they got larger as the war went on) |
| COTC | Canadian Officers Training Corps |
| CPA |
Canadian Pacific Airlines |
| Cpl |
Corporal |
| CR |
Celestino Rosatelli, a fighter plane designer for Fiat |
| Crabbing | Limping home with a damaged plane |
| Crate | Airplane |
| CSO |
Chief Section Officer |
| CTO, CTechO |
Chief Technical Officer |
| CTS | Composite Training School |
| CTTB |
Central Trade Test Board |
| CU | Conversion Unit |
| CVSM | Canadian Volunteer Service Medal |
| CWR |
Charge/Weight Ratio (% of explosive / overall stated bomb weight) |
| D or d |
Died |
| DA |
Delayed Action bomb |
| dam |
Damaged |
| Day Ranger |
Seek & destroy enemy fighters, using Mosquito [usually] aircraft |
| DC |
Depth Charge |
| DCM |
Distinguished Conduct Medal |
| D-Day |
The Allied invasion of Normandy June 6 1944 |
| Dead stick | Without engine power. As in "dead stick landing" |
| Dear-John |
An "end of relationship" letter from a spouse |
| Deck | The ground |
| Devil-dodger |
Padre or Chaplain |
| D/F | Direction Finding - to locate aircraft (or home) |
| DFC or D.F.C. |
Distinguished Flying Cross |
| DFM or D.F.M. |
Distinguished Flying Medal |
| DH |
de Havilland |
| DHC |
de Havilland Canada |
| Dirt | Lots of AA fire |
| Dim |
Not smart, dull, dense, dumb; "take a dim view" or dim-wit |
| Dis | Discharged |
| Ditch |
To land on/in water; from 'In the Ditch' (the English Channel) |
| Diver |
Code name for V-1 rocket |
| DNCO |
Duty not carried out |
| DND |
Department of National Defense (Canada) |
| Do | Same as Op; Mission; Sortie |
| Do |
Dornier |
| Dog |
Anything with poor performance; slow; no good |
| Dogfight, Dog fight | Aerial combat, usually between fighers |
| Doodlebug, Doodle bug |
V-1 rocket bomb, slang |
| DOT |
Department of Transportation |
| DOW |
Died Of Wounds |
| Dressing Down |
"A dressing down" – to get yelled at; chewed out; put in your place |
| Drill |
What to do; the right way of doing it; "you know the drill" |
| Drink |
The Sea or other body of water |
| DRO | Daily Routine Order(s) |
| Drogue | Target towed by aircraft for air firing training and practice |
| Drome | Airfield - short for Airodrome or airdrome |
| DSC or D.S.C. |
Award - Distinguished Service Cross |
| DSO or D.S.O. |
Award - Distinguished Service Order |
| Dual | Flying with instructor or student |
| Duff |
No good; False or inaccurate information as in "it was Duff Gen" |
| Dust bin | Retractable under-turret |
| DZ |
Drop Zone |
| EA or e/a |
Enemy Aircraft |
| EAC |
Eastern Air Command |
| EATP |
Empire Air Training Plan |
| ED | Equipment Depot or Efficiency Decoration |
| EFTS |
Elementary Flying Training School |
| EO |
Engineering Officer or Education Officer |
| Erk |
Airman below Corporal but used generically for ground personnel |
| esc |
Escaped |
| ETA |
Estimated Time of Arrival |
| ETPS |
Empire Test Pilot School |
| emb. | Embarked |
| EV |
Escort Vessel |
| EVT |
Educational Vocation Training |
| F |
Fighter |
| FAA |
Fleet Air Arm |
| F/E or FE or Flt. Eng. |
Flight Engineer |
| FEAF |
Far East Air Force |
| FC or F/C | Flight Commander |
| FFL | French Foreign Legion |
| Fi. |
Fieseler |
| FIDO |
Fog Investigation Dispersal Operation |
| FIS |
Flying Instructor School |
| Fish-head |
Navy personnel |
| Fishpond |
Airborne radar warning bombers |
| Fix |
Your current position ("get a fix on me") |
| Fizzer |
Disciplinary charge; ie 'put on a fizzer' |
| F/L or FL |
Flight Lieutenant or Flying List |
| Flak |
Anti-aircraft fire |
| Flamer | Aircraft or vehicle on fire |
| Flap |
Panic, alarm, disturbance, excitement |
| Flat out | Full speed - as fast as possible |
