# Weapons and Warfare (C-F)

see "M4"

Caesar Line
In the Second World War, the Caesar Line was the last German line of defence in Italy before Rome, extending from the west coast near Ostia, over the Alban Hills south of Rome, via Valmontone to Avezzano – about half-way across the country. When it was breached by the US 5th Army on the 30th of May 1944 the road to Rome was finally opened.

Calibre
Calibre is the nominal diameter of a projectile of a rifled firearm or the diameter between lands in a rifled barrel. In the USA it is usually expressed in hundreds of an inch; in Great Britain in thousandths; in Europe and elsewhere in millimetres.

Caliver
A caliver was an early form of hand-gun, musket or arquebuse. It was lighter than the musket, and thus had the advantage of being fired without the need for a rest and much more rapidly. By 1600 the caliver seems to have been superseded by the musket.

Caltrop
Caltrops were small iron balls with projecting spikes used in medieval warfare. The ground over which an enemy was expected to advance was thickly strewn with caltrops with the effect that advancing horses or bare-footed infantry were quickly disabled by the spikes penetrating their feet. Caltrops were also used by the colonists of New England who placed them around their villages as a precaution against Indian attack.

Cameronians
The Cameronians were a British army unit raised in 1668 among the Covenanters by Richard Cameron. In 1826 the regiment was renamed the 26th Foot. In 1881 they were joined by the 90th Light Infantry are renamed the Scottish Rifles.

CAP
CAP is an abbreviation for Chlor-aceto-phenone, a tear gas used during the Second World War. It had a smell faintly of floor polish. It caused pain in the eyes, a copious flow of tears, spasms of the eyelids and irritation of shaved skin.

Carabiniers
Carabiniers was once the name for all British regiments of light horse. In France the name was given to soldiers armed with carbines and formed into special cavalry companies. The name was abolished in France in 1870.

Carbine
A carbine is a rifle with a relatively short barrel.

Carbo-Dynamite
Carbo-Dynamite is a powerful explosive of the nitro-glycerine class, invented by Reid and Borland in 1888.

Carcass
A carcass was an iron case, with several apertures, filled with combustible materials, which was fired from a mortar or howitzer and intended to set fire to defences or ships.

Carronade
A carronade is a short, large calibre ship's gun. It was invented in 1759 by General Melville, who called it a 'smasher'. It entered service with the British navy in 1779 and was manufactured at the Carron ironworks in Stirling, from whence it got the name 'Carronade'.

Cartel
A cartel is an unarmed ship commissioned in time of war to exchange prisoners of any two hostile powers, or to carry proposals from one to another.

Carthoun
The carthoun (cannon royal) was a cannon carrying a 48 lb shot.

Cartridge
Cartridge is a term applied to compact ammunition consisting of two main portions; the case and the projectile.

Case-shot
Case-shot was an early form of shrapnel shell. Small iron balls were put into a cylindrical box (called a canister) that just fits the bore of the gun. The shell was then fired like any other projectile.

Casemate
A casemate is a vaulted chamber within a fortress wall with embrasures for defence, and more recently it describes the armoured enclosure in which warship guns are mounted with embrasures through which they fire.

