A.E.F.: American Expeditionary Force
Aerodrome: Air base
Aerial Burst: Artillery shell that detonates at a certain height above the ground depending on the fuse setting. Widely used to rain shrapnel onto troops in entrenched positions.
ANZAC: Australian and New Zealand Army Corps*
Barrage: A barrier of continuous artillery or machine gun fire on a specific area.
Battalion (Regiment): A grouping of four companies (sometimes more) with a total strength of 1000 officers and men.**
Battery: An artillery section usually consisting of 4 to 6 guns of a particular type.
Bayonet Frog: A device made of either leather or webbing, depending on the country, used to secure the bayonet sheath to the belt.
B.E.F.: British Expeditionary Force.
Berm: Area at the back wall of the trench. The berm was a ledge before the parados often used to keep grenades from rolling into the trench. (see trench diagram B)***
Bleu Horizon: Service dress color of the French army adopted in 1915. The color was like a light dusty blue that was less obvious than the bright red and dark blue uniforms used by the French prior to its introduction.*
Bolt Hole (Funk Hole): a shallow excavation dug into the wall of a trench big enough for a for a single soldier used to hide from shell fire or to sleep in. (see trench diagram B)***
Bomber: A British grenade handler used extensively in trench raiding. Chosen from the unruly soldiers of the regiment who had problems with authority.
Brigade: A grouping of four battalions with a total strength of about 120 officers and 4000 NCOs and enlisted men.**
C.E.F.: Canadian Expeditionary Force.
Chlorine Gas: The first poison gas used during the war. Used in the second battle of Ypres in 1915 with terrible results. The gas attacks the mucous membranes, causing them to produce hydrochloric acid in place of mucous causing severe internal chemical burns and eventual death if not treated quickly.
Color Sergeant: British non commissioned officer whose responsibilities included attending to the regimental colors on ceremonial occasions. Basically a senior sergeant in good standing. *
Communication Trench: A system of trenches used to go to and from the front line trenches to the support trenches, for messengers to relay messages to the front line and back and for telephone wire to be strung up to the front line system. (see trench diagram A) ***
Company: A grouping of four platoons with a total strength of 240 men.**
Concussion Shell: An artillery shell that explodes on contact with an object or when it hits the ground and throws out a mass of shrapnel. This type of explosive is mainly an anti- personnel shell which was used by both sides but widely by the British Army.
Corps: A grouping of two divisions with a total strength of approximately 1200 officers and 36,000 NCOs and enlisted men. **
Creeping Barrage: A creeping barrage was intended to suppress the enemy long enough to enable one’s own troops to occupy his position. The trick was to act in the brief interval between the lifting of the barrage and the return of the enemy. Troops were trained to walk literally into the barrage as it lifted or moved. *
Cordite: The main British service explosive of World War I. *
Digger: Slang name for an Australian infantryman. *
Division: A grouping of three rifle brigades and supporting artillery and supply units with a total strength of 600 officers and 18,000 NCOs and enlisted men. **
Doughboy: Slang name for a U.S. infantryman. *
Fascine: A long bundle of brushwood or similar material, firmly bound together, used in filling up trenches and ditches, constructing batteries, or reinforcing a defensive line. *
Field Gray (feldgrau): Service color of the German army introduced in 1910. *
Fire Step: A raised way, running the length of the inside of the parapet or the bottom of the trench, on which soldiers stand to fire at the enemy. (see trench diagram B) ***
Forage: Feed for horses and mules used for cavalry and artillery purposes. *
Fusilier: Type of British infantry taking its name from the elite infantry regiments of old. Usually considered light infantry.
High Explosive Shell: An artillery shell that detonates after it has penetrated an object or the ground with a very high explosion. This type of shell was used to destroy bunkers and earthworks and was by far the most widely used artillery shell of the war.
Hussar: Light cavalryman of the German or French Army. In rare cases, some of the British cavalry units were referred to as hussars. *
Khaki: Service color of the British, Territorial, and U.S. army. *
K.R.R.C.: Kings Royal Rifle Corps of the British army.
Lancer: British cavalryman. After the switch to trench warfare, the lancers took up an infantry role.
Listening Post: A forward position usually set beyond the barbed wire tangles for closer observation of the enemy, overhearing enemy conversation or tapping phone lines. (See Trench Diagram A) ***
Logistics: The art of moving and quartering troops, and especially of supplying them. *
Lyddite: A high explosive widely used in World War I. *
Mills Bomb: British Hand Grenade. *
M.G.C.: Machine Gun Corps of the British army.
