Opening Moves

RCT: Regimental Combat Team. US formation which normally consisted of elements drawn from all combatant units within the parent division, making it a smaller but reasonably self-sufficient unit. RCT’s tended to be numbered according the Infantry regiment that supplied its fighting core.[See CC for US Armored force equivalent.]

Red Star: Standard issue Soviet military cigarettes.

Rodina: The Soviet Motherland.

Sherman [M4 Sherman]: American tank turned out in huge numbers with many variants, also supplied under lend-lease to Russia.

Shturmovik: The Ilyushin-2 Shturmovik, Soviet mass-produced ground attack aircraft that was highly successful.

Skat: German card game using 32 cards.

SMLE: Often referred to s the ‘Smelly’, this was the proper name of the Short, Magazine, Lee-Enfield rifle.

SS-Hauptsturmfuhrer: SS equivalent of captain.

St Florian: Patron saint of Upper Austria, Linz, chimney sweeps, and firefighters.

ST44 [MP43/44]: German assault rifle with a 30 round magazine, first of its generation and forerunner to the AK47.

Standard HDM .22 calibre pistol: Originally used by OSS, this effective .22 with a ten round magazine is still in use by Special Forces throughout the world.

Starshina: Soviet rank roughly equivalent to Warrant Officer first Class.

Station ‘X’: See Bletchley Park entry.

STAVKA: At this time this represents the ‘Stavka of the Supreme Main Command’, comprising high-ranked military and civilian members. Subordinate to the GKO, it was responsible for military oversight, and as such, held its own military reserves which it released in support of operations.

Sten: Basic British sub-machine gun with a 32 round magazine. Produced in huge numbers throughout the 40’s.

Stroh rum: Austrian spiced rum.

Studebaker: 2.5 ton truck built in USA and USSR [under licence] and often used as platforms for the Katyusha.

Stuka [Junkers 87]: Famous dive-bomber employed by the Luftwaffe.

SU-76: 76mm self-propelled gun used as artillery and for close support.

SVT40: Soviet automatic rifle with a 10 round magazine.

Symposium Biarritz: Utilisation of German expertise to prepare wargame exercises for allied unit commanders to demonstrate Soviet tactics and methods to defeat them.

T-34: Soviet medium tank armed with a 76.2mm gun and 2 mg’s.

T-34-85 [T-34 M44]: Soviet medium tank armed with an 85mm gun and 2 mg’s.

T-70: Soviet light tank with two crew and a 45mm gun.

Thompson: .45 calibre US submachine-gun, normally issued with a 20 or 30 round magazine [although a drum was available.]

Tiger Tank: German heavy tank carrying an 88m gun and 2-3 machine-guns.

T.O.E.: Table of Organisation and Equipment, which represents what a unit should consist of.

Tokarev: Soviet 7.62mm automatic handgun [also known as TT30] with an 8 round magazine.

Trimbach: Quality Alsatian wine.

Type XXI submarine: The most technologically advanced submarine of the era, produced in small numbers by the Germans and unable to affect the outcome of the war.

Typhoon: RAF’s most successful single seater ground attack aircraft of World War Two, which could carry anything from bombs through to rockets.

USAAF: United States Army Air Force.

Ushanka: Fur hat with adjustable sides.

Venona Project: Joint US-UK operation to analyse Soviet message traffic

Vichy: Name of the collaborationist government of defeated France.

Vitruvian man: Da Vinci’s sketch of a man with legs and arms splayed.

Wacht am Rhein: Literally, ‘Watch on the Rhine’, a codename used to mask the real purpose of the German build-up that became the Ardennes Offensive in December 1944.

Waffen-SS: There will always be much debate over these troops. Ideologically driven, politically inspired, pathological killers with an unshakable faith in the superiority of the Aryan race or highly motivated troops with an incredible ‘esprit de corps’? Whatever your point of view, the military achievements of the SS Soldiers were without parallel in WW2. That others wore the same uniform as they tended the camps and satisfied the despicable agendas of the Nazi party has, in many ways, tarnished the Waffen-SS. None the less, they have their own crimes to pay for, as do all who wore a uniform in WW2, for no side came away with clean hands.

Walther P38: German 9mm semi-automatic pistol with an eight round magazine.

Wehrmacht: The German Army

Yakolev-9: Soviet single-seater fighter aircraft that was highly respected by the Luftwaffe.

Zilant: Legendary creature in Russian folklore somewhat like a dragon

ZIS3: 76.2mm anti-tank gun in Soviet use.

Extras available on the website www.redgambitseries.com

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About the Author

Colin Gee was born on 18th May 1957 in Haslar Naval Hospital, Gosport, UK, spending the first two years of his life at the naval base in Malta.

His parents divorced when he was approaching three years of age and he went to live with his grandparents in Berkshire, who brought him up.