| Flight | Less than a squadron - a flight can be 2 to 6 aircraft |
| FLS |
Fighter Leader School |
| FLT |
Flight (sub formation within a squadron or unit etc) |
| F/O or FO |
Flying Officer |
| Form 540 |
Squadron diary |
| Fruit Salad |
Decorations, referring to medal ribbons |
| F/S or FS, F/Sgt, FSgt |
Flight Sergeant |
| FTR |
Failed to Return |
| FTS |
Flying Training School |
| FTU | Flying Traing Unit |
| FUBAR | Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition |
| Fuselage | The body of any aircraft |
| Fw. Or FW |
Focke-Wulf |
| FW | Fighter Wing |
| Gaggle | A group of enemy aircraft |
| Gardening |
Mine laying by aircraft |
| Gash |
Spare, surplus, extra |
| GC |
George Cross |
| G/C or GC |
Group Captain |
| GCA |
Ground Controlled Approach |
| GCI |
Ground Controlled Intercept |
| GD | General Duties |
| Gee |
British radio navigation system |
| Gen |
Information; usually accurate, as in "getting the gen" |
| George |
Aircraft auto pilot |
| Gestapo |
Slang word for (our) Military police. Not to be confused with ... |
| Gestapo |
Feared German "Geheime Staatspolizei;" or German State Police |
| Get some in |
Addressed to those with less service time |
| GIS | Ground Instructor School |
| Glasshouse |
Penal detention center |
| GM |
George Medal |
| Golden Eagle Day |
Payday; 'The golden eagle lays today' |
| Goon |
Mindless oaf, from characters in contemporary Popeye strip cartoon. Later used by Allied prisoners of war for their German guards. |
| Gone for a Burton |
Dead or killed |
| Gong |
Medal or decoration award |
| Got his Crown |
Promoted to Flight Sergeant |
| GP |
General Purpose (type of bomb, of CWR 40% or less) |
| Grand Slam |
22,000 lb bomb |
| Gravy | Gasoline, fuel, petrol |
| Greenhouse | Cockpit cover |
| Griff |
Information; similar to "Gen" |
| Group | A grouping of a number of squadrons or wings |
| Groupie |
Group Captain |
| GRS |
General Reconnaissance School |
| GTS |
Glider Training School |
H2S |
Airborne radar navigation and target identification aid |
| Hacked-off |
Angry |
| Had it | Finished; washed up; done for |
| Hat-trick | Scoring 3 "kills" in one mission |
| Hang-up |
A bomb that failed to release |
| HC |
High Capacity (type of bomb, or CWR 80% or more) |
| HCU |
Heavy Conversion Unit; as in, on to four-engined aircraft. |
| HE | Home Establishment |
| HE |
High Explosive |
| He. |
Heinkel |
| Hedge-hog |
Shipboard ASW weapon |
| Hip Flask | Service Revolver |
| HMCS |
His Majesty's Canadian Ship |
| HMS |
His Majesty's Ship |
| HMT |
His Majesty's Transport (Ship) |
| Homework |
Girlfriend; as in "a piece of homework" |
| Horizontal refreshment |
Sleep |
| Horizontal PT |
Sex |
| Hs. |
Henschel |
| HSL |
High Speed Launch |
| HQ |
Headquarters |
| House Traps | Submarines |
| HWE | Home War Establishment |
| Huff-Duff |
High frequency radio direction finding equipment |
| Hun | Any German fighting man or machine |
| IAS |
Indicated Air Speed |
| I/C |
In Charge |
| ID |
Identification |
| IFF |
Identify Friend or Foe |
| IFR |
Instrument Flight Rules |
| IFS | Instrument Flying School |
| In Dock |
In sick quarters or hospital |
| Intercom | Intercommunication system within or between aircraft |
| I/O or IO or I.O. |
Intelligence Officer or "Spy" |
| Irons |
Knife, fork and spoon eating utensils issued to all non-coms |
| ITS |
Initial Training School |
| ITW |
Initial Training Wing |
| Jankers |
Disciplinary punishment of parades in full kit, fatigues, etc. |
| Jerry | A German |
| JG | Jagdgeschwader (German fighter wing) |
| Ju. |
Junkers |
| Jug | Republic P-47 Thunderbolt |
