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World War II Armed Forces – Orders of Battle and Organizations | Last Updated 09.11.2008 |
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German Army and Waffen-SS
Abbreviations and Terms |
| Abbreviation | German Term | English Term |
| A | ||
| (am) | amerikanisch | American |
| A | Armee- | Army (when next to a symbol)
A tactical unit, as opposed to Heer, the Army |
| A | Brückengerät A | Type A combat bridge equipment |
| AA | – | antiaircraft |
| AAMG | – | antiaircraft machine gun |
| Abt. | Abteilung | Battalion [Note 1] |
| AK | Armeekorps | (Army) Corps |
| Ammo | – | Ammunition |
| AOK | Armeeoberkommando | the Headquarters of an Army |
| Armd | – | Armored |
| Arko | Artilleriekommandeur | Artillery Commander (brigade echelon artillery headquarters) |
| Art | Artillerie | Artillery |
| AT | – | antitank |
| ATG | – | antitank gun |
| ATR | antitank rifle | |
| B | ||
| (b) | belgisch | Belgian |
| B | Brückengerät B | Type B medium combat bridge equipment |
| Battr | Batterie | Battery |
| Bb, Beob | Beobachtung | Obersvation |
| BDB | 'Brandenburg' | unit of the Abwehr (military intelligence) |
| BdE | Befehlshaber der Ersatzarmee | Commander-in-Chief of the Replacement Army |
| Befh | Befehlshaber | Commander |
| Befh HG | Befehlshaber rückwärtiges Heeresgebiet | Commander of Army Group Rear Area Security |
| Bn | – | Battalion |
| bo | bodenständig | static |
| Brig | Brigade | Brigade |
| Btl, Batl | Bataillon | Battalion |
| Bty | – | Battery |
| Bulg | – | Bulgarian |
| C | ||
| C | Brückengerät C | light combat bridge equipment |
| cc | – | cross-country |
| Ch H Rüst u BdE | Chef Heeresrüstung und Befehlshaber der Ersatzarmee | Chief of Army Equipment and Commander-in-Chief of the Replacement Army |
| Co | – | Company |
| Col | – | Column |
| D | ||
| (d) | dänisch | Danish |
| D | Division(s-) | Divisional (when next to a symbol) |
| Decon | – | Decontamination |
| Det | – | Detachment |
| Div | Division | Division |
| DR, DRB | Deutsche Reichsbahn | German National Railroad |
| Dulag | Durchgangslager | P.O.W. processing camp |
| Dö | Deutschösterreichisch | German-Austrian |
| E | ||
| (e) | englisch | English |
| (E) | Eisenbahn | railroad |
| E, Eisb | Eisenbahn | railroad |
| E-Bttr. | Eisenbahn-Artillerie-Batterie | railroad gun |
| E, Ers | Ersatz | replacement |
| EM | – | Enlisted Man |
| Engr | – | Engineer |
| Entg, Entgiff | Entgiftung(s-) | decontamination |
| F | ||
| (f), (fr) | französisch | French |
| F.A.D. | Feldausbildungsdivision | Field Training Division |
| Fest | Festung(s-) | Fortress |
| FH | Feldhaubitze | field howitzer |
| FK | Feldkanone | field gun |
| FK | Feldkommandantur | Provost Marshal Field Office |
| Fkl | Funklenk | radio-controlled |
| FL | Fernleit | remote-controlled |
| Fla | Fliegerabwehr | antiaircraft |
| Flak | Flugabwehrkanone | antiaircraft gun |
| Flak | – | the Luftwaffe anti-aircraft forces |
| FNK | Feld-Nachrichten-Kommandatur | Field Signal Commandant |
| Frhr. | Freiherr | Baron |
| Fs | Fallschirm | Parachute / Airborne |
| Füs | Füsilier | Infantry |
| G | ||
| (g) | griechisch | Greek |
| G, Gesch | Geschütz | gun, cannon |
| Geb | Gebirg(s-) | mountain |
| gem | gemischter | mixed |
| GFP | Geheimefeldpolizei | Secret Military Police |
| GHQ | – | General Headquarters, non-divisional |
| GK | Gebirgskanone | mountain gun |
| gp, gep | gepanzert | armored |
| Gr | Gruppe | Group, Force |
| Gren | Grenadier | Infantry |
| GSO | (Beamte) | Government Service Official (civilian employed by the military) |
| H | ||
| (h) | holländisch | Dutch (Netherlands) |
| H | Herbert-Gerät | box girder floating bridge equipment |
| H, Haub | Haubitze | (gun-) howitzer |
| H- | Heere(s-) | The Army. As distinguished from Armee a tactical unit.
