WAR BONDS: A Glossary
While the characters in WAR BONDS are products of my imagination, their activities are grounded in real places and adhere with limited exception to the real timeline of the era. Here’s a glossary of terms germane to the story—military acronyms and other nomenclature particular to the geography of Europe and World War Two.
Anderson Shelter—Six curved sheets of corrugated steel were sent free to homeowners across the UK who earned less than £250 a year—$21,855 in US dollars today. Big enough for four adults and two children, the steel sheets were sunk halfway in the ground, then covered with dirt. Beryl takes cover there often after the Battle of Britain begins. In the movie Mrs. Miniver, a family endures a deadly assault in their shed; there’s a photo of one in my blog on The London Blitz.
Avions Marcel Dassault—The aircraft company Colin and Hugo join in the 1950’s actually exists and has quite a noble history. Known today as Dassault Aviation SA, it was founded in 1929 in Paris by Marcel Bloch as Société des Avions Marcel Bloch (MB) to manufacture military aircraft. During the occupation, Bloch refused to collaborate with the Germans and in 1944, was deported to Buchenwald where he was tortured, beaten, and held in solitary confinement. He was liberated in April 1945. After the war, Bloch changed his name to Marcel Dassault; in 1947, he changed the company name to Avions Marcel Dassault. Dassault was the nom de guerre used by his brother, General Darius Paul Bloch in the French resistance, derived from char d'assault, French for “tank.”
B-17 Flying Fortress—The four-engine heavy bomber that Jack flies in WAR BONDS. Developed by Boeing in the 1930’s, it was used by the U.S. Army Air Forces in the daylight strategic bombing campaign over Europe to destroy German industrial, military and civilian targets. The odds of a B-17 crewman surviving the 25 missions required to complete a tour were only one in four. My father served two tours and was shot down on his 33rd mission. More bomber crewmen than marines were lost in the war.
BEF—British Expeditionary Force—The contingent of the British Army sent to France on September 3, 1939 after Britain and France declared war on Nazi Germany after the invasion of Poland. From September 3 to May 9,1940—the period of the Phony War—the BEF built field defenses on the French-Belgian border. The Battle of France began on May 10, 1940, the Germans’ lighting-war tactics pushing the BEF to the coast in six weeks, where many were evacuated at Dunkirk. More than 11,014 members of the BEF were killed, while 41,338 men went missing or were taken prisoner. Our fictional Gordon and Wills were among those taken captive.
Bletchley Park—Known variously as “B.P.,” “Station X,” “London Signals Intelligence Centre,” and "Government Communications Headquarters" this was an English country house outside of London that was the nexus of Allied code-breaking during war. Automatic machinery helped with decryption and led to the development of the world's first programmable digital electronic computer. It’s unclear if the work of our WAR BONDS spy Jesse Jordan would have been sophisticated enough to actually draw interest from the technicians at BP.
Chopin—Frédéric François Chopin (1810-1848) was a Polish composer of the Romantic period, He wrote the piano etudes Annalise (ironically) enjoys playing on the Steinway in the house she and her husband have appropriated from Polish Jews.
Compiègne—The site of the signing of two significant agreements: 1) the armistice that ended World War One on November 11, 1918 and 2) the capitulation of France to Nazi Germany on June 22, 1940. In 1918, signatories met in the rail car of Allied Supreme Commander Ferdinand Foch in the forest outside Compiègne for the signing ceremony. After France fell in 1940, Hitler ordered that the rail car be dragged out of a museum shelter where it was kept and taken to exactly the same location for the second signing, this time with Germany victorious. The rail car was taken next to Berlin and displayed at the Brandenburg gates. It was then carted around locations in central Germany. It was destroyed in March 1945 by the SS as the U.S. Army drew near.
CO—Commanding Officer—the officer in command of a military unit.
Conservatoire de Paris—Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), Paris Conservatory is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. During the occupation of France, various Conservatoire administrators alternated between collaborating in the expulsion of Jewish students and working to conceal and protect Jewish students and faculty. The idea in WAR BONDS, that there was a focused effort to train Jewish musicians there after the war as a way of recompense, is purely invented.
Croix de Guerre—Literally, War Cross, this military decoration was created in 1915 and used again beginning in 1939 to reward feats of bravery in the two World Wars. It is conferred on members of the armed forces, on French citizens and, in the case of the fictional William Hughes, foreigners for heroic service.
Distinguished Flying Cross—The Distinguished Flying Cross is the highest award in the United States military for extraordinary aerial achievement. As a valor decoration, it ranks fourth in order of precedence and is awarded to persons who distinguish themselves "by heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight" while serving in any capacity with the Air Corps. The medal was established by Congress on July 2, 1926.
