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Military parlance is the vernacular used within the military and embraces all aspects of service life; it can be described as both a "code" and a "classification" of something. Like many close and closed communities, the language used can often be full of jargon and not readily intelligible to outsiders -- sometimes this is for military operational or security reasons; other times it is because of the natural evolution of the day-to-day language used in the various units. In communications, a code is a rule for converting a piece of information (for example, a letter, word, or phrase) into another form or representation, not necessarily of the same type. ...
A typical classified document. ...
For example: Captain, this situation is 'Scale A' ('Scale A' being an army's parlance for "This situation requires the closest of attention and resources and all members of relevance should be present.")
The military has developed its own slang, partly as means of self-identification. This slang is also used to reinforce the (usually friendly) interservice rivalries. Some terms are derogatory to varying degrees and many service personnel take some pleasure in the sense of shared hardships which they endure and which is reflected in the slang terms. Interservice rivalry is a military term referring to rivalries that can arise between different branches of a countrys armed forces, such as between a nations land forces (army) and naval forces. ...
Military Abbreviations The military love initials and abbreviations of all kinds - partly for security and operational reasons and partly for the simple convenience of their use; like all such things they can be hard to understand for outsiders. A few examples are given below: This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it. US Army - G.I. - originally stood for "Galvanized Iron"[1] but has come to be intrepreted as everything from "General Infantry" (soldiers) to "Government Issue" and "Government Inductee".
- SHAEF - Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (WWII)
- MI8 - The name temporarily applied to a cryptography effort mounted within the US Army during World War I
British Army GI or G.I. is a term describing a US soldier or an item of their equipment. ...
Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (abbreviated as SHAEF), was the command headquarters of the commander of Allied forces in North West Europe in 1944 and 1945. ...
The name MI8 was temporarily applied to a cryptography effort mounted within the US Army during World War I. Herbert Yardley was assigned to this unit during the War, and after it continued his cryptographic work during the 1920s at what Yardley called the American Black Chamber in his book...
- HQ - Headquarters
- CGS - Chief of the General Staff (formerly Chief of the Imperial General Staff CIGS - as in Lord Alanbrooke)
- GCHQ - UK Government Communications Headquarters (Cheltenham)
- ADC - aide de camp (a military or naval officer who helps an officer of higher rank)
- GOC - General Officer Commanding (usually followed by number indicating what rank of General is being mentioned)
- MI5 - British internal secret services
- MI6 - British external secret services
- MI8 - British signals intelligence group in World War II. Also known as the Radio Security Service, it tracked radio broadcasts about German bombers during The Blitz.
- MI9 - Escape & Evasion services (WWII)
- VC - Victoria Cross
- MM - Military Medal
- MC - Military Cross
Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS) was the title of the professional head of the British Army from 1908 to 1964. ...
Statue of Field Marshal The Viscount Alanbrooke, MoD Building, Whitehall, London Field Marshal Alan Francis Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke, KG, GCB, OM, GCVO, DSO (July 23, 1883 - June 17, 1963) was a British Field Marshal during World War II. He also served as Lord High Constable during the coronation of...
The Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) (previously named the Government Code and Cipher School (GC&CS)) is the main British intelligence service providing signals intelligence (SIGINT). ...
Current MI5 headquarters in Thames House, London The Security Service, usually called MI5, is the British counter-intelligence and security agency. ...
The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), more commonly known as MI6 (originally Military Intelligence Section 6), or the Secret Service, is the United Kingdom external security agency. ...
The name MI8 was temporarily applied to a cryptography effort mounted within the US Army during World War I. Herbert Yardley was assigned to this unit during the War, and after it continued his cryptographic work during the 1920s at what Yardley called the American Black Chamber in his book...
MI9, the British Military Intelligence Section 9 (now defunct), was a department of the British War Office during World War II. It was charged with aiding resistance fighters in Nazi-controlled Europe and recovering Allied troops who found themselves behind enemy lines (e. ...
Victoria Cross medal, ribbon, and bar. ...
The Military Medal was (until 1993) a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land. ...