Castle
A castle (from the Latin castellum, meaning fortress) was a stone defensive building. The concept of castles was introduced to the British by the Normans and replaced the earlier Saxon burh. The castle underwent many changes, its size, design, and construction being largely determined by changes in siege tactics and the development of artillery. Outstanding examples are the 12th-century Krak des Chevaliers, Syria (built by crusaders); 13th-century Caernarvon Castle in Wales; and the 15th-century Manzanares el Real in Spain. The main parts of a typical castle are the keep, a large central tower containing store rooms, soldiers' quarters, and a hall for the lord and his family; the inner bailey or walled courtyard surrounding the keep; the outer bailey or second courtyard, separated from the inner bailey by a wall; crenellated embattlements through which missiles were discharged against an attacking enemy; rectangular or round towers projecting from the walls; the portcullis, a heavy grating which could be let down to close the main gate; and the drawbridge crossing the ditch or moat surrounding the castle. Sometimes a tower called a barbican was constructed over a gateway as an additional defensive measure. Early castles (11th century) consisted of an earthen hill (motte) surrounded by wooden palisades enclosing a courtyard (bailey). The motte supported a wooden keep. Later developments substituted stone for wood and utilised more elaborate defensive architectural detail. After the introduction of gunpowder in the 14th century, castles became less defensible and increases in civil order led to their replacement by unfortified manor houses by the 16th century. Large stone fortifications became popular again in the 18th century, particularly those modelled after the principles of fortification introduced by the French architect Vauban, and were built as late as the first half of the 19th century. In the late 19th century, castle-like buildings were built as
for the wealthy as part of the Romantic revival in Europe and America.

Catalan Grand Company
The Catalan Grand Company was a troop of soldiers raised by Roger di Flor around 1303. They numbered 8000 men of different nationalities and fought with Emperor Andronicus II against the Turks. They were disbanded in 1315.

Catamaran
The catamaran was an experimental British torpedo created in 1804 in an attempt to destroy the French shipping at Boulogne. It consisted of a lead-lined wooden chest, having a flat top and bottom and wedge-shaped ends. It contained barrels of gunpowder and clockwork machinery, and was so weighted s to float with its surface flush with that of the water. It had to be towed to its destination.

Cateran
A cateran was a Highland irregular soldier or raider.

Catrail
A catrail is an earthwork with double ramparts and forts. They are still to be found in parts of Scotland and are believed to pre-date the Roman invasion.

Cei-Rigotti
The Cei-Rigotti automatic rifle is an Italian gas operated rifle developed in the 1890s. It takes a 6.5 mm round from a 25-round box. It has a muzzle velocity of 730 m/s and is sighted to 1400m. The cyclic rate is 900 rpm.

Centre-fire
Centre-fire refers to a cartridge with its primer located in the centre of the base of the case.

Centuria
A centuria was a subdivision of a Roman Legion, consisting of 100 men under the command of a Centurion.

Centurion
In the Roman army, a Centurion was the commander of a subdivision of a Roman Legion, which consisted of 100 men, and was called a centuria.

Centurion Tank
The Centurion Tank was a British tank developed in 1943 which continued in production until 1962. It was originally armed with a 17-pounder main gun, then with a 20-pounder gun and finally with the 105 mm L7A2 gun. It carried a crew of 4, and was protected by armour plate 152 mm thick on the turret front, 76 to 118 mm thick on the hull front depending upon the model and 38 mm to 51 mm thick on the sides and rear. The Centurion Tank had a top speed of 34.6 kmph and a range of 190 km. In the 1960's the Centurion Tank was replaced by the Chieftan Tank as Britain's MBT.

Cestus
The cestus was a leather thong bound around the hand. It was covered with knots, and often loaded with lead and iron. The Roman origin of the modern-day knuckle duster.

CFV
CFV is an abbreviation for cavalry fighting vehicle.

Chaco War
The Chaco War was between Bolivia and Paraguay from 1932 to 1935 over boundaries in the north of Gran Chaco. It was settled by arbitration 1938.

Chaffee tank
see "m24 Chaffee"

Chain-shot
Chain-shot was two cannon balls joined by a chain which when fired from a cannon revolved upon the shorter axis and were hence effective for mowing down masts and rigging.

Chamber (firearm)
The chamber is the rear part of the barrel that is formed to accept the cartridge to be fired. A revolver employs a multi-chambered rotating cylinder separated from the stationary barrel.