| Jug |
Guardroom cell or detention room |
| Joy |
Action / Satisfaction / Enemy Aircraft ; "did you find any 'joy'"? |
| K |
Killed |
| KCB |
Knight Commander of the Most Honorable Order of the Bath |
| KG |
Kampfgeschwader (German bomber wing) |
| KIA |
Killed In Action |
| KIFA |
Killed In a Flying Accident |
| Kipper Control | Coastal Command aircraft convoying fishing boats |
| Kipper Fleet |
Coastal Command |
| Kite |
Airplane |
| Kraut | German |
| KRs |
King's Regulations |
| LAC |
Leading Aircraftman |
| LAW |
Leading Aircraftwoman |
| LDV |
Local Defence Volunteer |
| Leigh-Light |
24-inch airborne search light |
| Let down | To lose height or altitude gradually |
| LFS |
Lancaster Finishing School |
| LG | London Gazette |
| LG |
Landing Ground |
| Line or Line-shoot |
Boastful exaggeration of one's own prowess or abilities, etc. |
| Line astern | One aircraft lined up behind another |
| Line Book |
Written, witnessed record of 'lines shot' by members of mess or unit |
| LL-RP | Low Level Rocket Projectile [Typhoon Ammo ;^) |
| LMF |
Lack of Moral Fiber |
| Loco |
Locomotive |
| Long-Distance Gong |
Slang for the LS&GCM- see below |
| LS&GCM | The Long Service & Good Conduct Medal (LS&GCM) awarded to noncommissioned personnel (mainly) after 18 completed years of satisfactory RAF service. |
| Luftwaffe | German Air Force |
| LWOP | Leave Without Pay |
| LWP | Leave With Pay |
| Mach. | Machinist |
| MAD |
Nagnetic Anomaly Detection |
| Mae West |
Life-preserver jacket worn over chest by flying personnel |
| MAFL |
Manual of Air Force Law |
| M and V | Meat and Vegetable — standard meal fare |
| Master Bomber |
The pilot in charge of a bombing raid |
| MAP |
Ministry of Aircraft Production |
| Mayday | The universal distress call |
| Mein Kempf | Leaflets to be dropped in enemy territory |
| MBE |
Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire |
| MC |
Medium Capacity (type of bomb, CWR of 60% approx) |
| MD |
Manning Depot |
| Me. |
Messerschmitt |
| M/E | Multi Engined |
| Meat Wagon |
Ambulance |
| Met |
Meteorological service |
| MET |
Motorized Enemy Transport |
| MFDF |
Medium Frequency Direction Finding |
| mg |
Machine Gun |
| MIA |
Missing In Action |
| Mickey Mouse | Automatic bomb lever |
| MiD |
Mention in Despatches (or Dispatches) - award |
| Mission | Same as Op; Sortie; Do |
| ML |
Motor Launch |
| MM | Motor Mechanic |
| MM |
Military Medal |
| M/O or MO |
Medical Officer |
| Mod |
Modification |
| MoH |
Medal of Honor |
| Monica |
Airborne tail-warning radar |
| Mothers Meeting |
Any conference or meeting of senior officers |
| Movies | Action - as in "Go to the movies" or go into action |
| MP |
Military Police |
| MT |
Originally, Mechanical Transport; later, Motorized Transport |
| MTB |
Motor Torpedo Boat |
| MU |
Maintenance Unit, (base storage and/or major repair depot) |
| m/u |
Mid upper gunner / turret |
| MV |
Motor Vessel |
| NAAFI |
Navy, Army & Air Force Institute |
| Nacelle | Engine cowling |
| Naffy |
Navy, Army and Air Force Institute canteen and recreation building |
| Nav | Navigator |
| NCO |
Non-commissioned Officer |
| NETD | Non-Effective Transit Depot |
| N/E Unit | Non-Effective Unit |
| Nickle |
Propaganda leaflet |
| Noball | V-1 launch site |
| Non-com |
Non-commissioned Officer |
| NORAD |
North American Air Defense Command |
| NRC |
National Research Council |
| NWAC | North West Air Command |
| OBE |
Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire |
| Oboe |
Blind bombing & target marking system controlled from ground radar stations |
| O/C or OC |
