Taylor, Dick British Army Terminology and Abbreviations 1939-1945

Including Regiments and Corps, Battle Honours, Operational Code Words and Slang

This book is aimed not only at the general public, but also at military researchers and historians, who often get lost in the vast and mysterious flood of technical terms used by the army during the conflict. It is an indispensable guide for any serious historian researching primary and secondary sources, and for any reader studying secondary sources on the war. There is no comparable reference work. The author is an experienced military historian with a background in the history of the British Army, and yet even he was often at a loss when reading war diaries, documents from the National Archives and other primary sources. The text consists of the following main sections: Abbreviations and Acronyms; Units, Regiments and Corps; A Complete Glossary of Military Concepts and Terminology; British Army Slang; Operation Names. In addition to general military terms, much effort has been made to examine the often highly technical and even mysterious technical terms used not only by commanders and their staffs and combat units, but also by a variety of support organisations, including artillery, engineers, supply and transport, and medical services. What is a BM? It is a Band Master, a Beach Master, a Brigade Major and a Bending Moment in bridge building!