Sherman [M4 Sherman]: American tank turned out in huge numbers with many variants, also supplied under lend-lease to Russia.
Shinhoto Chi-Ha: Upgraded Japanese battle tank, based on the Chi-Ha. The Shinhoto had a 47mm gun superior to the 57mm in its forebear.
Shinto: Japanese religion [Shintoism].
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.
Spitfire, Supermarine: British single-engined fighter aircraft.
SS-Hauptsturmfuhrer: SS equivalent of captain.
St Florian: Patron saint of Upper Austria, Linz, chimney sweeps, and firefighters.
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 sub-machine gun with a 32 round magazine. Produced in huge numbers throughout the 40’s.
Stroh rum: Austrian spiced rum.
Studebaker: US heavy lorry supplied to the Soviets under lend-lease.
Studebaker: 2.5 ton truck built in USA and USSR [under licence] and often used as platforms for the Katyusha.
Stuka [Junkers 87]: Famous dive-bomber employed by the Luftwaffe.
SU-76: 76mm self-propelled gun used as artillery and for close support.
Sunderland: British four-engined flying boat, used mainly in maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine roles.
SVT40: 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-70: Soviet light tank with two crew and a 45mm gun.
Tallboy: British designed earthquake bomb, containing 12,000lbs of high explosive. It weighed five tone 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.
Tokarev: Soviet 7.62mm automatic handgun [also known as TT30] with an 8 round magazine.
Trimbach: Quality Alsatian wine.
TU-2, Tupolev: Soviet twin-engined medium bomber. Extrememly successful design that peformed well in a variety of roles, the TU-2 is considered one of the best combat aircraft of WW2.
Type 97 Chi-Ha: Japanese main battle tank, armed with a 57mm gun.
Type XXI submarine: The most technologically advanced submarine of the era, produced in small numbers by the Germans and unable to affect the outcome of the war.
Typhoon, Hawker: RAF’s most successful single seater ground attack aircraft of World War Two, which could carry anything from bombs through to rockets.
U-Boat Type XX: 30 such U-Boats were planned, but none produced during WW2. They were intended as pure supply boats, shorter than the Type XB but with a wider beam.
U-Boat Type XXI: Advanced U-Boat design capable of extended underwater cruising at high speed.
UHU: German 251 halftrack mounting an infra-red searchlight, designed for close use with infra-red equipped Panther units.
Unicorn, HMS: British light aircraft carrier and aircraft repair ship, seeing service throughout WW2. Scrapped in 1959.
USAAF: United States Army Air Force.
Ushanka: Fur hat with adjustable sides.
Vampir: German term for the ST44 equipped with an infra-red sight, also used to refer to the operators of such weapons.
Venona Project: Joint US-UK operation to analyse Soviet message traffic.
Vichy: Name of the collaborationist government of defeated France.
Vickers Machine-Gun: British designed machine-gun of WW1 vintage. Extremely reliable .303 calibre weapon, standard issue as a heavy machine-gun.
Vitruvian man: Da Vinci’s sketch of a man with legs and arms splayed.
Wacht am Rhein: Literally, ‘Watch on the Rhine’, a codename used to mask the real purpose of the German build-up that became the Ardennes Offensive in December 1944.
Waffen-SS: There will always be much debate over these troops. Ideologically driven, politically inspired, pathological killers with an unshakable faith in the superiority of the Aryan race or highly motivated troops with an incredible ‘esprit de corps’? Whatever your point of view, the military achievements of the SS Soldiers were without parallel in WW2. That others wore the same uniform as they tended the camps and satisfied the despicable agendas of the Nazi party has, in many ways, tarnished the Waffen-SS. None the less, they have their own crimes to pay for, as do all who wore a uniform in WW2, for no side came away with clean hands.
Walther P38: German 9mm semi-automatic pistol with an eight round magazine.
Wanderer W23 Cabriolet: German vehicle designed for civilian use, sometimes pressed into military service, particularly as a staff car.
Wehrmacht: The German Army
Yakolev-9: Soviet single-seater fighter aircraft that was highly respected by the Luftwaffe.
Yakolev-9U: Soviet single-engined fighter aircraft, probably the best Soviet high-altitude fighter.
Zilant: Legendary creature in Russian folklore somewhat like a dragon
ZIS3: 76.2mm anti-tank gun in Soviet use.
ZSU-37: Soviet light self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicle, mounting a 37mm gun.
Zuikaku: Japanese fleet aircraft carrier of the Shokaku class. Present at Pearl Harbor, she succumbed to air attack during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, sinking on 25th October 1944.
About the Author
Colin Gee was born on 18th May 1957 in Haslar Naval Hospital, Gosport, UK, spending the first two years of his life at the naval base in Malta.
His parents divorced when he was approaching three years of age, and he went to live with his grandparents in Berkshire, who brought him up.
On 9th June 1975 he joined the Fire Service and, after a colourful career, retired on 19th May 2007, having achieved the rank of Sub-Officer, Watch Commander, or to be politically correct for the ego-tripping harridans in HR, Watch Manager ‘A’.
After thirty-two years in the Fire Service, reality suddenly hit, and Colin found himself in need of a proper job!
As of today, Colin is permanently employed doing night shifts for NHS Out of Hours service.