Glossary

Here you'll find a linked list of terms found throughout the articles here. Click a letter to jump to that section.

A

AFV - Acronym for Armored Fighting Vehicle. A generic term covering just about any type of land combat vehicle with even a modicum of armor; including tanks, armored personnel carriers (APC), tank destroyers, self-propelled guns, etc.

Ausf - German: Ausfuhrung: Model, design. Used by the Wehrmacht for successive vehicle designations. Example: Pzkpfw IV Ausf H.

B

Bullpup - A firearms design in which the magazine and action are located behind the trigger assembly, as opposed to above or in front of same. First conceptualized by the bolt-action Thorneycroft carbine in 1901, and later made popular by such weapons as the Steyr Aug and the British »SA80/L-85 assault rifles. The design allows for a longer barrel in a more compact overall weapon, thus retaining accuracy.

C

Caliber - A measurement of bore diameter and/or length. From Wikipedia:

The length of the barrel (especially for larger guns) is often quoted in calibers. The effective length of the barrel (from breech to muzzle) is divided by the barrel diameter to give a value. As an example, the main guns of the Iowa class battleships can be referred to as 16"/50 caliber. They are 16 inches in diameter and the barrel is 800 inches long (16 × 50 = 800). This is also sometimes indicated using the prefix L/, so for example, the most common gun for the Panzer IV tank is described as a "75 mm L/48", meaning a barrel 75 mm in diameter, and 3,600 mm long [75mm x 48].

Catastrophic Kill - A Catastrophic kill, K-Kill, or complete kill refers to damage inflicted on a vehicle by a weapon that renders it both unusable and unrepairable. Typically a catastrophic kill results in the ignition of any fuel the vehicle may be carrying as well as the detonation of its ammunition resulting in an explosion. A catastrophic kill does not preclude the survival of the vehicle's crew, for example the crew of an aircraft might bail out or eject.

This type of kill is associated with the Jack-in-the-Box Effect, where a tank's turret is blown skyward due to the overpressure of an ammunition explosion.

D

E

F

Firepower Kill - A Firepower Kill or (F-kill) refers to damage inflicted by a weapon on a vehicle that destroys its weapon systems, or substantially reduces its ability to deliver weapons accurately.

Typically this term is used to refer to tanks and other armored vehicles that have their guns or missile system damaged.

FlaK - German: Flugzeugabwehrkanone (Anti-aircraft Cannon). Term used by the Wehrmacht to indicate a cannon used in an anti-aircraft role. It was primarily a designation of usage. A term also used by the allies during WWII for any anti-aircraft bursts. Today the term is used in common parlance to mean resistance or abuse, as in "Stop giving me so much flak."

G

Glacis - The upper front hull armor of a tank or other armored fighting vehicle, as well as the armored plates attached to certain artillery and machine gun pieces.

H

I

J

K

KwK - German: Kampfwagenkanone (Fighting Vehicle Cannon). Term used by the Wehrmacht to indicate a cannon mounted in a tank or tank destroyer. It was primarily a designation of usage.

L

M

Mission Kill - A Mission Kill refers to the result of an attack or damage inflicted by a weapon that does not destroy a military vehicle but results in it taking no further part in its intended mission.

An example would be a tank which becomes bogged down in terrain and cannot continue its mission, or a bomber which becomes damaged and must jettison its bombs prematurely.

Mobility Kill - A Mobility Kill or M-kill in armored warfare refers to damage inflicted by a weapon on a vehicle that immobilizes it, but does not totally destroy it, leaving the vehicle's crew able to use its weapons. Typically this term is used to refer to tanks and other armored fighting vehicles that have their engines, tracks, or running gear damaged. Because of the mobile nature of modern warfare, such a vehicle is often effectively useless on the battlefield, but it may be salvaged, repaired, and brought back into action quickly.

It is claimed the Germans lost more panzers to mobility kills from running out of fuel than of any other cause. Fuel shortage and logistics is one of the crucial bottlenecks on mechanized warfare.

N

O

P

PaK - German: Panzerabwehrkanone (Anti-armor Cannon). Term used by the Wehrmacht to indicate an un-mounted cannon used primarily in an anti-tank role. It was primarily a designation of usage.

Q

Pzkpfw - German: Panzerkampfwagen: literally "Armored battle vehicle". Designation used by the Wehrmacht for all tanks developed and used on the run-up to and during WWII. See also - Sd.Kfz

R

Roller-delayed Blowback bolt - A system perfected by Mauser technicians during and after WWII. The design uses rollers placed on the sides of the bolt which are driven against the bolt carrier extension. The result is a fast and efficient bolt movement, which is much simpler that gas-powered blowback, and therefore more reliable.

S

Sd.Kfz - German: Sonder Kraftfahrzeug: Special Purpose Vehicle. General designation used by the Wehrmacht before and during WWII for military vehicles. Example: The Tiger I was designated as Pzkpfw VI Sd.Kfz 181.

T

U

V

W

Wehrmacht - German for Defence force, name of the armed forces of Nazi-Germany from 1935 to 1945. The Wehrmacht consisted of land forces (Heer), naval (Kriegsmarine) and air forces (Luftwaffe).

X

Y

Z