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World War II Armed Forces — Orders of Battle and Organizations | Last Updated 28.03.2023 |
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World War II Armed Forces — Orders of Battle and Organizations | Last Updated 28.03.2023 |
| Abbreviation | German Term | English Term |
| A | ||
| (am) | amerikanisch | American |
| A | Armee- | Army (when next to a symbol)
A field unit, as opposed to Heer, which the general designation for the Army |
| A | Brückengerät A | Type A combat bridge equipment |
| A | Aufklärung | Reconnaissance |
| AA | – | antiaircraft |
| AAMG | – | antiaircraft machine gun |
| Abt. | Abteilung | Battalion [Note 1] |
| AHA | Allgemeines Heeresamt | General Army Office.
[The secretariat of the OKH and the Replacement Army (Ersatzheer), subordinate to the Chief of Army Equipment and Commander of the Replacement Army (Chef H Rüst u BdE). Furthermore, it incorporated the Inspectorates of the arms and the services, Army Judge Adovcate, Army Museum, and Chaplains' Section, as well responsibility for billets and training grounds.] |
| AK | Armeekorps | (Army or Field) Corps |
| ALR | Artillerie-Lehr-Regiment | Artillery Demonstration and Experimental Regiment |
| Ammo | – | Ammunition |
| AOK | Armeeoberkommando | the Headquarters of an Army |
| Armd | – | Armored |
| Arko | Artilleriekommandeur | Artillery Commander (brigade echelon artillery headquarters) |
| Art | Artillerie | Artillery |
| AT | – | antitank |
| ATG | – | antitank gun |
| ATR | antitank rifle | |
| AuE | Ausbildungs- und Ersatz | training and replacement |
| Ausb | Ausbildungs- | training |
| B | ||
| (b) | belgisch | Belgian |
| B | Brückengerät B | Type B medium combat bridge equipment |
| Battr | Batterie | Battery |
| Bb, Beob | Beobachtung | Observation |
| BDB | 'Brandenburg' | unit of the Abwehr (military intelligence) |
| BdE | Befehlshaber des Ersatzheeres | Commander-in-Chief of the Replacement Army |
| BdO | Befehlshaber der Ordnungpolizei | Regional Commander of uniformed police (Orpo) |
| Befh | Befehlshaber | Commander |
| Befh HG or Berück | Befehlshaber rückwärtiges Heeresgebiet | Commander of Army Group Rear Area Security |
| Bn | – | Battalion |
| bo | bodenständig | static |
| Brig | Brigade | Brigade |
| Btl, Batl | Bataillon | Battalion |
| Bty | – | Battery |
| B.u.G. | Betriebsstoff und Gerät | Bulgarian |
| Bulg | – | Bulgarian |
| C | ||
| C | Brückengerät C | light combat bridge equipment |
| cc | – | cross-country |
| Ch H Rüst u BdE | Chef Heeresrüstung und Befehlshaber des Ersatzheeres | Chief of Army Equipment and Commander-in-Chief of the Replacement Army |
| Co | – | Company |
| Col | – | Column |
| D | ||
| (d) | dänisch | Danish |
| D | Division(s-) | Divisional (when next to a symbol) |
| Decon | – | Decontamination |
| Det | – | Detachment |
| Dinafü | Divisionsnachschubführer | Division service commander |
| Div | Division | Division |
| DR, DRB | Deutsche Reichsbahn | German National Railroad |
| Dulag | Durchgangslager | P.O.W. processing camp |
| Dö | Deutschösterreichisch | German-Austrian |
| E | ||
| (e) | englisch | English |
| (E) | Eisenbahn | railroad |
| E, Eisb | Eisenbahn | railroad |
| E-Bttr. | Eisenbahn-Artillerie-Batterie | railroad gun |
| E, Ers | Ersatz | replacement |
| EM | – | Enlisted Man |
| Engr | – | Engineer |
| Entg, Entgiff | Entgiftung(s-) | decontamination |
| F | ||
| (f), (fr) | französisch | French |
| F.A.D. | Feldausbildungsdivision | Field Training Division |
| Fest | Festung(s-) | Fortress |
| FFK | Feld-Fern-Kabelbau | Field Trunk Wire Construction |
| FH | Feldhaubitze | field howitzer |
| Fhr | Führer | Leader, Commander, Chief Officer |
| FK | Feldkabel | field cable |
| FK | Feldkanone | field gun |
| FK | Feldkommandantur | Military Government Field Commandant
(regiment or brigade echelon headquarters) |
| Fkl | Funklenk | radio-controlled |
| FL | Fernleit | remote-controlled |
