British and Dominion Air Forces – Glossary and Abbreviations

Abbreviation	Meaning
AAC	Anti-Aircraft Co-operation
AACU	Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit
A&AEE	Aeroplane and Armamanets Experimental Establishment
AAF	Auxiliary Air Force
AAP	Air Ammunition Park
AAS	Air Armaments School
AASF	Advanced Air Striking Force
AAU	Aircraft Assembly Unit
AC	Army Cooperation
ACD	Airmen's Convalescent Depot
ACS&MB	Aviation Candidate Selection and Medical Board
ACU	Army Cooperation Unit
ADF	Aircraft Delivery Flight
ADGB	Air Defence of Great Britain (= Fighter Command)
ADLS	Air Delivery Letter Service
ADRU	Air Despatch and Reception Unit
AEAF	Allied Expeditionary Air Force
AF&O	Aviation Fuel and Oil
AFDU	Air Fighting Development Unit
AI	Airborne Interception
AID	Aeronautical Inspection Directorate
AIO	Aeronautical Inspection Officer
ALG	Advanced Landing Ground
AM	Air Ministry
AMCS	Air Ministry Communication Staff
AMES	Air Ministry Experimental Station (i.e. radar station)
ANS	Air Navigation School
AOC	Air Officer Commanding
AONS	Air Observer Navigation School
AOP	Air Observation Post
AOS	Air Observers School
APC	Armament Practice Camp
ARD	Aircraft Repair Depot
AR & MU	Aircraft Repair and Maintenance Unit
ARU	Aircraft Repair Unit
ASP	Air Stores Park
ASU	Aircraft Storage Unit
ASR	Air Sea Rescue
ATSU	Air Transportable Signal Unit
ATDU	Airborne Torpedo Development Unit. Also known as: Air Torpedo Development Unit Torpedo Development Unit
ATTDU	Air Transport Tactical Development Unit
AVG	American Volunteer Group (in the Chinese Army Air Force)
Avn	Aviation
B	Bomber
BAAF	British Air Forces in France
BAGS	Bombing & Gunnery School
BAS	Blind Approach School
BAT&DU	Blind Approach Training and Development Unit Redesignated Wireless Intelligence Development Unit (WIDU) 30.09.40
BAT	Blind Approach Training (up to late 42) Beam Approach Training (as of late 42)
B.(D)T.F.	Bomber (Defence) Training Flight
BR	Bomber Reconnaissance
BS	Bomber Support
BVAF	Burma Volunteer Air Force
C & M	Care and Maintenance
CAC	Coast Artillery Cooperation
CACU	Coast Artillery Cooperation Unit
CAEU	Casualtiy Air Evacuation Unit
CAF	Citizen Air Force (reserve)
Cal.	Calibration
CAS	Chief of Air Staff
CEO	Chief Education Officer
CF	Caostal Fighter
CFS	Central Flying School
CGS	Central Gunnery School
CH	Chain High (radar AMES Type 1)
CHL	Chain High Low (radar AMES Type 2)
COL	Chain Overseas Low (radar AMES Type 5)
Commo	Communications
CS	Coastal Strike
CSO	Chief Signals Officer
CSS	Combined Signals School
CTC	Combined Training Centre
CU	Conversion Unit
Det	Detachment
D/F	Direction Finding
D.Arm.D.	Director of Armament Development
DJAG	Deputy Judge Advocate General
E&WS	Electrical & Wireless School
EAC	Equipment Approvals Committee
EFT	Emergency Fitting Party
EFTS	Elementary Flying Training School
ETS	Equipment Training School
ETS(O)	Equipment Training School (Officers)
F	Fighter
FAA	Fleet Air Arm (Naval Aviation)
FC	Fleet Cooperation
FIS	Flying Instructors' School
FIU	Fighter Interception Unit
Fmn	Formation
F/R	Fighter Reconnaissance
FSP	Forward Staging Post
FTS	Flying Training School
FTU	Flying Training Unit
GAS	(Ground) Armament School
GCC	Group Control Centre
GCI	Ground Controlled Interception
GDIS	Ground Defence Instructors School
GDGS	Ground Defence Gunnery School
Gee	Radio (Radar) navigation. The name came from the first letter of the word "grid".
GP	General Purpose
GR	General Reconnaissance
GRU	General Reconnaissance Unit
GSE	Glider Servicing Echelon

