|
-A-
-B-
Bowser - A fuel truck
-C-
Commission - Promotion to the rank of an Officer
Coned - When a master searchlight, often radar controlled,
frequently described as having a bluish beam, picked up an aircraft, other
searchlights in the area would swing onto the aircraft, thus coning it -
then flak would be poured into the cone
Cookie - A barrel shaped 4000lb bomb
Corkscrew - Evasive maneuver when attacked by night fighter - sharp
diving turn to port followed by sharp climbing turn to starboard: one of
the gunners, watching the attack, would order the pilot "Corkscrew
Go"
Crossbow - Operational code name for Allied attacks on V-1 launch
sites
-D-
Dickey flight - A training flight where a pilot not experienced on
operations or a senior officer returning to operations would go on an op
with an experienced crew as a "second dickey"
Dispersal - A frying pan shaped concrete or asphalt pad where
bombers, were parked, armed and fueled
-E-
Elsan - A chemical toilet on board the aircraft
Erk - (slang) Referred to ground crews
-F-
Fuselage - The body of an aircraft that houses the crew
-G-
Gardening - RAF code word for sea/coastal mine laying by aircraft
GEE - RAF navigational aid that could provide the navigator with a
fix from pulses transmitted by three ground stations. Range approximately
300 miles.
Gone for a Burton - (slang) Referred to a missing airman or crew
Grand Slam - A 22000lb high explosive bomb
-H-
Happy Valley - (slang) The Ruhr, much bombed and very heavily
defended
H2S - RAF bombing aid which produced a radar 'picture' of the
terrain over which the aircraft was passing.
-I-
-J-
-K-
-L-
Lorrie - A heavy truck used on base
-M-
Main Spar - A structural element of an aircraft’s wing that runs
through the fuselage
Mandrel - Airborne radar jamming device operating in the 85-135 MHz
wave band to counter the Freya early warning system, Airborne radio
swamping of the German early warning system
Monica - Radar fitted in rear of Bomber Command aircraft to provide
some early warning of night fighters; in July 1944 it was found that
Monica was being detected as a homing signal for the Luftwaffe
-N-
NAAFI - Navy, Army, Air Force Institute, a support organization
that provided comforts to commonwealth troops
-O-
OBOE - Ground-controlled radar system of blind bombing in which one
station indicated track to be followed and another the bomb release point
-P-
Path Finder Force (PFF) - Small group of aircraft which,
after finding the target, put down flares to guide the following bombers.
Port - Left side of a/c
-Q-
-R-
-S-
Serrate - RAF airborne radar used to home on the German night
fighters' Liechtenstein bomber detection equipment
Serrate sortie - Operation to locate and destroy enemy night
fighters and combined with night bomber raids. Made use of airborne radar
Sortie - One aircraft doing one trip to target and back
Starboard - The right side of the a/c as seen from pilot's seat
-T-
Tail End Charlie - (slang) A tail/rear gunner
Trailing Aerial - A cable like radio aerial that was extended and
retracted during flight
-U-
Undercarriage - Landing gear
-V-
V-E Day - Victory in Europe Day - 8th May 1945
V-J Day - Victory over Japan Day - 15th August 1945
Very Pistol - A flare gun used for signaling
-W-
Window - Strips of silver paper dropped by British aircraft to
confuse the German ground radar
-X-
-Y-
-Z-
|