| Fla | Fliegerabwehr | antiaircraft |
| Flak | Flugabwehrkanone | antiaircraft gun |
| Flak | – | the Luftwaffe anti-aircraft forces |
| FNK | Feld-Nachrichten-Kommandant | Field Signal Commandant |
| FR | Fernrakete | long distance rocket (V2) |
| Frhr. | Freiherr | Baron |
| Fs | Fallschirm | Parachute / Airborne |
| Füs | Füsilier | Infantry |
| G | ||
| (g) | griechisch | Greek |
| G, Gesch | Geschütz | gun, cannon |
| Geb | Gebirg(s-) | mountain |
| gem | gemischter | mixed |
| GenPi HGr | General der Pioniere einer Heeresgruppe | General Commanding Railroad Engineer Troops of an Army Group |
| GFP | Geheimefeldpolizei | Secret Military Police |
| GHQ | – | General Headquarters, non-divisional |
| GK | Gebirgskanone | mountain gun |
| gp, gep | gepanzert | armored |
| Gr | Gruppe | Group, Force |
| Gren | Grenadier | Infantry |
| GruKodeis | Gruppenkommandeure der Eisenbahntruppen bei einer Heeresgruppen | Commander of the Army Group Railroad Engineer Troops |
| GSO | (Beamte) | Government Service Official (civilian employed by the military) |
| H | ||
| (h) | holländisch | Dutch (Netherlands) |
| H | Herbert-Gerät | box girder floating bridge equipment |
| H, Haub | Haubitze | (gun-) howitzer |
| H- | Heere(s-) | The Army. As distinguished from Armee, which is a field unit.
Heeres- units are General Headquarters (GHQ) units. |
| HAA | Heeres-Artillerie-Abteilung | GHQ Artillery Battalion |
| Harko | Höhere Artillerie Kommandeur | Higher Artillery Commander
(division echelon artillery headquarters) |
| Heilag | Heimkehrerlager | Transit camp for P.O.W.s awaiting to be exchanged or returned home on medical grounds |
| Hgr | Heeresgruppe | Army Group |
| HKA | Heeres-Küstenartillerie | Army Coast Artillery |
| HKAA | Heeres-Küsten-Artillerie-Abteilung | Army Coast Artillery Battalion |
| HKB | Heeres-Küstenbatterie | Army Coast Battery |
| HKAR | Heeres-Küsten-Artillerie-Regiment | Army Coast Artillery Regiment |
| HMG | – | heavy machine gun |
| Höh Kdo | Höhere Kommando | higher command (reduced strength corps headquarters) |
| Hqs | – | headquarters |
| HSSPF | Höhere SS und Polizeiführer | Higher SS and Police Chief |
| Hun | – | Hungarian |
| hvy | – | heavy |
| I | ||
| (i), (it) | italiänisch | Italian |
| I, Inf | Infanterie | Infantry |
| IG | Infanterie-Geschütz | infantry gun |
| Ilag | Internierungslager | Internee (Detention) Camp |
| Ital | – | Italian |
| J | ||
| (j) | jugoslavisch | Yugoslavian |
| Jg, Jäg | Jäger | Light Infantry |
| K | ||
| K | Korps(-) | Corps (when next to a symbol) |
| K, Kan | Kanone | gun |
| Kdo | Kommando | command |
| Kdt | Kommandant | Commandant |
| Kdtr | Kommandantur | Headquarters or Station |
| Kfz. | Kraftfahrzeug | motor vehicle |
| KGr | Kampfgruppe | temporary combat group |
| KK | Kettenkrad | 0.5-ton halftrack (halftracked motorcycle) |
| kl | klein | small, light |
| Kodeis | Kommandeur der Eisenbahntruppen | Commander of the Railroad Engineer Troops |
| Kol | Kolonne | Column |
| Korück | Kommandant des rückwärtiges Armeegebiet | Commandant of Army Rear Area Security |
| Kp | Kompanie | Company |
| KrK | Kreis-Kommandantur | Military Government Area Commandant
(battalion echelon headquarters) |
| (kroat) | kroatisch | Croatian |
| KStN | Kreigsstärkenachweisung | War Footing Table of Organization |
| KVA | Küstenverteidigungsabschnitt | coastal defence zone |
| KVGr | Küstenverteidigungsgruppe | coastal defence group, a sub-sector subordinate to a Küstenverteidigungsabschnitt |
| KVUGr | Küstenverteidigungsuntergruppe | coastal defence sub-group, a sub-sector subordinate to a Küstenverteidigungsgruppe |
| kz | kurz | short |
| L | ||
| l, le, lei | leicht | light |
| L, Lw, (L) | Luftwaffe | German Air Force [But see also 'Ldw' below] |
| Ldw, Lw | Landwehr | Militia (3rd Reserve) [But see also 'L' above] |
| lg | lang | long |
| LG | Leichtgeschütz | recoilless gun |
| Lehr | demonstration and experimental unit | |
| Li | Lichtmess | flash ranging |