East Anglia—An area in eastern England that includes the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambridgeshire. The area was once the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, settled by people who came from Anglia in what is now northern Germany. The Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Force built more than 100 airbases here because of the open, level terrain close to the coast. These airfields and pillboxes built to defend the coast can still be seen today.
Elsworth—Colin’s temporary home during the war is a real village in the civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England. The population was 726 in 2011 and there is, in fact, a Holy Trinity church in the village.
Flight Sergeant—In WAR BONDS, Oliver Dowd holds this rank as a flight engineer on a Lancaster bomber. Flight Sergeants were non-commissioned officers who had undergone flight training and qualified to fly in the air forces of several Commonwealth countries before, during, and after the war. Often, they piloted fighter planes although after the war, non-commissioned pilots were phased out in favor of commissioned officers. The U.S. had a comparable rank—the flying sergeant.
French Commemorative War Medal—From 1939-1945, this medal was awarded to all soldiers, French and foreign, as well as resisters who served in France during the war. It recognizes individual participation against the enemy.
Hardstand—A hardstand (hardstanding in British English) is a paved area outside hangars where aircraft are parked. This is where the crews of the B-17s in WAR BONDS conduct maintenance, repairs, and pre-flight checks.
Hurricanes—The Hawker Hurricane was a British-made single-seat fighter aircraft built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for the RAF. Hurricanes inflicted 60% of the losses sustained by the Germans during the Battle of Britain in 1940. It was deployed across all major theatres of the war.
Kimbolton Airfield—RAF Kimbolton was indeed located in East Anglia and was the original headquarters for RAF Bomber Command before it was turned over to the American heavy bombers. The 379th Bombardment Group—Jack’s bomber group— began operations in mid-1943, slightly later than the timeline in WAR BONDS. The 379th received a Distinguished Unit Citation for operations between May 1943-July 1944, as they bombed oil refineries, ball bearing factories, storage plants, submarine pens, airfields, and communications targets in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway and Poland. The field was deactivated in 1946, and fell into neglect as noted in my novel. Pictured at left is the former RAF Thorpe Abbotts, home to the Bloody Hundredth—the 100th Bomber Group featured in “Masters of the Air.”
Kings Cross or King’s Cross—Written both ways, this is the central railroad terminal in London with both national trains and Eurostar access. As JK Rowling showed us, you can catch the Hogwart’s Express at Platform 9 ¾ at Kings Cross. It’s where our boy Colin caught the train that took him out of London to the country village of Elsworth.
Leeds—Located 200 miles north of London, Leeds is the home to Colin’s maternal grandparents, who opt not to keep him on their estate when children are evacuated from their homes in London. Military uniforms and munitions were actually produced there during the war.
Les tondue—Literally “the shorn” in French. After Paris was liberated, woman who were known collaborators with the Germans—particularly those who bore the babies of the occupiers, were seized by neighbors, their heads shaved often viciously, in a public spectacle.
Maquis/Maquisard—The anti-fascist French Resistance or underground that fought the Nazis through evacuation of Jews and downed pilots, as well as subterfuge and sabotage. A member of the movement is called a maquisard. The name came from the terrain in which they hid; the high ground in southeastern France is covered with scrub growth called maquis. Like Sylvi in WAR BONDS, the women of the Maquis proved indispensable, able to pass checkpoints unnoticed as they gathered intelligence, passed along information, and collected supplies.
MI5, MI6—Literally, Military Intelligence, section 5, section 6. The UK’s MI5 handles domestic counter-intelligence and security. It functions in tandem with MI6, the service which deals with foreign threats. Our agent, Andrew Wilkins, works for MI5, while Agent 007, James Bond, works for MI6. (See my blog on the Clandestine Services for more.)
Operation Argument—Also called Big Week, this was the strategic bombing campaign from February 20-25, 1944, intended to cripple the German aviation capability. The Eighth Air Force lost 97 B-17s and 40 B-24s during the effort, with another 20 aircraft damaged and scrapped. The Germans are believed to have lost 355 aircraft, and more importantly 100 well-trained pilots. Big Week produced a more confident Allied air force and the beginning of Allied air superiority requisite for the D-Day landings just months later.
Operation Dragoon—This was the on-again-off-again Allied landing on the Côte d’Azur, that was supposed to have taken place simultaneously with Overlord at Normandy. Originally called Anvil, a lack of resources and men moved the campaign to mid-August. Much like the invasion at Normandy, the operation began with paratroop and glider landings, followed by the sabotage of German supply lines, aerial bombing, and ultimately, landing forces arriving on the beaches. The German Army, still in disarray after D-Day, mounted only a minimal defense and was pursued as they retreated into the French interior, and ultimately, Germany. Amid this rapidly-changing situation, Wills determines it is time to leave his life as a resistance fighter, and return to England.