Officer Commanding. An OC might be a senior officer commanding a Wing or Squadron, but might equally apply to a very junior officer given specific 'secondary duties.' Not the same as CO. |
| OCTU |
Officer Cadet Training Unit |
| OLC | Oak Leaf Clusters |
| Old Man |
The Commanding Officer |
| Oleo | Shock-absorbing aircraft landing gear |
| On Strength |
There and doing your job; part of a crew / unit; assigned to |
| On the clock | On the airspeed indicator |
| On the Hooks |
On a disciplinary charge; in trouble |
| Op | Short for operation - see below |
| Operation | Whatever it is that you are sent out to accomplish, or do |
| Oppo |
Pal, friend, mate; from "opposite number" |
| Ops |
Operations |
| Ops room | Operations room where you gather and disseminate information |
| Orbit | To fly in circles |
| Orderly Dog |
Duty appropriate to rank (Orderly Officer/Sergeant/Corporal) |
| ORORB |
Other ranks Operations Record Book |
| OTG |
On The Ground |
| OTS | Operational Training Squadron |
| OTU |
Operational Training Unit |
| Packed up | Died; shut down; quit working |
| Panic Bowler |
Issue steel helmet |
| Paper Factory |
Air Ministry, London |
| Paraffin Pete |
Flying Control officer (from using goose-neck flares at night) |
| Passion-killers |
WAAF issue knickers (panties); winter, navy blue (see "Blackouts") |
| PDC | Pilot Disposal Center |
| Peel Off | To break away from a flying formation |
| Penguin |
Any non-flying person - could also be called
a 'Kiwi' |
| Peri-track |
Tarmac roadway for aircraft and vehicles around perimeter of airfield runways area |
| PFF |
Path Finder Force (No 8 Group, Bomber Command) |
| Piece of Cake |
Easy to do; as in "this will be a piece of cake" |
| Pit |
Bed |
| Pitot head | A tube mounted externally on aircraft to give airspeed |
| PL or P/L | Privilege Leave |
| Plonk |
Generic 'surname' for lowest airman classifications of AC2 and AC1 |
| Plumber |
Originally any member of armament trades, but extended later to most ground technical tradesmen |
| PMRAFNS |
Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service |
| P/O or PO |
Pilot Officer |
| PAF or P.A.F. | Polish Air Force |
| Pongo |
Any officer in the Army |
| Popsie |
Female, usually young and attractive |
| POW, PsOW |
Prisoner Of War & Prisoners of War (plural) |
| PR |
Photographic Reconnaissance (PRU or PR Unit) |
| Prang |
Crash, wreck. Used as noun and verb |
| PRC |
Personnel Reception Center |
| PRO | Public Relations Officer |
| prob |
Probable. Refers to an official rating of "Probably Destroyed" |
| Prop | Propeller |
| Props |
Propeller cloth badge worn on each tunic sleeve by LACs |
| PRU |
Photo Reconnaissance Unit |
| Prune |
RAF legendary pilot, Pilot Officer Percy Prune, who served as supreme example of what not to do; applied to any unthinking air crew member flaunting the rules. |
| P/T |
Physical Training |
| Pte. | Private - rank |
| PTI |
Physical Training Instructor |
| PTU | Port Transit Unit |
| Pvt. | Private - rank |
| Pukka |
Old inter-Service term; true, correct, dependable (ie "Pukka Gen") |
| QCA |
Queen Charlotte Airlines |
| Queen Bee |
Senior WAAF officer on any station or unit |
| RAAF |
Royal Australian Air Force |
| RAE |
Royal Aircraft Establishment (Farnborough) |
| RAF |
Royal Air Force |
| RAFVR |
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve |
| Ramrod |
Fighter escorted daylight bombing attack |
| Ranger |
Seek & Destroy enemy fighters |
| RC | Recruiting (or Release or Reselection) Center |
| RCAF |
Royal Canadian Air Force |
| RCMP |
Royal Canadian Mounted Police |
| RCN |
Royal Canadian Navy |
| RCNVR |
RCN Volunteer Reserve |