Heeres- units are designated as GHQ. |
| Harko | Höhere Artillerie Kommandeur | Higher Artillery Commander (division echelon artillery headquarters) |
| Hgr | Heeresgruppe | Army Group |
| HKA | Heeres-Küstenartillerie | Army Coast Artillery |
| HKB | Heeres-Küstenbatterie | Army Coast Battery |
| HMG | – | heavy machine gun |
| Höh Kdo | Höhere Kommando | higher command (normally corps echelon) |
| Hqs | – | headquarters |
| Hun | – | Hungarian |
| hvy | – | heavy |
| I | ||
| (i), (it) | italiänisch | Italian |
| I, Inf | Infanterie | Infantry |
| IG | Infanterie-Geschütz | infantry gun |
| Ital | – | Italian |
| J | ||
| (j) | jugoslavisch | Yugoslavian |
| Jg, Jäg | Jäger | Light Infantry |
| K | ||
| K | Korps(-) | Corps (when next to a symbol) |
| K, Kan | Kanone | gun |
| Kdo | Kommando | command |
| Kfz. | Kraftfahrzeug | motor vehicle |
| KGr | Kampfgruppe | temporary combat group |
| KK | Kettenkrad | 0.5-ton halftrack (halftracked motorcycle) |
| kl | klein | small, light |
| Kodeis | Kommandeur der Eisenbahntruppen | Commander of the Railroad Engineer Troops |
| Kol | Kolonne | Column |
| Korück | Kommandanten rückwärtiges Armeegebiet | Commandant of Army Rear Area Security |
| Kp | Kompanie | Company |
| (kroat) | kroatisch | Croatian |
| KStN | Kreigsstärkenachweisung | War Footing Table of Organization |
| KVA | Küstenverteidigungsabschnitt | coastal defense zone |
| KVGr | Küstenverteidigungsgruppe | coastal defense group, a sub-sector subordinate to a Küstenverteidigungsabschnitt |
| KVUGr | Küstenverteidigungsuntergruppe | coastal defense sub-group, a sub-sector subordinate to a Küstenverteidigungsgruppe |
| kz | kurz | short |
| L | ||
| l, le, lei | leicht | light |
| L, Lw | Luftwaffe | German Air Force [But see also 'Lw' below] |
| lg | lang | long |
| LG | Leichtgeschütz | recoilless gun |
| Lehr | demonstration unit | |
| Li | Lichtmess | flash ranging |
| LL | Luftlande | Air Landing |
| LMG | – | light machine gun |
| LS | Landesschützen | Mobilized Militia |
| LSSAH | 'Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler' | Waffen-SS unit |
| lt | – | light |
| Lw, Ldw | Landwehr | Militia (3rd Reserve) [But see also 'L' above] |
| LZ | Leicht Zerlegbares Brückengerät | heavy combat bridge equipment |
| M | ||
| M, Mörs | Mörser | (heavy) howitzer |
| m | mittlere | medium |
| MAA | Marine-Artillerie-Abteilung | Land based Navy artillery battalion |
| MB | Militärbefehlshaber | Army Military Commander |
| mcl | – | motorcycle |
| mcl w/sc | – | motorcycle with side car |
| med | – | medium |
| MG | Maschinengewehr | machine gun |
| mot | motorisiert | motorized |
| MKB | Marine-Küsten-Batterie | Land based Navy artillery battery |
| mot S | motorisierter Selbstfahrlafette | self-propelled carriage |
| mot Z | motorisierter Zug | motor towed |
| MTW | Mannschaftstransportwagen | armored personnel carrier |
| N | ||
| (n) | norwegisch | Norwegian |
| Nachr | Nachrichten | Signal(s) |
| Nbl | Nebel | smoke |
| Nbl Tr | Nebeltruppen | Rocket-Launcher Troops |
| Nbl W | Nebelwerfer | rocket launcher |
| NCO | – | Non-Commissioned Officer |
| O | ||
| (ö) | österreichisch | Austrian |
| Ob | Oberbefehlshaber | Commander-in-Chief |
| OB | – | Order of Battle |
| ObdH | Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres | Commander-in-Chief of the Army |
| Off | – | Officer |
| OFK | Oberfeldkommandantur | Provost Marshal Higher Field Office |
| OK | Ortskommandantur | Provost Marshal Local Office |
| OKH | Oberkommando des Heeres | Army High Command |
| OKW | Oberkommando der Wehrmacht | Armed Forces High Command |
| ops | – | operation(s) |
| org | – | organization |
| OT | Ogranisation Todt | Todt labor force |
| P | ||
| (p) | polnisch | Polish |
| Pak | Panzerabwehrkanone | anti-tank gun |
| Pi, Pion | Pionier | (Combat) Engineer, Pioneer |
| Plt | – | Platoon |
| Pol | Polizei | police |
| P.O.L. | – | petrol, oil, lubricants |
| P.O.W. | – | Prisoner-of-War |
| Prop | Propaganda | propaganda |