Operation Overlord—The codename for the D-Day landings of June 6, 1944. Days before, the British Special Operations Executive and the American Office of Strategic Services dropped three-man teams into Normandy, equipped with weaponry to arm resistance fighters. Hours before the landings, three airborne divisions dropped behind enemy lines to secure bridges the Allies would need to move troops inland. On June 6, 132,000 men came across the Channel on top of the 24,000 who came by air. The five invasion sectors were named Utah Beach, Omaha Beach (assigned to the Americans), Gold Beach (British), Juno Beach (Canadians), and Sword Beach (British, Polish, Norwegian, others). The POWs in WAR BONDS learn of the arrival of the Allied on the continent listening to their clandestine radio.
Operation Pied Piper—The evacuation of children, mothers, and mothers-to-be from British cities. The evacuation plans were in place many months ahead of the German Blitzkrieg of Poland, the event that prompted England to declare war. (This blog includes more details and photos.)
P-47 Thunderbolts—The were short- to medium-range American escort fighters produced by Republic Aviation. Dominant at high-altitudes, these planes were known for their firepower and ability to stay in the air despite immense battle damage.
P-51 Mustangs—This supremely effective American bomber escort was a long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used both in World War Two and the Korean War. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by North American Aviation. It allowed bombers of the 8th Air Force to attack targets deeper in the Reich with better protection.
Polkovnik—Polish: pułkownik; Russian: полковник) is a military rank used mostly in Slavic-speaking countries which corresponds to a colonel in English and oberst in German.
Purple Heart Corner—Bombers flew in a formation called a “combat box,” tightly packed to offer mutual protection. Purple Heart Corner is the last plane flying in the most vulnerable position, at the lowest right hand corner of the formation.
Purple Heart Corner—Bombers flew in a formation called a “combat box,” tightly packed to offer mutual protection. Purple Heart Corner is the last plane flying in the most vulnerable position, at the lowest right hand corner of the formation.
RAF—The British Royal Air Force
Salle Gaveau—This classical concert hall in Paris is named after the French piano maker Gaveau. It is located on rue La Boétie, in the 8th arrondissement of Paris and is the location of a pivotal encounter in WAR BONDS.
Special Operations Executive—Britain’s secret spy organization. Find more here on the organization that Winston Church commanded to “set Europe ablaze.”
Spitfires—The Supermarine Spitfire was the British single-seat fighter/interceptor aircraft used by the RAF and Allies in the war. The Spitfire had a lower attrition rate and a higher victory-to-loss ratio than the Hurricane and generally engaged the Luftwaffe’s Messerschmitt fighters.
Treaty of Versailles—The peace treaty signed on June 28, 1919 that ended the state of war between Germany and most of the Allied Powers. The U.S. made a separate peace treaty with Germany. It was signed in the Palace of Versailles, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which led to the war. The armistice of November 11, 1918 ended the actual fighting but six months of negotiations were needed to conclude the peace treaty. The treaty required Germany to disarm, give up territory, and pay reparations estimated at $442 billion.
V-1—The V-1 flying bomb "Vengeance Weapon 1" was an early cruise missile .The first V-1 was launched on June, 13, 1944, against London a week after the Allied landings on D-Day. As many as 100 were fired at southeast England per day —9500 in total—until October 1944 when the last V-1 site was overrun by Allied forces.
V-2—The V-2 “Vengeance Weapon 2” was the first long-range guided ballistic missile. More than 3000 V-2s were launched by the Wehrmacht against London, Antwerp, and Liège beginning in September 1944. An estimated 9,000 civilians and military personnel were killed by V2 attacks. A BBC documentary suggests another 12,000 concentration camp prisoners and workers lost their lives as a result of their forced labor to produce these weapons.
Vicar—The title given to parish priests in the Church of England and other Anglican churches.
War Bonds and Stamps—This was a savings program used by multiple governments to encourage citizens to help fund the war. This blog offers further details.
Żagań, Poland—Called Sagan in English in our story, the is the location of the Stalag Luft III camp for captured airmen
German phrases and terms
Abwehr—The German military intelligence service between 1920-45.
Afrika Korps—The German expeditionary force in the North African campaign. Afrika Korps was initially deployed to strengthen Italy’s defense of its African colonies. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, the Desert Fox, was its best known commander, but his Korps eventually surrendered in May 1943.
Appell—Roll call or muster, in this case, the required line-up of POWs, morning and evening, to ensure all captives were accounted for.
Ausweis—Identity papers
Blitzkrieg—Lightening war, using aircraft and motorized infantry/ground forces in a quick manner that overwhelms the opponent.