Mortar: A short range ordnance piece used to shell enemy positions in saturation attacks. *
Mustard Gas: Poison gas first used by the Germans at Ypres in 1917. The gas, dichloroethyl sulphide, attacked the mucous membranes, lung tissue, and the eyes causing severe conjunctivitis. Also referred to as “Yellow Cross.” *
No Man’s Land: The area between the two front lines. No man’s land was a barren wasteland of barbed wire tangles, shell craters, debris, and bodies. (see trench diagram A) ***
N.C.O.: Non commissioned officer. Sergeant-Majors, sergeants and corporals are all NCOs.
Ordnance: The general term for the great guns used for military purposes requiring carriages or mountings. *
Parados: Raised earth behind the rear trench wall used to help diffuse the shock of high explosives going off behind the line. (see trench diagram B) ***
Parapet: A defense of raised soil of rocks in front of a trench line used to cover troops from enemy observation and fire. (see trench diagram B) ***
Phosgene Gas: A refined form of chlorine gas that was practically odorless making it more lethal. Also known as “Green Cross.” *
“Plum Puddings”: A high explosive stokes mortar round. *
Poilu: Slang name for a French infantryman. *
Quartermaster: The officer in charge of supply and setting camp for a regiment. *
R.A.F.: Royal Air Force. Originally the R.F.C. The name was changed in late 1917.
Ranging: Gunnery term dealing with calculating elevation at which a shell will hit a certain target. *
Re-entrant: the part of a fort that angles inward toward the center of the fort. *
Redoubt: A small field work, usually square or polygonal in form, used as an outlying defense of a more strongly defended fortified position. *
Revetment: A retaining wall supporting the sides of the trench. Made of lumber planks, tin sheets, or whatever could be found. (see trench diagram B) ***
R.F.A.: Royal Field Artillery of the British Army which was responsible for using all types of artillery available to the British Army.
R.F.C.: Royal Flying Corps of the British Army.
R.G.A.: Royal Garrison Artillery of the British Army which used medium sized artillery pieces.
R.S.M.: Regimental Sergeant Major of the British army. The highest NCO of the regiment.
Stand to: Highest state of military alert where all troops were to be ready for immediate action with weapons at the ready. *
Stick Grenade: German hand grenade which was attached to a stick for easier throwing.
Stokes Gun: British light trench mortar that could fire a 10 pound projectile up to 1200 meters. Its bombs were often called Toffee Apples and Plum Puddings. *
Storm Troops: Assault troops that raided trenches first following a barrage, especially a creeping barrage. Widely used by the German army. *
Subaltern: A commissioned officer of the British army under the rank of captain. 2nd and 1st Lieutenants were called subalterns. *
Sap: A tunnel used to approach the enemy positions to plant high explosives unobserved. ***
Sapper: Soldiers used to dig the tunnels. Most of them were miners in the civilian world before the war. Considered one of the worst jobs the army had to offer. ***
Sump: Drainage ditch at the bottom of the trench which seldom existed because of the serious mud problem faced on the Western Front. (see trench diagram B)***
Support Trench: A secondary line of defense behind the front line system also used to house the supply areas, command elements, and artillery areas of the army. (see trench diagram A)
Territorial Army: All armies under the British Empire other than the Commonwealth forces. Included were the Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, and Indian armies.
“Toffee Apple”: A high explosive stokes mortar round that resembled an apple with a stick coming out of it. *
Tommy: Slang name for a British infantryman. *
Traverse: The angles purposely built in the trenches to prevent the enemy from easily over running a trench line. Traverses were usually the sight of some of the most brutal fighting. (see trench diagram A) ***
Trench Art: The term used to describe the camouflaging pattern used on many helmets which was applied by the soldiers with whatever paint they could gain possession of. The most common colors for this were yellow, rust, and brown which were painted on in polygonal designs to mimic the shades and texture of the ravages soil of no man’s land. Many American and British units also painted on their regimental or divisional symbol as well for identification purposes.
Trench Block: A obstacle made to be placed in a trench to hinder the movement of enemy raiding parties. Trench blocks were commonly found in communications trenches. They were usually kept out of the way of movement until a trench was in danger of being overrun. If the trench was overrun, the retreating defenders would put the block in place and move to a support position. (see trench diagram A for placement, diagram C for illustration)
Trench (Duck) Board: A board placed at the bottom of the trench for easier movement in the muddy conditions of the trenches. (see trench diagram B) ***
Uhlan: German cavalryman noted for their extravagant uniforms. *
Very Light: Aerial flares used on both sides to watch enemy activity at night or to illuminate no man’s land during night attacks to maximize defensive actions. *
Wire Break:A passage system through the wire tangles used for offensive operations so that the army wouldn’t be hindered by its own wire tangles on the attack. (see trench diagram A)
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