D-Day Glossary

Military operations are thick with codenames, acronyms and nicknames that need explaining to the layman. Unfortunately, the written history of those events is no different. Every account of D-Day is littered with terms like LCI, PIAT; even 'D-Day' itself needs explaining! This glossary will help you translate any unknowns.

AA: Anti-Aircraft.
AEF: Allied Expeditionary Force; twelve countries contributed to Overlord: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, the UK and the US.
Allies: Refers to the nations who fought together against the Axis Powers.
Atlantic Wall: Nickname for the German defences along the northern and eastern coasts of France.
AVRE: Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers; on D-Day these were Churchill tanks fitted with a Petard mortar and other specialist equipment.
Axis: (or Axis Powers) Germany, Japan and the Italian Social Republic (the official Italian government now fought on the Allied side).
BAR: The Browning Automatic Rifle, used by the Allies.
Belgian Gate:A metal trap designed to be hidden under high tides and tear the bottoms away from boats or landing craft.
Bn:Battalion; An infantry Battalion ranged from 600 – 1000 men.
Bazooka:US infantry anti-tank rocket launder.
CO: Commanding Officer
Churchill, Winston: The British Prime Minister.
Churchill Tank: A British Heavy Tank named after their Prime Minister.
D-Day: Originally the term for the date when a mission or operation took place, but now associated with 6th June 1944, D-Day for Operation Overlord.
DD: Duplex Drive, used on amphibious vehicles.
DD Tank: A tank fitted with a Duplex Drive which allied amphibious use.
Doughboy: A nickname for US soldiers more traditionally associated with the First World War.
DUKW: Amphibious 2 ½ ton Truck; pronounced 'duck', the DUKW usually carried supplies.
DZ: Drop Zone.
Eisenhower, Dwight: Supreme Commander of the AEF.
Fortitude: A long-term operation to conceal the true whereabouts of the D-Day landings.
FUSAG: First U. S. Army Group; this was entirely fictional and created to conceal Allied intentions.
GI: A nickname for US troops, derived from the acronym 'GI' (Government Issue) which was stamped on their uniforms.
Gooseberries: Artificial harbours created by the deliberate sinking of ships.
HE: High Explosive.
Hedgehog: German beach defence created out of three metal poles welded in a sloping pyramid, designed to damage landing craft.
Higgins Boat(s): Generic name for the flat-bottomed landing craft created specially for Overlord by Andrew Higgins; each type had a different codename (see L).
Hobart's Funnies: Nickname for a range of tank adaptations and additions designed by Percy Hobart, including mine clearers and carpet layers.
LBW: Landing Barge.
LCA: Landing Craft, Assault.
LCE: Landing Craft, Equipment.
LCF: Landing Craft, Flak.
LCI: Landing Craft, Infantry.
LCI (L): Landing Craft, Infantry (Light).
LCOCU: Landing Craft, Obstacle Clearance Unit.
LCM: Landing Craft, Medium.
LCR: Landing Craft, Rockets.
LCT: Landing Craft, Tank.
LCT (A): Landing Craft Transport, Assault.
LCT (R): Landing Craft Transport, Rocket.
LCV: Landing Craft, Vehicle.
LCVP: Landing Craft, Vehicle and Personnel.
LO: Liaison Officer.
LSI: Landing Ship, Infantry.
LST: Landing Ship, Tank.
Luftwaffe: German air force, largely ineffective on D-Day thanks to Allied air superiority.
LZ: Landing Zone.
MG: Machine Gun.
Moaning Minnie: the nickname given by Allied troops to the German multi-barrelled Nebelwerfer mortar.
Mulberry/Mulberries: Artificial harbours constructed from prefabricated sections; towed across the channel and attached together, they were designed to speed up reinforcement and supply.
Neptune: The naval section of Operation Overlord.
Overlord: The codename for the D-Day landings.
Panther: The German Mark V Tank.
Panzer: German Tank.
PIAT: British 'Projector Infantry Anti-Tank', a British Infantry anti-tank weapon.
SHAEF: Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force.
Spandau: General British name given to German army machine guns.
Stick: Paratroops dropped in one go from one plane.
Stonk: British term for concentrated or intensive artillery fire.
Teller Mine: German anti-tank mine; attached to atop poles or hedgehogs along the Normandy beaches.
Tiger: The German Mark VI Panzer tank, a heavily armoured vehicle with an adapted 88mm gun.