Focke-Wulf Fw 190—A German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft used over France beginning in August 1941.
Frau— Mrs.
Genug jetzt—“That’s enough now.”
Gestapo—The secret police of Nazi Germany created by Hermann Göring in 1933. The Gestapo targeted Jews, homosexuals, political opponents, dissenters, members of the clergy, the Roma, the disabled, and any persons perceived as unsupportive of the Reich. Those arrested were denied judicial process, many ending up in concentration and extermination camps, others simply disappearing while in Gestapo custody.
Heer—This is the term for the land forces or army component of the Wehrmacht, the regular Armed Forces of Nazi Germany. Some 13.6 million soldiers volunteers and conscripts served in the war.
Herr—Mister
Horst-Wessel-Lied—This was the anthem of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) from 1930 to 1945, and the co-national anthem from 1933 to 1945. It was written by Sturmführer (Storm leader) Horst Wessel, a commander of the Nazi paramilitary Brownshirts. It was based on a fabricated story of a Nazi loyalist killed by communists. The song has been banned in both Germany and Austria since the end of the war.
Jawohl—An emphatic “yes”—“It is willed.”
Junkers—The second-most produced bomber of all time, the Junkers Ju 88 was a German twin-engine combat aircraft, one of the most versatile of the war. It served as a bomber, dive bomber, night fighter, torpedo bomber, reconnaissance aircraft, heavy fighter and as a flying bomb. Designed by Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works in the mid-1930s as a Schnellbomber ("fast bomber") too fast for fighters to intercept, it suffered from early technical problems during its development.
Kriegie—Nickname Allied prisoners gave themselves, from Kriegsgefangene (prisoner of war.)
Luftwaffe—German Air Force
Messerschmitt BF 109—Called the Me 109 by Allied aircrew, this German fighter, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, formed the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. It first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War and flew throughout World War Two. It was one of the most advanced fighters when it first appeared, with its closed canopy and retractable landing gear.
Oberst—Equivalent to colonel in English, this is the rank of the commandant of the POW camp in WAR BONDS.
Panzers—The full German word is Panzerkampfwagen, and signifies the series of battle tanks used by the German army throughout the war. Panzers were the tip of the spear as Germany staged its lighting war across Poland, France, and the Netherlands.
Reichsführer—Reichsführer-SS was a special title and rank used in Germany between 1925 and 1945 for the commander of the SS. The most noteworthy holder of the rank was Heinrich Himmler, who helped devise the Final Solution. He died by suicide while in Allied custody in May 1945.
Schirmmütze cap—The peaked cap worn by the German army, featuring a short visor or peak.
Sicherheitsdienst—The SD was the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party.
Stalag Luft III—Main Camp, Air, III was a Luftwaffe-run prisoner-of-war (POW) camp during the Second World War, which held captured Western Allied air force personnel. It was the site of a famous escape by a group of British prisoners who tunneled out, only three of whom gained their freedom. Fifty prisoners were executed in retaliation. The story is told in the movie The Great Escape. While our British lieutenant Gordon was not a flier, I placed him here with his British brethren.
Schutzstaffel— The SS was the brutal paramilitary group under Hitler and the Nazi Party. Begun in the 1920s, its power grew as the Reich expanded its control across Europe. The central divisions were Allgemeine SS, responsible for enforcing the racial policy of Nazi Germany and general policing; the Waffen-SS (Armed SS), which consisted of the combat units; and the SS-Totenkopfverbände who ran the concentration camps and extermination camps. Additional subdivisions of the SS included the Gestapo and the Sicherheitsdienst (SD)
SS-Standartenführer—One of the first commissioned Nazi Party ranks bestowed on SA and SS officers who commanded a unit equivalent to an army battalion with 300–500 personnel, known as Standarte..
Terrasse—Terrace or patio
Unteroffizier—A junior non-commissioned officer rank used in Austria and Germany
Vas du das Krieg est uber—In English: For you the war is over. Upon surrender, many Allied POW’s in the European theatre heard this phrase as they were taken into custody. It has been popularized in a number of World War Two-era films, and I couldn’t resist slipping it in my account of the fall of Calais in WAR BONDS.
Verstehen Sie—“Do you understand?”
Waffen-SS—This was the combat branch of the SS. The Waffen-SS grew from three regiments (less than 20,000 soldiers) to over 38 divisions (approximately 1 million), serving alongside the regular Heer Army.
Wehrmacht—The armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer (army), the Kriegsmarine (navy) and the Luftwaffe (air force). Wehrmacht replaced the previously used term Reichswehr, the official name of the German armed forces defeated during the Weimar Republic.
Zwiebelkuchen—A traditional German Onion Pie. Yum.