Abbreviation	Meaning
HCU	Heavy Conversion Unit
HCVDF	Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Force
Hellenic	Royal Greek Air Force
HMT	His Majesty's Transport
HQ / Hqs	Headquarters
IAF	Indian Air Force (The "Royal" not used before 12.03.1945)
ITW	Initial Training Wing
ITS	Initial Training School
LDB	Light Day Bomber
LG	Landing Ground
LRCR	Long Range Communications Relay
LWU	Light Warning Unit
MAEE	Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment
ME	Middle East
Met	Meteorological (i.e. Weather)
MCS	Metropolitan Communications Squadron
MLD	Marineluchtvaartdienst (Navy Air Service of the Royal Dutch Navy)
MPSU	Mobile Parachute Servicing Unit
MSU	Maintenance Sub Unit
MT	Mechanical Transport
MTLRU	Mechanical Transport Light Repair Unit
MU	Maintenance Unit
MV	Motor Vessel (Merchant Vessel)
MVAF	Malaya Volunteer Air Force
NFDU	Night Fighting Development Unit
NL	Netherlands
NLEI	Netherlands East Indies
NTU	Navigation Training Unit
O&DP	Operational and Development Party
O&RTU	Operational and Refersher Training Unit
OADU	Overseas Aircraft Despatch Unit
OAPU	Overseas Aircraft Preparation Unit
OIC	Officer-in-Charge
OTU	Operational Training Unit
Payr	Paymaster
PFF	Path Finder Force
PMO	Principle Medical Officer
PMRAFNS	Princess Mary's RAF Nursing Service
PM&SU	Parachute Maintenance and Servicing Unit
PR	Photo-Reconnaissance
PRU	Photo-Reconnaissance Unit
PTC	Personnel Transit Centre
PTS	Parachute Training School
PTU	Parachute Training Unit Parachute Test Unit
PWD	Psychological Warfare Division
R&R Pty	Refuelling and Re-Arming Party
R&SU	Repair & Salvage Unit
RAF	Royal Air Force
RAAF	Royal Australian Air Force
RAAFNS	Royal Australian Air Force Nursing Service
RAE	Royal Aircraft Establsihment
RAF IPTM	RAF Institute of Pathology and Tropical Medicine
RAuxAF	Royal Auxiliary Air Force
RCAF	Royal Canadian Air Force
RCM	Radar and Radio Counter-Measures
RDF	Radio Direction Finder (Radar)
REAF	Royal Egyptian Air Force
Recon	Reconnaissance
RIAF	Royal Indian Air Force (The "Royal" as of 12.03.1945)
RM	Royal Marines
RN	Royal Navy
RNAS	Royal Naval Air Station
RNethN	Royal Netherlands Navy (also seen as RNLN)
RNZAF	Royal New Zealand Air Force
RNZAF	Royal New Zealand Air Force
RSS	Radio Servicing Section (until 21.09.40: RMU = Radio Maintenance Unit)
SAAF	South Arican Air Force
SAE	School of Aeronautical Engineering
SD	Special Duty
SFTS	Service Flying Training School
SO	Signals Office(r)
SOPT	School of Physical Training
SOTT	School of Technical Training
SOE	Special Operations Executive
SR	Strategic Reconnaissance
SRD	Service Repair Depote
SSVAF	Straights Settlements Volunteer Air Force
SSWT	Supplementary School of Wireless Training
STU	Signals Training Unit
TAMO	Transportation and Movement Office
TB	Torpedo Bomber
TCNVTS	Transport Command Night Vision Training School
TEU	Tactical Exercise Unit
TRE	Telecommunications Research Establishment
TT	Target Towing
TTU	Torpedo Training Unit
UDF	Union Defence Force (South Africa's army)
UK	United Kingdom
USAAF	United States Army Air Forces
VLA	Very Low Altitude
WAGS	Wireless Air Gunners School
WIDU	Wireless Intelligence and Development Unit
WIS	Wireless Intelligence Section
WSU	Wireless Servicing Unit
W/T	Wireless Telegraphy

