| AA |
Anti Aircraft (guns or shells) |
| AFV |
Armoured Fighting Vehicle |
| AMGOT |
Allied Military Government of Occupied Territory |
| AP |
Armour Piercing shell |
| ARV |
Armoured Recovery Vehicle |
| AT |
Anti Tank gun |
| AVRE |
Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers (modified Churchill tank) |
| AWD |
Allied War Department |
| BAOR |
British Army of the Rhine |
| Besa |
7.92mm machine gun mounted co-axially with main turret gun |
| Br. |
Brigade or brigade headquarters |
| BWEF |
British Western Expeditionary Force |
| CB |
Confined to Barracks |
| CI |
Chief Instructor |
| CMP |
Corps of Military Police |
| Cpl |
Corporal |
| DM |
Driver Mechanic |
| D&M |
Driving & Maintenance |
| DO |
Driver Operator |
DP |
Displaced Person |
| DR |
Dispatch Rider |
| DSO |
Distinguished Service Order |
| EME |
Electrical & Mechanical Engineers |
| Emb |
Embarcation |
| FDS |
Field (or Forward) Dressing Station |
| FDS |
Forward Deliver Squadron (vehicle & crew replacement) |
| FFI |
Free From Infection |
| FFI |
French Forces of Interior (resistance groups) |
| FUP |
Forming Up Point |
| GM |
Gunner Mechanic |
| GO |
Gunner Operator |
| HE |
High Explosive shell |
| Honey |
Small light reconnaisance tank |
| HQ |
Headquarters |
| I/C |
In command (e.g 2i/c) |
| IO |
Intelligence Officer |
| KOYLIS |
King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry |
| Laager |
Tank harbour, all round defensive position |
| LAD |
Light Aid Detachment (under REME control) |
| LCT |
Landing Craft Tanks |
| LOB |
Left Out of Battle (official rest period) |
| LST |
Landing Ship Tanks |
| MC |
Military Cross |
| ME |
Messerschmidt ME109 fighter aircraft |
| MG |
Machine Gun |
| Minnies |
German Nebelwerfer mortars (“Moaning Minnies”) |
| Mitchells |
American B25 twin-engine medium fighter-bomber |
| Mk IV |
German medium Panzer tank |
| MM |
Military Medal |
| MO |
Medical Officer |
| MT |
Motor Transport |
| M & V |
Meat & Vegetables |
| Nebelwerfer |
German mortar – also known as “Moaning Minnies” |
| O.D. |
Other Denomination (religious) |
| Panther |
German tank with the dreaded 88mm gun |
| Petard |
25lb. AVRE-mounted mortar to penetrate concrete |
| PIAT |
Projector Infantry Anti-Tank (spigot bomb launcher) |
| POW |
Prisoner Of War |
| RASC |
Royal Army Service Corps |
| R.E. |
Royal Engineers |
| REME |
Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers. Same as EME |
| RO |
Reconnaisance Officer |
| RSM |
Regimental Sergeant Major |
| RTG |
Richard Trevor Greenwood, author of this diary |
| RTR |
Royal Tank Regiment |
| SGT |
Sergeant |
| Sherman |
American tank |
| SP |
Self-propelled guns for anti-tank work |
| Spandau |
German rapid-fire machine gun |
| SQMS |
Squadron Quarter Master Sergeant |
| SQN |
Squadron |
| SSM |
Squadron Sergeant Major |
| Stonk |
Heavy barrage of mortar fire |
| TDU |
Tank Delivery Unit |
| Tiger |
German tank |
| TP |
Tank Park |
| Tpr |
Trooper |
| Typhoon |
British (Hawker) low level fighter-bomber |
| W/T |
Watertight |