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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 |
| AC2 or A/C 2 | Aircraftman Second Class |
| Ace | Pilot with 5 destroyed planes to his credit |
| ACHGD |
Aircrafthand, General Duties |
| ACIs |
Air Council Instructions |
| Ack-Ack |
Anti-Aircraft fire |
| ADGB |
Air Defence of Great Britain |
| AFC |
Air Force Cross |
| AFM |
Air Force Medal |
| AFRO |
Air Force Routine Orders |
| AFU |
Advanced Flying Unit |
| A/G or AG |
Air Gunner |
| AGL |
Above ground level |
| AHQ |
Air Headquarters |
| AI |
Airborne Interception |
| |
|
| A/M or AM |
Air Marshall |
| AMES |
Air Ministry Experimental Station |
| Ammo | Ammunition |
| AMO |
Air Ministry Order |
| AMWD |
Air Ministry Works Directorate |
| Angels | Altitude; to "gain angels" |
| 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 |
| Apron |
Tarmac surround to a hangar |
| Ar. |
Arado |
| 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 |
| AVG |
American Volunteer Group (the Flying Tigers) |
| A/V/M or AVM |
Air Vice Marshall |
| AW |
Air Woman |
| 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 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 |
Bombing & Gunnery School (B&GS) |
| Bible-Puncher |
Padre or Chaplain |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
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-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 |
| 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 ;^) |
| C/O or CO |
Commanding Officer. There can be only one
on site |
| COMM |
Communications Squadron |
| Cookie |
4000 lb bomb |
| COTC | Canadian Officers Training Corps |
| CPA |
Canadian Pacific Airlines |
| Cpl |
Corporal |
| CR |
Fiat fighter plane |
| Crate | Airplane |
| CSO |
Chief Section Officer |
| CTechO |
Chief Technical Officer |
| CTTB |
Central Trade Test Board |
| CWR |
Charge/Weight Ratio (% of explosive / overall
stated bomb weight) |
| 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 |
| DFC |
Distinguished Flying Cross |
| DFM |
Distinguished Flying Medal |
| DH |
de Havilland |
| DHC |
de Havilland Canada |
| Dim |
Not smart, dull, dense, dumb; "take
a dim view" or dim-wit |
| 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 | Mission; Sortie; Op |
| Do. |
Dornier |
| Dog |
Anything with poor performance; slow; no good |
| Dogfight, Dog fight | Aerial combat |
| Doodlebug |
V-1 rocket bomb, slang |
| DOT |
Department of Transportation |
| DOW |
Died Of Wounds |
| Dressing Down |
"A dressing down" – to get yelled at; put in your place |
| Drill |
The correct method; the right way of doing it; "you know the drill" |
| Drink |
The Sea or other body of water |
| Drogue | Target towed by aircraft for air firing training and practice |
| Drome | Airfield - short for Airodrome or airdrome |
| DSC |
Distinguished Service Cross |
| DSO |
Distinguished Service Order |
| Dual | Flying with instructor or student |
| Duff |
No good; False or inaccurate information as in "it was Duff Gen" |
| DZ |
Drop Zone |
| e/a |
Enemy Aircraft |
| EAC |
Eastern Air Command |
| EATP |
Empire Air Training Plan |
| 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 |
| EV |
Escort Vessel |
| EVT |
Educational Vocation Training |
| F |
Fighter |
| FAA |
Fleet Air Arm |
| F/E or FE |
Flight Engineer |
| FEAF |
Far East Air Force |
| FFL | French Foreign Legion |
| Fi. |
Fieseler |
| FIDO |
Fog Investigation Dispersal Operation |
| FIS |
Flight Instructor School |
| Fish-head |
Navy personnel |
| Fishpond |
Airborne radar warning bombers |
| Fix |
Aircraft position ("get a fix on me") |
| Fizzer |
Disciplinary charge; ie 'put on a fizzer' |
| F/L or FL |
Flight Lieutenant |
| 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 |
| FUBAR | Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition |
| Fuselage | The body of any aircraft |
| Fw. Or FW |
Focke-Wulf |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
High Explosive |
| He. |
Heinkel |
| Hedge-hog |
Shipboard ASW weapon |
| 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 |
| Huff-Duff |
High frequency radio direction finding equipment |
| Hun | Any German fighting man or machine |
| H2S |
Airborne radar navigation and target identification
aid |
| IAS |
Indicated Air Speed |
| I/C |
In Charge |
| ID |
Identification |
| IFF |
Identify Friend or Foe |
| IFR |
Instrument Flight Rules |
| In Dock |
In sick quarters or hospital |
| Intercom | Intercommunication system within or between aircraft |
| I/O or IO |
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 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 |
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 |
The Long Service & Good Conduct Medal
(LS&GC) awarded to noncommissioned personnel (mainly) after 18
completed years of satisfactory RAF service. |
| Luftwaffe | German Air Force |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Meat Wagon |
Ambulance |
| Met |
Meteorological service |
| MET |
Motorized Enemy Transport |
| MFDF |
Medium Frequency Direction Finding |
| mg |
Machine Gun |
| MIA |
Missing In Action |
| MiD |
Mention in Despatches (award) |
| Mission | Same as sortie, trip, do |
| ML |
Motor Launch |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Nickle |
Propaganda leaflet |
| Noball | V-1 launch site |
| Non-com |
Non-commissioned Officer |
| NORAD |
North American Air Defense Command |
| NRC |
National Research Council |
| 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 | Mission; Sortie; 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 |
| 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 |