| LL | Luftlande | Air Landing |
| LMG | – | light machine gun |
| LS, Ls | Landesschützen | Militia, used as guard and watch units |
| LSSAH | 'Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler' | Waffen-SS unit |
| lt | – | light |
| LZ | Leicht Zerlegbares Brückengerät | heavy combat bridge equipment. The "leicht" refers to the ease of assembling and disassembling the bridge. |
| M | ||
| M, Mörs | Mörser | (heavy) howitzer |
| m | mittlere | medium |
| MAA | Marine-Artillerie-Abteilung | Land-based Navy artillery battalion |
| MB | Militärbefehlshaber | Army Military Commander |
| mcl | – | motorcycle |
| mcl w/sc | – | motorcycle with side car |
| med | – | medium |
| MG | Maschinengewehr | machine gun |
| Mil.Gov.Comdt. | – | Military Government Commandant |
| MKW | Mannschaftskraftwagen | motorized personnel carrier |
| mot | motorisiert | motorized |
| MKB | Marine-Küsten-Batterie | Land-based Navy coast artillery battery |
| mot S | motorisierter Selbstfahrlafette | self-propelled carriage |
| mot Z | motorisierter Zug | motor towed |
| MTW | Mannschaftstransportwagen | armored personnel carrier |
| N | ||
| (n) | norwegisch | Norwegian |
| Nachr | Nachrichten | Signal(s) |
| Nachsch | Nachschub- | Supply |
| Nbl | Nebel | smoke |
| Nbl Tr | Nebeltruppen | Rocket-Launcher Troops |
| Nbl W | Nebelwerfer | rocket launcher |
| NCO | – | Non-Commissioned Officer |
| O | ||
| (ö) | österreichisch | Austrian |
| Ob | Oberbefehlshaber | Commander-in-Chief |
| OB | – | Order of Battle |
| ObdH | Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres | Commander-in-Chief of the Army |
| Off | – | Officer |
| OFK | Oberfeldkommandantur | Military Government Headquarters
(division echelon unit) |
| Oflag | Offizierslager | P.O.W. camp for officers |
| OK | Ortskommandantur | Military Government Local Commandant
(OK I=Battalion echelon) (OK II=company echelon) (OK III=company echelon) |
| OK (B) | Ortskommandantur | Military Government Local Commandant (Belgium)
(battalion echelon headquarters) |
| OKH | Oberkommando des Heeres | Army High Command |
| OKW | Oberkommando der Wehrmacht | Armed Forces High Command |
| ops | – | operation(s) |
| OR | – | Other Ranks (enlisted men, without NCO) |
| Orpo | Ordnungspolizei | Uniformed regular police. Included Safety Police (Schutzpolizei = Schupo), Gendarmerie, Traffic Police, Waterways Police, Fire Protection Police, Civilian Air Defence Police, Technical Emergency Service, and others. |
| org | – | organization |
| O.T. | Ogranisation Todt | Todt labor force |
| P | ||
| (p) | polnisch | Polish |
| Pak | Panzerabwehrkanone | anti-tank gun |
| Pi, Pion | Pionier | (Combat) Engineer, Pioneer |
| Plt | – | Platoon |
| Pol | Polizei | police |
| P.O.L. | – | petrol, oil, lubricants |
| P.O.W. | – | Prisoner(s)-of-War |
| Prop | Propaganda | propaganda |
| Pz, Panz | Panzer | tank, armor |
| Pz-Bef | Panzerbefhelwagen | command tank |
| PzGren | Panzergrenadier | motorized infantry |
| PzGren (gp) | Panzergrenadier (gepanzert) | armored infantry |
| R | ||
| (r) | russisch | Russian |
| R.A.D. | Reichsarbeitsdienst | German National Labor Service |
| RB | Reichsbahn | German National Railways |
| Recon | – | Reconnaissance |
| Res | Reserve | reserve |
| RF-SS | Reichsführer-SS | Reichs Leader of the SS; also title of an Waffen-SS unit |
| Rgt | Regiment | Regiment |
| RHG | Rückwärtiges Heeresgebiet | Army Group Rear Area (Zone-of-Communications) |
| RK | Reichskommisariat | civilian-administered occupied territory |
| RL | – | rocket launcher |
| RSO | Raupenschlepper Ost | fully tracked load carrier |
| (rum) | rumänisch | Rumanian |
| S | ||
| (s) | schwedisch | Swedish |
| (S) | Schützen | Motorized or armored infantry organized under the Panzertruppen Inspectorate. |
| s, schw | schwer | heavy |
| Sch | Schallmess | sound ranging |
| Schn | Schnell | mobile, fast |
| Schupo | Schutzpolizei | Safety Police. Regular urban uniformed police |
