A-2: The Military
Intelligence Section of the Air Staff.
AGWAR: Adjutant
General, War Department.
AMILCAR: General
Eisenhower's advanced command post in North Africa near Tunis.
ANVIL: Code name
for Anglo-American invasion of Southern France in August 1944.
BIGOT: This was
a classification term on highly secret documents indicating that they
should be handled and distributed to a limited number of specifically
designated personnel. In 1944 this term was used on documents dealing
with OVERLORD planning.
BODYGUARD: Deception
plan for OVERLORD. Before the assault BODYGUARD was intended to lead
the enemy to believe that the invasion would be in the Pas de Calais
area. After the assault it was intended to lead the Germans to believe
that the main assault was still to come. Later it became FORTITUDE.
BRIDGEHEAD: An area
of ground held or to be gained on the enemy's side of an obstacle.
BUSHY PARK: Location
of SHAEF Headquarters near Kingston-on-Themes on the outskirts of London.
Codename: WIDEWING.
CCS: Combined United
States and British Chiefs of Staff.
COSSAC: Chief of
Staff to the Supreme Allied Commander (Designate) and his invasion planning
staff. This staff was established to plan OVERLORD and functioned prior
to General Eisenhower's assuming the post of Supreme Allied Commander
in January 1944. COSSAC was headed by Lt. General Frederic E. Morgan,
a British officer.
D-DAY: The first
day of any military operation. June 6, 1944, the date of the assault
on the Normandy beaches, is probably the most famous D-Day and the one
with which we are concerned with in this project. The term, however,
can refer to the first day of any other military operation.
DIVISION: A major
military administrative and tactical unit or formation, which combines
in itself the necessary arms and services for sustained combat. Components
include brigades and regiments who in turn are composed of battalions,
companies, platoons, and squads. An infantry division also normally
includes attached artillery units and possibly other elements. During
World War II, infantry divisions at full strength contained slightly
over 14,000 men.
ENIGMA: The main
machine used by the Germans in World War II for encoding messages to
be transmitted by radio. ENIGMA contained a complex arrangement, which
provided an enormous number of possible encoding positions for each
letter.
FORTITUDE: Broad
plan covering deception operations in the European Theater. It was used
for OVERLORD and was intended to deceive the enemy as to the target
date and area of the assault phase of OVERLORD.
FREEDOM: Code name
for Allied Forces Headquarters in Algiers, Algeria. General Eisenhower's
combined operational command, which he held in North Africa and in Mediterranean
operations prior to becoming commander of Allied Expeditionary Force
to launch OVERLORD.
FRONT: The line
of contact of two opposing forces.
G-2: The Military
Intelligence Section of U.S. Army units.
G.C. and C.S.: The
British government's Code and Cipher School, run out of Bletchley Park,
with Sir Steward Menzies the overall head of this operation.
GOLD Beach: Code
name for Normandy beach assaulted by British XXX Corps.
JUNO Beach: Code
name for Normandy beach assaulted by Canadian 3rd Infantry.
MAGIC: Term for
combination of intelligence derived by the United States from decoding
Japanese diplomatic and naval ciphers.
MANHATTAN PROJECT:
An intensive, top-secret research project begun by the United States
in 1942 with the goal of developing an atomic weapon.
MID: The Military
Intelligence Division of the U.S. War Department.
NEPTUNE: Code name
for the invasion portion of OVERLORD: The Channel crossing, the siege
of the beachhead, and the breakout from the beachhead.
OMAHA Beach: Code
name for Normandy beach assaulted by United States Fifth Corps.
OPERATION STARKEY:
Code name for a 1943 deception plan aimed at convincing the Germans
the Allied invasion's main thrust would be at the Pas-de-Calais.
OVERLORD: Code name
for invasion of Northwest Europe in spring of 1944 by the Allies. It
covered the entire operation, air, sea, and ground.
PWB: Psychological
Warfare Branch of the Information and Censorship Section of Allied Force
Headquarters.
SGS: The Secretary
of the General Staff of SHAEF.
SHAEF: Supreme Headquarters,
Allied Expeditionary Force. General Eisenhower was the Supreme Allied
Commander, 1944-1945.
SWORD Beach: Code
name for Normandy beach assaulted by the British Third Infantry.
TELEGRAPH HOUSE:
Secluded home in London suburb on Kingston Hill where General Eisenhower
set up his personal headquarters. Near SHAEF headquarters at Bushy Park.
TROOPERS: Code name
for cable address of British War Office.
ULTRA: Intelligence
derived by the British from decoding and reading German radio communications
enciphered in high-level German cipher systems.
USFOR: The United
States Forces. Often USFET for United States Forces European Theater.
UTAH Beach: Code name for Normandy Beach assaulted by U.S. VII Corps
on June 6, 1944.