| RD |
Repair Depot |
| Recce | Armed reconnaisance |
| RDF |
Radio Direction Finding (original cover-name for radar) |
| RFC |
Royal Flying Corps (1912-18 only) |
| Rhubarb |
Small-scale fighter attack in search of targets
of opportunity |
| Rings |
Cloth badges of rank worn on lower sleeves of all officers tunics |
| RN |
Royal Navy |
| RNAS |
Royal Naval Air Service (1914-18 only) |
| RNS | Radio & Navigation School |
| RNZAF |
Royal New Zealand Air Force |
| R/O or RO | Radar Operator |
| Robomb | V-1 flying bomb |
| Rock Ape |
Any member of an RAF Regiment |
| Rocket |
Severe reprimand from higher authority |
| Rodeo |
A fighter sweep over enemy territory |
| Roller Skate | Tank |
| Ropey |
Slacker, careless, unreliable, bad |
| ROTC | Reserve Officers Training Corps |
| RP |
Rocket Projectile (airborne armament) |
| RSU |
Repair and Salvage Unit |
| R/T or RT |
Radio Telephony / Transmitter (planes communication system) |
| RU |
Radar (or Radio) Unit |
| SAA |
Small Arms Ammunition |
| SAAF |
South African Air Force |
| SADO |
Senior Air Defense Officer |
| SAO |
Senior Administrations Officer |
| SAC |
Strategic Air Command |
| SAP |
Semi-Armor Piercing (bombs / SAA / RP etc) |
| Sapper |
Loosely, a small-arms style "combat engineer" |
| SASO |
Senior Administration Staff Officer |
| SBA |
Standard Beam Approach |
| SBC |
Small Bomb Container |
| Scramble |
Emergency take-off at fastest possible speed |
| Scrambled Eggs |
Gold oak leaves on hats of officers, Group Captain and higher |
| Scraper |
Thinner center 'ring' of Squadron Leaders badges of rank |
| Scrub |
Cancel, forget it, don't bother, eliminate, destroy |
| SCW | Spanish Civil War |
| S/E | Single Engined |
| SFTS |
Service Flying Training School |
| Sgt |
Sergeant |
| or Sgt.P. or S/P | Sergeant Pilot |
| sh |
Shared |
| SHAEF |
Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force |
| Show | A mission or action encountered on a mission |
| SHQ |
Station Headquarters |
| Skew-ell |
Squadron Leader |
| S/L or SL or Sqd.Ldr. |
Squadron Leader |
| Slip Stream | Air stream created behind spinning propeller |
| SLTW | Special Leave Travel Warrent |
| S.M. or SM |
Savoia-Marchetti |
| SNAFU | Situation Normal - All Fucked Up |
| SNCO |
Senior Non-commissioned Officer |
| Snoop |
Military Policeman |
| Snowdrop |
Military Policeman (in USAAF use) |
| S/O or SO |
Section Officer |
| SOC |
Struck off Charge |
| SOE |
Special Operations Executive |
| Sortie | Same as Op; Mission; Do |
| SOS |
Struck Off Strength |
| S/P or SP or Sgt.Plt. |
Sergeant Pilot |
| SP |
Service Police |
| Sparks |
Wireless tradesman, from cloth badge worn on right tunic sleeve |
| Spawny |
Lucky |
| Spinner | Propellor boss or extreme nose; most-forward part of plane before prop |
| Spit / Spitter | Supermarine Spitfire |
| Sprog |
Recruit, anyone fresh to his trade or category; a newbie; noob |
| Spy |
Slang word for Intelligence Officers |
| Sq/O |
Squadron Officer |
| Square-bashing |
All forms of drill training on the station square (the tarmac area on all prewar stations intended for parades etc.) |
| Squarehead | German soldier |
| Squirt | Machine gun burst |
| SR | Special Reserve |
| SSQ |
Station Sick Quarters |
| Stationmaster |
Officer in overall command of an RAF station |
| Sten gun | British light machine gun |
| Stiffener |
A 'binder', 'moaner', 'grumbler', boring, a 'drag' ; not what you want |
| Stooge |
Assistant, Go-fer, 'Joe Soap'; To fly around aimlessly; do nothing |
| Strafe | To attack ground targets with cannon and machine gun fire |
| Strawberry | An Immediate message of congratulations from Army HQ |
