German Military Abbreviations - LES LUFTEAUX

..CIAL SERIES, NO. 12

APRIL 12, Ita

J-ERMAN MILITARY ABBREVIATIONS

PREPARED BY

IJUTAlY INTB.LIGENCE SERVICE

WAR DEPARTMENT

l\fILITARY INTELLIGENCE SERVICE

WAR D~:PARTMENT

WASHlNGTON, April 12, 1943

SPECIAL SERIES, No. 12 MIS 461

NOTICE

1. Publication of Special Series is for thp, purpose of providing officers wit.h reasonably confirmed information from official and other reliahle sourc('s. t. Nondivisional units are being supplied with copies 011 a basis Rimilar to the approved distrihution for divisional commands, as follows:

INFANTRY DIVISION

CA VAI.RY DIVISION

ARMORED DIVISION

DivHq

8 Div Hq

8 Div Hq

II

RcnTr

2 Ord Co

2 Ren nn

Big Co

2 Sig Tr

2 Engr Bn

Engr Bn

7 Ren Sq

7 Ml',l Hn

Med Bn

7 Engr Sq

7 Maint Bn

QM CO

7 !\fpd Sq

7 Sup nn

Hq In! R!'gt, 6 each

18 (~M Sq

7 Div Tn Uq

8

In! Bn, 7 paeh

63 Uq Cay Brig. 3 psch

6 Arm,1 Rpgt. 2., pa('h

50

Hq Div Arty

8 Cay Regt, 20 paeh

80 FA Bn, 7 paC'll

21

FA Bn, 7 I,ach

28 Hq Div Arty

;{ IlIr Regt

25

FA Bn, 7l'aeh

21

150

150

1 flO

Distribution to air units is being made hy the Assistant Chief of Air Staff, Intelligence, Army Air Forces. 3. Each command should circulate available copies among its officers. Reproduction within the military service is permitted provided the source is stated, and the information is safeguarded . ... Readers are invited to comment on the usc that they are making of thifl publication and to forward suggestions for future issuPR. Sllch eorreHpolldence may be addressed directly, to the Dissemination Unit, Military Intelligence Service, \,yar Department, WaHhingtoTl, D. C.

Other publications of the ;\lilitary Intelligence Service include: Tartir;al (Lnd Technical Trends (biweekly); Intelligence Bulletin (monthly) ; Military Report,~ on the United Nations (monthly).

RequestR for additional copicH of all publications of the ~vl iJitary Intelligence Service should be forwarded through channels for approval.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section 1. INTRODUCTION

1. GENERAL

_____________ ___________

2. PRINCIPU:i-iOFFoR:\IATION_ _______________ 3. SCll!'!;: OF THIi-i DWTIO!'iAHY _______

4. ORGANIZATION OF THIS DICTIONARY

Pllge

1 2 3 4

Section II. ABBREVIATIONS ___________ _ Section fIf. EXAMPLES_ _ __ _ __________ __________ ____ _. _

III

Section I. INTRODUCTION

1. GENERAL

Perhaps to a greater extent than any other arnlY, the German Armed Forces employ military abbreviations on their maps and charts, on task force tables of organization, . on direction and location sign posts in combat zones, on field orders, and, in short, in every case where abbreviations may possibly be used. These abbreviations are often used in connection with military symbols (see ! German Military Symbols, January 1943, Military Intelli. gence Service). A thorough knowledge of both abbreviations and symbols is therefore essential to nlilitary personnel engaged in the interpretation of captured documents.

There is no "easy road to knowledge" iIi regard to these military abbreviations. Many words are abbreviated in more than one manner, sometimes in the course of a single document. Individual conunanders frequently improvise abbreviations, which will be understandable fr0111 the context to the German officer reading them, but may cause considerable difficulty to the non-Gerrnan. A

1

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GERMAN MILITARY ABBREVIATIONS

thorough foundation in the German language is useful, but not infallible, in determining the meaning of a particular abbreviation-guessing, in this, as in all military intelligence work, is dangerous.

2. PRINCIPLES OF FORMATION

While the Germans do not follow any com~istent procedure in abbreviating, the following tendencies can be observed:

a. Whenever possible the Germans keep enough of the original word structure to make the abbreviation a recognizable skeleton of the word for which it stands. An example is abkdrt. for abkommandiert.

b. Another common tendency is to lop off syllables of the word being abbreviated; the degree to which this is carried depends on the writer's haste and the amount of comprehension he expects in the reader. Here also the Germans attempt to leave enough of the distinctive structure of the word to give the reader a clue. The word Befehlshaber, for instance, can be abbreviated Befhb., BeJh., or B.

c. In the case of compound words, the Germans often, make an abbreviation by taking elements or initial letters from each of the component parts. An example is KJz. for Kraftfahrzeug.

d. Sometimes this procedure results in a pronounceable combination of letters, and the abbreviation gains currency as a word. Flak for Flugzeugabwehrkanone, Gestapo for Gehe:ime Staatspolizei, and Stuka for SturzkampJllugzeug are familiar examples.

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