| Sd | Sonder | special |
| Sd Kfz | Sonder-Kraftfahrzeug | special military motor vehicle |
| Sec | – | Security |
| Sect | – | Section |
| Sf | selbstfahr | self-propelled |
| SF | Siebel-Fähre | Siebel ferry |
| sF | schwere Fähre | heavy ferry |
| Sfl | Selbstfahrlafette | self-propelled carriage |
| Sich | Sicherheit(s-) | Security |
| Slov | – | Slovakian |
| SK | Seekommandant | (Naval) Coast Defence Commander |
| SK | Schiffskanone | naval gun, (usually followed by year designed) |
| SKC | Schiffskanone + Constructionsjahr/... | naval gun + year designed (This was also spelled as "Konstruktionsjahr") |
| SKL | Schiffskanone Lang | naval gun, long |
| SMG | – | sub machine-gun |
| SP, SP'd | – | self-propelled |
| SPW | Schützenpanzerwagen | armored personnel carrier |
| Sqd | – | Squad |
| Sqdn | – | Squadron |
| sS | schweres Schiffbrückengerät | Heavy railroad combat bridge equipment |
| SS | Waffen-SS | Nazi party military arm |
| SS-DR | 'Das Reich' | Waffen-SS unit |
| SS-T | 'Totenkopf' | Waffen-SS unit |
| SS-W | 'Wiking' | Waffen-SS unit |
| ss, sw | schwerste | super heavy |
| St, Stb | Stab | staff when referring to the personnel headquarters when referring to the unit |
| St | Stellungs- | static, permanent, entrenched, siege |
| Stalag | (Mannschafts-) Stammlager | P.O.W. camp for enlisted men |
| StK | Stadtkommandantur | Military Government City Commandant |
| Strass | Strassen- | road |
| – | Sturm- | assault |
| StuGesch (StuG) | Sturmgeschütz | (self-propelled) assault gun |
| StuHaub (StuH) | Sturmhaubitze | (self-propelled) assault howitzer |
| StuPz | Sturmpanzer | assault tank (self-propelled, armored heavy infantry gun) |
| T | ||
| (t) | tschechisch | Czech |
| T | Brückengerät T | combat bridge equipment of former Czech army |
| TbK (aka Tbts K) | Torpedobootskanone | motor torpedo boat naval gun |
| TT | – | torpedo tubes |
| tele | – | telephone |
| TN (TeNo) | Technische Nothilfe | Technical Emergency Service. A branch of the Orpo, i.e. the regular uniformed police. Some units militarized and subordinated to the military in occupied territories and army rear areas. |
| (trop) | tropisch | tropical (but actually meaning for use in the desert) |
| U | ||
| (u) | ungarisch | Hungraian |
| UFhr | Unterführer | non-commissioned officers |
| Uts K | Unterseebootskanone | submarine naval gun |
| V | ||
| v. | von | |
| VW | Volkswagen | light cross-country car (lit.: "People's Car") |
| V, Versorg | Versorgung(s-) | service |
| Verm | Vermessung(s-) | calibation, mapping, cartographical, survey |
| Vpfl.A. | Verpflegungsamt | Rations Distribution Office |
| W | ||
| w/ | – | with |
| w/sc | – | (motorcycle) with side car |
| w/o | – | without |
| Wa | Wacht | Watch (Military Police used for guard purposes.) |
| WB | Wehrmachtsbefehlshaber | Armed Forces Military Commander |
| Wfr | Werfer | (rocket-, grenade-) launcher |
| WK | Wehrkreis | Replacement Army's Military District
(also known as a Corps Area) |
| WLR | Werfer-Lehr-Regiment | Rocket Launcher Demonstration and Experimental Regiment |
| Z | ||
| zbV | zur besonderer Verwendung | for special purposes, for special use, special |
| z Vfg | zur Verfügung | reserves (at the disposition of) |
| Zg | Zug | Platoon |
| – | Zug | railroad train |
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NOTES:
[1] The word Abteilung has other meaings as well, for example: - Initially a Vermessungs-Abteilung was a company sized survey unit until mid-1941, when it was expanded to battalion size. - When used within the context of a headquarters, it means section. - When used within the context of military (or civilian) bureaucracies, it means department. - When used in conjunction with trains, it means compartment. |
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See also:
Military Personnal Job Descriptions Military Personnel Billet Groups, Functions, and Ranks Discussed |
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