British Counties
This is a listing of British counties as they were in World War II. In some cases, designations, geographic areas covered, or composition, have been changed, or even dropped, since then.
Abbreviation	County	Region
Abers.	Aberdeenshire	Scotland
Armagh	County Armagh	Northern Ireland
Ang.	Anglesey	Wales
Angus	Angus	Scotland
Antrim	County Antrim	Northern Ireland
Argyll.	Argyllshire	Scotland
Ayrs.	Ayrshire	Scotland
Banff.	Banffshire	Scotland
Beds.	Bedfordshire	England
Berks.	Berkshire	England
Bwick.	Berwickshire	Scotland
Brec.	Brecknockshire	Wales
Bucks.	Buckinghamshire	England
Bute	County of Bute (Buteshire)	Scotland
Caerns.	Caernarvonshire	Wales
Caith.	Caithness	Scotland
Cambs.	Cambridgeshire	England
Cards.	Cardiganshire	Wales
Carmar.	Carmarthenshire	Wales
Ches.	Cheshire	England
Clacks.	Clackmannanshire	Scotland
Cornwl.	Cornwall	England
Cumb.	Cumberland	England
Cumbria	Cumbria	England
Denb.	Denbighshire	Wales
Derbys.	Derbyshire	England
Derrry	County Derry (Londonderry)	Northern Ireland
Devon.	Devon(shire)	England
Dorset.	Dorset(shire)	England
Down	County Down	Northern Ireland
Dumfrs.	Dumfriesshire	Scotland
Dunb.	Dunbartonshire	Scotland
Dundee	Dundee	Scotland
Durham	Durham	England
E.Lothian	East Lothian	Scotland
Essex	Essex	England
Fermanagh	County Fermanagh	Northern Ireland
Fife	Fife	Scotland
Flints.	Flintshire	Wales
Glam.	Glamorgan	Wales
Glasgow	Glasgow	Scotland
Gloucs.	Gloucestershire	England
Hants.	Hampshire	England
Heref.	Herefordshire	England
Herts.	Hertfordshire	England
Hunts.	Huntingdonshire	England
Inverness.	Inverness-shire	Scotland
Kent	Kent	England
Kin.	Kincardineshire	Scotland
Kinross.	Kinross-shire	Scotland
Kirkbt.	Kirkcudbrightshire	Scotland
Lnrks.	Lanarkshire	Scotland
Lancs.	Lancashire	England
Leics.	Leicestershire	England
Lincs.	Lincolnshire	England
Meri.	Merionethshire	Wales
Middx.	Middlesex	England
Midl.	Midlothian	Scotland
Mon.	Monmouthshire	Wales
Montg.	Montgomeryshire	Wales
Moray	County of Moray	Scotland
Nairns.	Nairnshire	Scotland
Norfolk	Norfolk	England
Northants.	Northamptonshire	England
Northumb.	Northumberland	England
Notts.	Nottinghamshire	England
Orkneys	Orkney Islands	Scotland
Oxon.	Oxfordshire	England
Peebles.	Peeblesshire	Scotland
Pem.	Pembrokeshire	Wales
Perth.	Perthshire	Scotland
Rad.	Radnorshire	Wales
Ren.	Renfrewshire	Scotland
R.&C.	Ross and Cromarty	Scotland
Roxb.	Roxburghshire	Scotland
Rutland	Rutland	England
Sel.	Selkirkshire	Scotland
Shetlands	Shetland Islands	Scotland
Shrops. (Salop.)	Shropshire	England
Somst. (Somset.)	Somersetshire	England
Staffs.	Staffordshire	England
Stirl.	Stirlingshire	Scotland
Suffolk	Suffolk	England
Surrey	Surrey	England
Sussex	Sussex	England
Suth.	Sutherland	Scotland
Tyrone	County Tyrone	Northern Ireland
Warks.	Warwickshire	England
W.Lothian	West Lothian	Scotland
Westm.	Westmorland	England
Wigs.	Wigtownshire	Scotland
Wilts.	Wiltshire	England
Worcs.	Worcestershire	England
Yorks.	Yorkshire	England

Australian States & Territories
ACT	Australian Capital Territory
NSW	New South Wales
NT	Northern Territory
Qld.	Queensland
SA	South Australia
Tas.	Tasmania
Vic.	Victoria
WA	Western Australia

Canadian Provinces and Territories
Alb.	Alberta
BC	British Columbia
Man.	Manitoba
NB	New Brunswick
Newfld.	Newfoundland (Independent British Dominion)
NS	Nova Scotia
NWT	Northwest Territories
Ont.	Ontaria
PEI	Prince Edward Island
Queb.	Quebec
Sask.	Saskatchewan
YT	Yukon Territory

South African Provinces
This is a listing of the four South African provinces as they were in World War II. These administrative subdivisions were completely revised in 1994 and the former provinces were abolished.
CP	Cape of Good Hope
Natal	Natal
OFS	Orange Free State
Tvl.	Transvaal