PTRD: Protivo Tankovoye Ruzhyo Degtyaryova, or simply put, the Degtyaryov anti-tank rifle, which fired a 14.5mm AP bullet. Amazingly, they were still being produced in 1945.
PU scope: Soviet sniper scope for Mosin and SVT rifles.
Puma: German eight-wheel armoured car with a 50mm and enclosed turret.
Pumpkin Bomb: Replica of the Fat Man bomb, produced with the same handling and ballistic characteristics, to permit aircrews and ground crews to practice without using actual atomic devices. They were produced in both inert and HE versions.
Pyat: In Russian, the number five.
RAC: Royal Armoured Corps
RAG: Rumanian Armoured Group
RAMC: Royal Army Medical Corps
RCT: Regimental Combat Team. US formation which normally consisted of elements drawn from all combatant units within the parent division, making it a smaller but reasonably self-sufficient unit. RCT’s tended to be numbered according the Infantry regiment that supplied its fighting core. [See CC for US Armored force equivalent.]
Red Devils: Nickname for the British Airborne troops, the Red berets.
Red Star: Standard issue Soviet military cigarettes.
Rodina: The Soviet Motherland.
RPG-6: Soviet anti-tank grenade with a HEAT warhead, a shaped explosive charge. Could penetrate 100mm of armour
SAAF: South African Air Force
Schmuck: A Jewish insult meaning a fool of one who is stupid. It also can literally mean the foreskin that is removed during circumcision.
Schnorkeclass="underline" Equipment on a submarine that enables it to ‘breathe’ underwater, performing things like battery charging without exposing itself to danger.
Schürzen: Side armour, most often solid sheet metal but occasionally mesh, designed to prevent HEAT shells from striking the main tank, instead making them detonate against the stand-off barrier.
Schutzstaffeclass="underline" The SS.
Schwalbe: German for Swallow, it was the name of the ME 262.
Schwere Panzer Abteilung: Heavy tank battalion [German].
SDKFZ 234: German eight-wheel armoured car equipped with a range of weapons, the most powerful of which was a 75mm HV weapon. Of the four variants, the Puma with its 50mm and enclosed turret is probably the most well known.
Seagulls: Affectionate nickname for the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy.
Sexton: A Sherman chassis based SP gun equipped with a 25pdr piece.
Shaska: A Cossack’s curved sword.
Sherman [M4 Sherman]: American tank turned out in huge numbers with many variants, also supplied under lend-lease to Russia.
Shtrafbat: Soviet penal battalion.
Shturmovik: The Ilyushin-2 Shturmovik, Soviet mass-produced ground attack aircraft that was highly successful.
ShVAK: Soviet 20mm auto cannon that equipped aircraft, armoured cars, and light tanks.
Skat: German card game using 32 cards.
SMLE: Often referred to s the ‘Smelly’, this was the proper name of the Short, Magazine, Lee-Enfield rifle.
SOE: British organisation, Special Operations Executive, which conducted espionage and sabotage missions throughout Europe.
Spectrum Black: The Black plan was a diversion originating in Alsace, designed to draw down units from the Armies around the Ruhr, where a subsequent ground offensive would be staged.
Spectrum Blue: The Blue plan was the main ground offensive’s first stage, in which Patton’s Third Army and Guderian’s 101st Korps would launch a pincer attack, intended to take Cologne and isolate large enemy forces to the west, where another phase of Spectrum Green had been designed to recreate the 1944 Falaise extinction.
Spectrum Green: The Green plan dealt with the responsibilities of the Air Forces, from the Baltic Trap [conjoined with Spectrum Red] to the overall heavy bomber plan to denude the red Army of its resources and infrastructure.
Spectrum Red: The Red plan dealt with the Baltic Foray in December and planning for subsequent operations there. It also encompassed the use of the Carrier force in other operations in support of the European War
Spectrum White: During the D-Day preparations, the Allies had fooled the Germans with a fictitious Army, known as FUSAG, Spectrum White was an attempt to recreate that confusion by indicating the existence of ASAG, the Allied Second Army Group.
Spitfire, Supermarine: British single-engine fighter aircraft.
SS-Hauptsturmfuhrer: SS equivalent of captain.
ST44 [MP43/44]: German assault rifle with a 30 round magazine, first of its generation and forerunner to the AK47.
Standard HDM .22 calibre pistoclass="underline" Originally used by OSS, this effective .22 with a ten round magazine is still in use by Special Forces throughout the world.
Starshina: Soviet rank roughly equivalent to Warrant Officer first Class.
Station ‘X’: See Bletchley Park entry.
STAVKA: At this time this represents the ‘Stavka of the Supreme Main Command’, comprising high-ranked military and civilian members. Subordinate to the GKO, it was responsible for military oversight, and as such, held its own military reserves which it released in support of operations.
Sten: Basic British submachine gun with a 32 round magazine. Produced in huge numbers throughout the 40’s.
Straipach: An Irish whore or prostitute.
Studebaker: US heavy lorry supplied to the Soviets under lend-lease, or built in the USSR under licence, often used as the platform for the Katyusha.
Stuka [Junkers 87]: Famous dive-bomber employed by the Luftwaffe.
SU-100: Self propelled gun on the T-34 chassis equipped with the lethal 100mm. Its armour left it vulnerable but the gun had excellent penetrative qualities.
SU-76: 76mm self-propelled gun used as artillery and for close support.
SU-85: 85mm self-propelled gun that was quickly discontinued once the T-34/85 came out, thee being no point in having the disadvantages of having an SP mount whilst carrying the same gun as the main tank.
Suka: Russian word for bitch. Also the nickname for the SU-76.
Sunderland: British four-engine flying boat, used mainly in maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine roles.
SVT-40: Soviet automatic rifle with a 10 round magazine.
Symposium Biarritz: Utilisation of German expertise to prepare wargame exercises for allied unit commanders to demonstrate Soviet tactics and methods to defeat them.
T.O.E.: Table of Organisation and Equipment, which represents what a unit should consist of.
T-34: Soviet medium tank armed with a 76.2mm gun and 2 mg’s.
T-34/85 [T-34m44]: Soviet medium tank armed with an 85mm gun and 2 mg’s.
T-44 [100]: Soviet medium tank, produced at the end of WW2, which went on to become the basis for the famous T-54/55. Armed mainly with the same 85mm as in the T-34/85, a few were fitted with the devastating 100mm D-10 gun.
T-54: Medium battle tank that became the mainstay of the Red Army and the most produced tank in history. Equipped with the 100mm D-10T gun and fender mounted machine guns, analysts believe it would have made a fearsome opponent. The first prototype was built in March 1945, so I have advanced its progress as I felt the war would encourage progress.
T-70: Soviet light tank with two crew and a 45mm gun.
Ta-152: Focke-Wulf Ta-152 was a high-altitude fighter interceptor. Too few were made to impact on WW2.
Tacam R2: Rumanian SP anti-tank gun on the R2 tank chassis equipped with a captured ZiS-3 76.2mm gun.
Tallboy: British designed earthquake bomb, containing 12,000lbs of high explosive. It weighed five tons and proved effective against the most hardened of targets.
Thompson: .45 calibre US submachine gun, normally issued with a 20 or 30 round magazine [although a drum was available.]
Tiger I: German heavy battle tank armed with the first 88mm gun, capable of ruling any battlefield when it was introduced in 1942.