| SU | Staging Unit |
| Summerfelt matting | British system of wire netting laid on ground to create runway |
| Strip |
Reprimand from superior, usually 'to tear him off a strip' |
| Swede |
Anyone from rural / rustic origins, or with 'country' dialect; yokel |
| Sweeny |
Hair-cut to Service standards; from Sweeny Todd, the 'demon barber' |
| SWO |
Station Warrant Officer |
| TAC | Tactical Air Command |
| Tac R | Tactical Reconnaissance |
| TAF | Tactical Air Force |
| Tallboy |
12,000 lb bomb |
| Tallyho | Signal given by leader to attack |
| Tannoy | The loudspeaker address system |
| Taped | Solved |
| Tapes |
NCOs cloth chevrons of rank worn on tunic sleeves |
| Tate & Lyle |
Warrant Officers badges of rank; resembled well-known golden syrup manufacturer's trademark |
| TCA |
Trans-Canada Air Lines |
| TD | Temporary Duty |
| T/E | Twin (or Two) Engined |
| Through the gate | To open throttle fully for maximum power |
| TI |
Target Indicator |
| Tiffy | Hawker Typhoon |
| TOS |
Taken On Strength |
| Trade | As in activity; Blips on the radar screen that could turn into "Joy" |
| TTS |
Technical Training School |
| Twilights |
Lightweight issue WAAF knickers of lighter blue shade |
| Type |
General classification, "he's a bad / good 'type'" |
| Tyro |
The new guy (i.e. inexperienced man on a unit); Greenhorn; Duck; Newbie |
| Undercarriage | Aircraft landing gear |
| unIDd | Unidentified |
| unk | Unknown |
| Upstairs | The sky |
| U/S |
Unserviceable |
| USAAF |
United States Army Air Force (later the USAF) |
| USN |
United States Navy |
| USS |
United States Ship |
| UofT |
University of Toronto |
| VC |
Victoria Cross |
| Vector | To direct an aircraft in the air to a specific target |
| VE-Day |
Victory in Europe Day, May 8, 1945 |
| Vegetables |
Air-dropped mines; "planting vegetables" |
| VJ-Day |
Victory in Japan Day, Aug. 14, 1945 |
| View |
Opinion |
| Vic |
Arrow-head (V) formation of three aircraft or more |
| V-l |
Fieseler Fi. 103 flying bomb (Vergeltungswaffe 1) |
| V-2 |
A-4 artillery rocket (Vergeltungswaffe 2 or reprisal-weapon 2) |
| w/ | With |
| WAAF |
Women's Auxiliary Air Force |
| WAC |
Western Air Command |
| Wad |
Cake or bun |
| WAG |
Wireless Air Gunner ( same as WOAG ) |
| Wailing Winnie | Air Raid Siren |
| W/C or WC |
Wing Commander ( Winco ) |
| WD |
Women's Division |
| w.e.f. | With Effect From |
| Whole Nine Yards | USAAF 50 caliber ammo belts were nine yards long. When you had fired all your ammo, it was said that you gave him "the whole nine yards" |
| WIA |
Wounded In Action |
| Window |
Aluminum strips dropped to confuse German radar |
| Wing | A number of flying squadrons (between two and four) |
| Winco or Wingco |
Wing Commander |
| Wizard |
Great, very good, excellent, first-class, amazing |
| W/Mech | Wireless Mechanic |
| W/O or WO or W/Op |
Wireless Operator |
| WOI & WOII | Warrant Officer (1st & 2nd Class) |
| WOAG | Wireless Operator / Air Gunner |
| WOP |
Wireless Operator |
| WOP/AG |
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner |
| Works & Bricks |
Air Ministry Works Directorate; alt 'Wonders and Blunders' |
| WS |
Wireless School |
| W/T |
Wireless Telegraphy or Wireless Transmitter |
| Wuffs | Gun noises |
| "Y" Depot | Overseas Transit Depot |
| ZG | Zerstörergeschwader (German twin-engine fighter wing) |
| Zombie |
Canadian Draftee. They were only required to serve at home. These usually disgruntled "soldiers" were called the "Zombie Squad" |
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Click this link to check out some German terms at the Warbird Resource Group site