| Pz, Panz | Panzer | tank, armor |
| Pz-Bef | Panzerbefehwagen | command tank |
| PzGren | Panzergrenadier | motorized infantry |
| PzGren (gp) | Panzergrenadier (gepanzert) | armored infantry |
| R | ||
| (r) | russisch | Russian |
| RAD | Reichsarbeitsdienst | German National Labor Service |
| RB | Reichsbahn | German National Railways |
| Recon | – | Reconnaissance |
| Res | Reserve | reserve |
| RF-SS | Reichsführer-SS | Reichs Leader of the SS |
| Rgt | Regiment | Regiment |
| RHG | Rückwärtiges Heeresgebiet | Army Group Rear Area (Zone-of-Communications) |
| RK | Reichskommisariat | civilian-administered occupied territory |
| RL | – | rocket launcher |
| RSO | Raupenschlepper Ost | fully tracked load carrier |
| Rum | – | Rumanian |
| S | ||
| (s) | schweisch | Swedish |
| s, schw | schwer | heavy |
| Sch | Schallmess | sound ranging |
| Schn | Schnell | mobile, fast |
| Sd | Sonder | special |
| Sd Kfz | Sonder-Kraftfahrzeug | special military motor vehicle |
| Sec | – | Security |
| Sect | – | Section |
| Sf | selbstfahr | self-propelled |
| Sfl | Selbstfahrlafette | self-propelled carriage |
| Sich | Sicherheit(s-) | Security |
| Slov | – | Slovakian |
| SK | Schiffskanone | naval gun, (usually followed by year designed) |
| SKC | Schiffskanone + Constructionsjahr/... | naval gun + year designed (This was also spelled as "Konstruktionsjahr") |
| SKL | Schiffskanone Lang | naval gun, long |
| SMG | – | sub machine-gun |
| SP, SP'd | – | self-propelled |
| SPW | Schützenpanzerwagen | armored personnel carrier |
| Sqd | – | Squad |
| Sqdn | – | Squadron |
| sS | schweres Schiffbrückengerät | Heavy railroad combat bridge equipment |
| SS | Waffen-SS | Nazi party military arm |
| SS-DR | 'Das Reich' | Waffen-SS unit |
| SS-T | 'Totenkopf' | Waffen-SS unit |
| SS-W | 'Wiking' | Waffen-SS unit |
| ss, sw | schwerste | super heavy |
| St, Stb | Stab | staff when referring to the personnel headquarters when referring to the unit |
| Strass | Strassen- | road |
| – | Sturm- | assault |
| StuGesch | Sturmgeschütz | (self-propelled) assault gun |
| StuHaub | Sturmhaubitze | (self-propelled) assault howitzer |
| StuPz | Sturmpanzer | assault tank (self-propelled, armored heavy infantry gun) |
| T | ||
| (t) | tschechisch | Czech |
| T | Brückengerät T | former Czech combat bridge equipment |
| TbK (aka Tbts K) | Torpedobootskanone | motor torpedo boat naval gun |
| TT | – | torpedo tubes |
| tele | – | telephone |
| (trop) | tropisch | tropical (but actually meaning for use in the desert) |
| U | ||
| (u) | ungarisch | Hungraian |
| Uts K | Unterseebootskanone | submarine naval gun |
| V | ||
| v. | von | |
| VW | Volkswagen | light cross-country car ("People's Car") |
| V, Versorg | Versorgung(s-) | support |
| Verm | Vermessung(s-) | calibation, mapping, cartographical, survey |
| Vpfl.A. | Verpflegungsamt | Rations Distribution Detachment |
| W | ||
| w/ | – | with |
| w/o | – | without |
| WB | Wehrmachtsbefehlshaber | Armed Forces Military Commander |
| Wfr | Werfer | (rocket-, grenade-) launcher |
| WK | Wehrkreis | Replacement Army's Military District
(also known as a Corps Area) |
| Z | ||
| z b V | zur besonderer Verwendung | for special purposes (for special use) |
| z Vfg | zur Verfügung | reserves (at the disposition of) |
| Zg | Zug | Platoon |
| – | Zug | railroad train |
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NOTES:
[1] The word Abteilung has other meaings as well, for example: - Initially a Vermessungs-Abteilung was a company sized survey unit until mid-1941, when it was expanded to battalion size. - When used within the context of a headquarters, it means section. - When used within the context of military (or civilian) bureaucracies, it means department. - When used in conjunction with trains, it means compartment. |
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See also:
Military Personnal Job Descriptions Military Personnel Billet Groups, Functions, and Ranks Discussed |
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