Horch 1a — German 4x4 multi-purpose vehicle.
HS-129/B3 — German Henschel twin-engine ground attack fighter, known as the Panzerknacker. B3 version was equipped with the 75mm Bordkanone, and was a successful tank killer.
Hudson V — US built Lockheed twin-engine light bomber and maritime patrol aircraft.
Hundchen — Marriage of an SDKFZ 251 and a Pak43 88mm anti-tank gun. Unsuccessful as it was top heavy.
Hurensohn! — German expression meaning roughly ‘Son of a bitch.’
HVAP — High Velocity, Armour Piercing
HVAR — High velocity aircraft rocket.
Hyena — Panther hull married to an M4A3 or similar turret, mounting a 76mm gun.
IS-III — Soviet heavy tank equipped with a 122mm gun, and designed with improved armour protection.
IS-IV — Soviet upgraded version of the IS-III, with increased armour, improved engine, longer chassis, but retaining the 122mm gun.
IS-IVm46/B — Soviet heavy tank resembling an extended IS series, with 130mm main gun and many other technical improvements.
ISU-152-45 — Soviet heavy tank destroyer with improved armour, and an ML-20SM main gun.
Jagdpanther — German self-propelled gun on a Panther chassis, armed with the deadly 88mm Pak 43.
Schwarzjagdpanther — German production version of the modified Jagdpanther with remodelled superstructure and 128mm Pak 44.
Jaguar — Panther modification, similar to the Ausf F.
Job tvoju mat — Russian obscenity.
JU-87D — German single engine dive-bomber, known as the Stuka.
Kanzler — Chancellor.
Katyusha — One of a number of rocket-firing mounts, fitted on many different vehicles, from armoured trains, tanks, lorries to riverboats.
Kempai-Tai — Japanese Military Police Corps, more known as their secret police.
Kipper — A salted or pickled herring, split open in a butterfly fashion, and eaten for breakfast. Honestly!
Lewisite — Chemical weapon that causes blistering and lung irritation
Li-2 — Soviet twin-engine transport aircraft, a copy of the US DC-3.
Little Boy — The Uranium-235 bomb dropped on Hiroshima by Enola Gay.
LVT — Landing vehicle, tracked. Developed for amphibious supply work, the LVT evolved into a troop transport, and further into gun platforms.
M-16 halftrack — US SPAA mount on a halftrack chassis, comprising a Maxson mount equipped with 4 x .50cal M2 heavy machine guns, particularly effective when used against infantry.
M-19 Diamond T — US 6x4 heavy tank transporter
M1A3 Garand — M1 Garand with modifications to accept a 20 round magazine.
M-29 Cluster bomb — US 500lbs cluster bomb containing ninety 4lbs charges.
M39 grenade — German egg-grenade.
M43 SP Gun — US SP gun mounting a 203mm M115 Howitzer
M5 Stuart Tank — US light tank equipped with the 37mm M6 gun.
M8 Greyhound — US-manufactured six-wheel armoured car, armed with a 37mm gun.
Martin Marauder B-26 — US twin-engine medium bomber, known as the widowmaker.
Me-262 — German single seater twin-engine jet fighter or fighter-bomber. Known as the Swallow [Schwalbe].
MI-6 — British Military Intelligence department, dealing with foreign affairs.
MiG-9 — Russian single seater turbojet fighter.
Mikado — Hirohito, Emperor Shōwa, the Emperor of Japan.
MP-40 — German sub-machine gun.
Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate — Japanese single seater single-engine fighter, considered the best available to the Japanese during WW2.
Nakajima Ki-87 — Japanese single seater single-engine high altitude interceptor, designed specifically for B-29 bomber interception.
Nebelwerfer — Name was a disinformation, roughly meaning smoke thrower, but referred to a number of different types of German rocket artillery.
NKVD — Narodnyy Komissariat Vnutrennikh Del, Soviet Secret Police.