Chaparral
see "M48"

Char B1
The Char B1 was a French tank used during the Second World War. It was made by Renault along similar lines to the American M3 Lee. It had a fully traversing turret and was armed with a 47 mm main gun and a heavy 75 mm gun mounted in the right-hand side of the hull front. It had armour up to 60 mm thick and a top speed of 28 kmph provided by a 307 bhp engine and a range of 150 km.

Char D2
The Char D2 was a French tank manufactured by Renault and used by the French army during the Second World War. It was similar to the Char B1, but without a 75 mm hull mounted gun. It was crewed by three men and weighed 20 tonnes. It had armour up to 40 mm thick and a top speed of 22 kmph and a range of 130 km.

Chassepot
The Chassepot was a French, bolt action, needle fire rifle invented by Antoine Chassepot and manufactured by Imperiale during the 1860s. It was adopted as standard by the French army in 1866 and remained the standard until 1874. It had an effective range of 400m.

Chassepot Rifle
The Chassepot Rifle was a breech loading rifle adopted by the French infantry in 1866, but given up by the turn of the century. It was a modified needle-gun named after its inventor Alphonse Chassepot.

Chasseurs
Chasseurs was a name given to various sections of light infantry and cavalry in the French service.

Chausses
Chausses were originally thickly-padded trousers, but the term later was applied to chain-mail covering the legs and feet.

Chesapeake
The Chesapeake was an American frigate which on June 1st 1813 sailed out of Boston harbour and battled with the English frigate Shannon. The Chesapeake was boarded and captured by the crew of the Shannon.

Cheshire Regiment
The 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment was raised in 1689 on the Roodee, Chester for service under William III. It next served in its home county in 1988. During the intervening 300 years, it has spent much time on garrison duty in the Empire. It has a tradition of having had a detachment at Dettingen. There it won the distinction of wearing the oak leaf whilst parading for Royalty and also on certain Regimental days. The story is that the 22nd protected the king, who was commanding the field, from being taken prisoner by the French. The king picked a sprig of oak from a nearby tree and presented it to them. The Regiment itself at the time was in the Mediterranean, however. The taking of Louisburg in Nova Scotia was its most famous 18th-century event; the Grenadier Company going on with Wolfe to Quebec. A 22nd Grenadier appears to have been present at the death of Wolfe along with Ensign Browne. The regiment proceeded after the Seven Years War to the West Indies and yellow fever, finally taking its place in New York for the American War. A spell in India led to the 22nd being the only English Regiment in Sir Charles Napier's force to conquer the Scinde. The great battle at Meeanee on 17 February 1843 is celebrated as the Regimental Day. The Regiment spent most of the 19th century in the Indian sub-continent or its dependencies. A 2nd Battalion was raised in 1814 for a short while and re-raised in 1858. It fought in the Boer War in South Africa in 1900. This battalion was amalgamated with the 1st at the end of World War II. In the Great War 38 battalions were raised by the Cheshire Regiment. At the outset of the war in 1914 the 1st Battalion was exposed to the brunt of two German Army Corps at the village of Audregnies near Mons. Their heroic stand saved the British Expeditionary Force from a disaster and is celebrated as a second Regimental Day on 24 August. This Battalion was in every major action in France throughout the war and won 35 Battle Honours. The Territorial and
ew (Kitchener's) Army Battalions fought in France, Gallipoli, Sinai, Palestine, Salonika and Mesopotamia. The 12th Battalion won the French Croix de Guerre. Over 8,000 officers and men gave their lives. Between the wars the two regular battalions served in India, Sudan, Palestine and Malta and became noted for their sport and athletic prowess. Just prior to the Second World War the Regiment was armed with the Vickers Machine Gun and became a Support Regiment for the duration of the war. At the outbreak of war the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th Battalions TA were re-established. A 30th Battalion (Home Defence) and 39 Home Guard battalions made up the Regimental roll. The 2nd Battalion was at Dunkirk, North Africa and Italy before returning to be part of the initial landing at Normandy. The 1st Battalion was in North Africa and Malta during the siege and finally in NW Europe. The 6th and 7th Battalions fought in Italy. Since the war the 1st Battalion has served in numerous operational areas: Malaya, Cyprus, Northern Ireland and recently in Bosnia under the United Nations. The Regiment now consists of a 1st Battalion and 3rd Battalion (Volunteer). This latter unit is once more a support battalion as history repeats itself.

