| Name |
Description |
#books |
| Amatol |
A highly explosive material made from a mixture of TNT and ammonium nitrate that was used extensively during WW1 and WW2 as an explosive in military weapons such as aircraft bombs, shells, depth charges, and naval mines. It was eventually replaced with other explosives. | 2 |
| Army Education Certificate Second Class |
The second highest certificate of education awarded by the army education core. It was necessary for promotion to sergeant and presented on the recommendations of the Army schoolmaster. | 1 |
| Arsenal |
A place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained, repaired and stored. | 1 |
| Billet |
A commonly British term for the living quarters to which a soldier is assigned to sleep. Historically, it referred to a private dwelling that was required to accept the soldier. | 5 |
| Bivouac sack |
An extremely small, lightweight, waterproof shelter, and an alternative to traditional tent systems. It is used by climbers, mountaineers, hikers, ultralight backpackers, soldiers and minimalist campers. | 2 |
| Bridgehead |
A strategically important area of ground around the end of a bridge or other place of possible crossing over a body of water which at time of conflict is sought to be defended/taken over by the belligerent forces. | 3 |
| Bunker |
A defensive military fortification designed to protect people or valued materials from falling bombs or other attacks. | 1 |
| Casualty Clearing Station |
A military medical facility behind the front lines that is used to treat wounded soldiers. It would usually be located just outside of the range of enemy artillery and often near transportation facilities. It receives battlefield casualties from aid posts located in the combat zone. | 2 |
| Cavalry |
Soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. In the period between the World Wars, many cavalry units were converted into motorized infantry and mechanized infantry units, or reformed as tank troops. | 3 |
| Cordite |
A family of smokeless propellants developed and produced in the United Kingdom since 1889 to replace gunpowder as a military propellant. It is classified as a low explosive because of its slow burning rates. | 1 |
| Corned beef |
A salt-cured beef product. The term comes from the treatment of the meat with large grained rock salt. Canned corned beef was popular during both World Wars, when fresh meat was rationed (slang term bully beef). | 6 |
| Dannert wire |
A type of barbed wire or razor wire that is formed in large coils which can be expanded like a concertina used to form military wire obstacles. | 1 |
| Defensive fighting position |
A type of earthwork constructed in a military context, generally large enough to accommodate at least one person. In British terminology it equates to a range of terms including slit trench or fire trench and shell scrape. | 8 |
| Dressing Station |
A military medical facility immediately behind the front lines that is the first to receive casualties. It decides which casualties require passing back to the casualty clearing stations. | 3 |
| Em-bussing point |
A place where troops are organised to board a transport vehicle. | 2 |
| Fifth column |
Any group of people who undermine a larger group — such as a nation or a besieged city — from within, usually in support of an enemy group or nation. | 1 |
| General Staff Intelligence |
A group of officers and enlisted personnel that are responsible for the administrative, operational and logistical needs of its unit. The intelligence section staff are responsible for collecting and analysing intelligence information about the enemy to determine what the enemy is doing, or might do, to prevent the accomplishment of the unit’s mission. | 1 |
| Gunners |
A member of the crew operating a crew-served weapon, such as an artillery piece. A nickname for the Royal Artillery. | 13 |
| Infantry |
A branch of a military force that fights on foot as the troops who are intended to engage, fight, and defeat the enemy in face-to-face combat. | 10 |
| Laager |
A WW2 formation of tanks or other armoured vehicles, used for quick resupply or refuelling. It is rather vulnerable to attack, especially from the air, so it is only maintained for a short period, in a relatively safe location. | 2 |
| Latrine |
Refers to a toilet or a simpler facility which is used as a toilet within a sanitation system. It can be a communal trench in the earth in a camp, a hole in the ground (pit), or more advanced designs. Latrines are still common for use in emergency situations as well as in army camps. | 2 |
| Line of communication |
A route that connects an operating military unit with its supply base. It is vital for any military force to continue to operate effectively as supplies and reinforcements are transported along this line. | 6 |
| Maginot Line |
A line of concrete fortifications, obstacles, and weapon installations that France constructed on the French side of its borders with Switzerland, Germany and Luxembourg during the 1930s. It was named after the French Minister of War André Maginot. | 1 |
| Nissen Hut |
A prefabricated steel structure for military use, especially as barracks used extensively during WW2. It was made from a half-cylindrical skin of corrugated steel. | 2 |
| Nitrocellulose |
TBD. | 1 |
| Observation Post |
A temporary or fixed position from which soldiers can watch enemy movements, to warn of approaching soldiers or to direct artillery fire. | 2 |
| Pillbox |
A small fortified structure constructed as a part of an anti-invasion or anti-attack preparation and popularly known as pillboxes due to their shape. | 2 |
| Pontoon Bridge |
A floating bridge, using floats or shallow-draft boats to support a continuous deck for pedestrian and vehicle travel. The buoyancy of the supports limits the maximum load that they can carry. Most pontoon bridges are temporary and used in wartime and civil emergencies. | 1 |
| Prisoner of war |
A person, whether combatant or non-combatant, who is held in custody by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. | 1 |
| Rearguard |
This is that part of a military force that protects it from attack from the rear, either during an advance or withdrawal. | 7 |
| Reconnaissance |
The military exploration outside an area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about surrounding features and enemy presence (Often called 'recce' or 'recon'). Examples include manned/unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, satellites, patrolling by troops, ships or submarines, or covert observation posts. | 16 |
| Regimental Aid Post |
A front line military medical establishment incorporated into an infantry battalion or armoured regiment and designed for the immediate treatment and triage of battlefield casualties. | 2 |
| Siegfried line |
Originally a line of defensive forts and tank defenses built by Germany as a section of the Hindenburg Line 1916–1917 in northern France during World War I. It more commonly refers to the similar WW2 defensive line. | 2 |
| Stormtrooper |
A specialist soldier of the German Army in WW1 who were trained to fight with 'infiltration tactics', part of the Germans’ method of attack on enemy trenches. | 1 |
| Trinitrotoluene |
TBD. | 1 |
| Troop Carrier |
A means of transporting soldiers. Different types of vehicle may be used for transporting via land, sea or air. | 4 |