The Military Cross (MC) is the third level military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Army and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries. ...
Tactics The "Four Fs" is a military term used in the United States military, especially during World War II. Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead...
Designed to be easy to remember, the "Four Fs" are as follows:
- Find - Locate the enemy
- Fix - Pin them down with suppressing fire
- Flank - Send soldiers to the enemy's sides or rear
- Finish - Eliminate all enemy combatants
The British Army uses the mnemonic "Perry Rat Likes Shooting Arseholes Regularly" as a way of remembering its Six Section Battle Drills (Squad Tactics): The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ...
A mnemonic (pronounced in Received Pronunciation) is a memory aid, and most serve an educational purpose. ...
- P - Preparation - Prepare for a mission
- R - Reaction to effective enemy fire (Dash, Down, Roll, Crawl for cover)
- L - Locate the enemy
- S - Suppress the enemy
- A - Assault the enemy position
- R - Reorganise
Alternatively, the British Army uses the mnemonic P.R.E.W.A.R. to remember the 6 section battle drills. These are: The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ...
A mnemonic (pronounced in Received Pronunciation) is a memory aid, and most serve an educational purpose. ...
- P-Preparation/Prep for battle
- R-Reaction to effective enemy fire
- E-Enemy Location
- W-Winning the Fire Fight
- A-Assaulting the enemy Position
- R-Reorganisation
The 7 P's
Prior Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance
Military Songs & Bands Many armed forces, particularly the US Army, use songs as part of the training process, to help build morale and allow troops to train to a unified rhythm. Historically armies also went into battle lead by a military band and such bands are still maintained in the armed forces today - albeit for mainly ceremonial purposes.
Apart from the official side of music, fighting troops have always sung to keep up their morale and to ridicule the enemy, examples from the two world wars include:
- Hitler has only got one ball
- It's a long way to Tipperary
- British Military songs
- US Military songs
Hitler has only got one ball refers to the many variations on a set of vulgar lyrics to the popular Colonel Bogey March. These are four-line lyrics making fun of the Nazi leaders. ...
Ranks Purpose
Military ranks are necessary to identify the role of each serving individual and to show the hierarchy of command; however they can be obscure to non-military personnel and even comparing comparative ranks between different services is not always straightforward; the following pages detail these matters in more detail:
Insignia Armies have military rank systems that are often used by other military services such as air forces or marines. ...
Navies have military rank systems that often are quite different from those of armies or air forces. ...
Air forces of most of the countries use ranking system simular to Armies. ...
Comparative military ranks are a means of comparing military rank systems of different nations as a means of categorizing the hierarchy of an armed force compared to another. ...
Rank insignia is worn on military uniforms to identify the rank of the wearer and can involve such diverse elements as different uniforms, shoulder flashes, armbands and cap insignia.
British Army jargon/slang The British Army has a rich and diverse history of slang usage; the following links provide more detail on the subject:
Medals Medals are issued to military personnel to commemorate an event, campaign or as a sign of distinction. The history of medals is a subject in itself and more information can be found on the following pages:
See the following pages:
This article concerns British and Commonwealth of Nations orders and decorations awarded by the British Sovereign. ...
Awards and decorations of the United States military are military decorations which recognize a service members service and personal accomplishments while a member of the United States armed forces. ...
Code Names Code Names - such as Operation Market Garden and Operation Overlord are names given by the military to plans being developed and then executed. They serve to disguise the nature of the operation should an enemy or unauthorised person come across the name. A code name or cryptonym is a word or name used clandestinely to refer to another name or word. ...
Combatants United Kingdom United States Poland Germany Commanders Bernard Montgomery Gerd von Rundstedt Strength XXX Corps, 35,000 airborne 20,000 Casualties 17,000 casualties 8,000 casualties Operation Market Garden (September 17-September 25, 1944) was an Allied military operation in World War II. Its tactical objectives were to...
The Battle of Normandy was fought in 1944 between the German forces occupying Western Europe and the invading Allies. ...
Budgets
External links - British Code names of WWII
- Military equipment manuals
- US Marines Dictionary
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