Armee-Sanitäts-Abteilung – army medical unit. Fluten – U-boat order; "Flood the tanks! "Halbe Fahrt!" Sturmbattaillon – assault battalion, specially trained and equipped battalions of the German Army in WWI, specifically created in 1917 and 1918 from the experience in trench warfare. It's what got Geraldo Rivera kicked out of Iraq in 2003. The rationale was that frontline units in the trenches suffered so many casualties and material losses as not to be able to mount an effective counterstroke. Hoheitsabzeichen – national insignia e.g. These include those organizations that were not a part of the armed forces but that served such an important support role that they were given protection under the, Wehrmachtskanister – Robust tank used to carry fuel. Read the glossary. During helicopter extractions, rangers pop smoke grenades to mark their location so pilots know where to land. The German term for "Operation" is Unternehmen, literally "undertaking". This term was first used in trench warfare in WWI, when in 1917 the defensive tactic of the German Army changed to in depth defense. The go-to guide on talking to a veteran or military member. ", Forschungsamt – intelligence service of the, Fregattenkapitän – naval rank, literally meaning ". Hence the "V" designation for any military aircraft prototype for the World War II era Luftwaffe. L/ – length of barrel in calibres (For example, an 8.8 cm L/71 gun would have a barrel of 71 x 8.8 cm = 624.8 cm long), Lafette – literally "gun mount", used for many differing artillery carriages and for manned and remotely controlled. [1], https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Overwatch_(military_tactic)&oldid=976713308, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 4 September 2020, at 15:12. Don't leave this in your glove compartment. Protze – limber, a horse-drawn two-wheel chariot that was hitched before a gun and usually transported munitions and crew. Jagd-Kommando – "hunting commando"; generally refers to a. jawohl – simply the word "yes" with the emphatic "wohl", which one might translate as "Yes, indeed! Flakpanzer – armoured self-propelled antiaircraft gun, such as the. An adjective derived from "Volk" meaning "people," coming from the racist, nationalist, Volksgemeinschaft – national community or civilian population; public support (see. A military term for sleeping bag. For additional comparisons, see Comparative military ranks of World War II. air fleet. Example: "As you were, Cadets—I'm just passing through.". Frontschwein – (slang) "front pig" soldier serving long at the front, often used as an ironic accolade for a soldier with the will to fight. Frontgemeinschaft – front-line comradeship or community; group of front-line combat soldiers. ", literally, ". Stab (pl. : "carcass obedience", Kameradschaft – small military unit, or phrase for "comrade support amongst soldiers" (see, Kampfeinsitzer Kommando (KEK), the first specialist, single-seat armed scout/fighter units of the, Kapo – overseer, NCO (sl). Hauptgefreiter – (enlisted personnel); not used prior to the Bundeswehr. 890 recipients during the war. Dienstdolch – service dagger (uniform dagger). Versuchs – experimental. When it comes to the vocabulary of military service members, there is certain language that may have civilians thinking they're speaking a foreign language. Enter your email address to get the best tips and advice. abgeschossen – shot down; destroyed by means of firing. a prisoner who acted as an overseer of his fellow inmates in the, Kartenstelle – mapping detachment, normally part of staff company of a division or higher, Kette – chain, in the air force a sub-unit of 3—6 aircraft, Ketten – chains, chain-drive, tracks (e.g. An infantry soldier or marine that doesn't have much in the way of book smarts.