Offizier-Stellvertreter — The rank was actually more of an assignment, but is associated with the higher-ranking group of NCOs.
Oradour-sur-Glane — On 90th June 1944, members of the 2nd SS Panzer Division destroyed the French village of Oradour and massacred the majority of its occupants, apparently in retaliation at a Maquis attack on their soldiers.
Panther Felix — French-produced Panthers with a 17pdr gun, often equipped with an M2 MG pintel mount.
Panther II — German upgraded Panther, with increased armour and gun mounted.
Panzerschreck — German 88mm anti-tank rocket projector.
Pershing M26 — US built heavy tank armed with a 90mm M3 gun.
Pour-le-Mérite — German high honour awarded for military valour or civil honour, discontinued with the fall of the Kaiser.
PPSh-41 — Soviet submachine-gun, often equipped with a 71 round drum magazine.
Praporshchik — Soviet junior officer rank, ranking just under an officer i.e. the highest NCO rank.
Prinz Eugen — 7th SS Freiwillingen-Gebirgs Division, a volunteer mountain division.
Project Raduga — Raduga is Russian for Rainbow.
PTRD — Soviet anti-tank rifle firing a 14.5mm round.
Quonset Hut — Lightweight curved steel structure based on the British Nissen Hut.
RBFSE — Red Banner Forces of Soviet Europe. [Krasnogo Znameni sily sovetskogo Yevrope]
Riegel Type 43 bar mines — German designed anti-vehicle mine, notorious for its instability, as wires were very prone to corrosion.
Riken Institute — Japanese National Scientific Research Institute, where their atomic bomb project was advanced.
Ritterkreuzträger — Knight’s Cross holder.
RP-3 — British air to ground rocket, as carried on aircraft like the Typhoon.
S-2 — Intelligence officer in a headquarters.
SAAF — South African Air Force.
SAAG — Second Allied Army Group, a formation created to fool the Soviets about Allied intentions.
SAFFEC — South American Field Forces, European Command.
San — The San are a tribe of bushmen spread throughout Southern Africa.
SAS — Special Air Service.
SDKFZ 251 — German halftrack in many configurations.
Sen-Toku — The I-400 class of fleet submarines, the largest built until the 1960s. Twin hulled vessels carrying a large aircraft hangar, intended to launch air attacks on the west coast of the USA and Panama.
Shinhoto Chi-Ha — Upgraded Japanese type 97, carrying the Type-1 47mm gun.
Short Stirling — British four-engine heavy bomber.
Shtrafbat — Soviet penal unit.
SKS — Soviet semi-automatic carbine of 7.62mm calibre, complete with integral bayonet.
Skyraider A1 — US Douglas single engine ground attack aircraft with high load capacity and excellent loiter time.
SMERSH — Acronym for Spetsyalnye Metody Razoblacheniya Shpyonov, a group of three counter-intelligence agencies. Also known as ‘Death to spies.’
SPAT — Self-propelled anti-tank.
Speiss — German NCO, literally ‘The Spear’, indicted by two white stripes on both sleeves, the duties of an RSM fell to this senior NCO.
Spitfire Mk XI-PR — Supermarine Spitfire dedicated to photo-recon missions.
Springfield Rifle — US .30-06 bolt-action rifle replaced by the Garand.
ST-44 — German Sturmgewehr-44, the first assault rifle.
ST-45 — Further development of the ST-44, but easier and cheaper to produce, these weapons were developed mainly by CEAM.
Staghound — US produced T17E1 armoured car, known as the Staghound in British use. Armed with a 37mm M6 gun, plus 2-3 MGs
Stahlhelm — A German steel helmet.
STAVKA — Soviet term for the High Command of Soviet Forces. Junior to the GKO.
Sten — British cheap manufacture submachine gun.
Super Pershing — US heavy tank mounting the improved T15E1 90mm gun and extra armour protection.