Cheval de Frise
The Cheval de Frise (horse of Friesland) was the fore-runner of barbed wire entanglements used in warfare. It was a fortification comprised of timber pierced and traversed with wooden spikes pointed with iron five or six feet long and used for stopping a breach, defending a passage or making entrenchments to stop cavalry. They were first used by the Prince of Orange in the siege of Groningen, Friesland in 1594 from whence the name.

Chevy Chase
see "Battle of Otterburn"

Children's Crusade
The Fifth Crusade was led by a French boy called Stephen, and embarked from Marseilles in 1212. After a series of maritime disasters the survivors were captured and sold into slavery in Egypt.

Chloropicrin
Chloropicrin was a chemical weapon used during the Great War. It is a lethal compound which attacks the lungs and acts as a tear gas. It was first employed by Russia against the Germans in August 1916 and was subsequently used by all combatants. Also called 'nitrochloroform', it was used both in artillery and mortar projectiles and as a cloud gas. It penetrated gas-masks to cause nausea, vomiting, colic, and other ill-effects causing troops to remove their masks, and so leave them vulnerable to lethal concentrations of other gases, such as phosgene, fired simultaneously. In time, gas-masks were made impervious to it, and this, coupled with its persistence, which limited its tactical use, led to its eventual abandonment. The British also mixed it with chlorine as 'Yellow Star' gas, released from cylinders in cloud attacks.

Chobham Armour
Chobham Armour is the currently finest armour plate used on AFV. It was developed in Chobham, England.

Churchill Tank
The Churchill Tank was a British heavy tank of the Second World War. It had armour up to a thickness of 101 mm of the front of the hull and 89 mm around the turret. Early models were armed with a 2-pounder gun, later models the 6-pounder. The main variant, the Churchill IV had a top speed of 25 kmph and a range of 145 km.

City of London Imperial Volunteers
The City of London Imperial Volunteers (CIV) was a corps of citizen soldiers raised in 1899 after Sir Redvers Buller's repulse at Colenso, in the Boer War. Its formation was due to the then Lord Mayor of London, Sir Alfred J Newton. The force ultimately consisted of over 1700 officers and men, each one as he was enrolled being admitted a freeman of the city of London.

City of London Regiment
see "Royal Fusiliers"

Claymore
The claymore was originally a large two-handed double-edged sword of the Scottish Highlanders; now a basket hilted, double-edged broad-sword.

Cobra
The Cobra was a British torpedo-boat destroyer built in 1900. On September the 18th, 1901 on her voyage from Elswick to Portsmouth she was wrecked off the Lincolnshire coast, and almost immediately broke up, her shell not being strong enough to bear the weight of her machinery and armament and the force of the gale combined.

Cohort
A cohort was a division of the Roman Infantry consisting of 600 men. 10 cohorts formed a legion.

Coldstream Guards
The Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards trace their history and formation from two Regiments of the New Model Army. These ten companies were united under Colonel George Monck in 1650 and were officially known as Monck's Regiment of Foot, serving with distinction at the Battle of Dunbar in 1651. Cromwell died in the autumn of 1658 and in the following year Monck, who was the General Commander in Scotland, moved his headquarters to the town of Coldstream on the Tweed. It was from here that the Regiment gained its name. On January 1 1660, General Monck started from Coldstream on his historic march to London, which he reached at the beginning of February. The Coldstreamers were then used to keep order and repress the disturbances which had broken out at the end of Parliamentary rule. The end of May 1660 saw the Restoration of Charles II as King of England, whereupon General Monck was created Duke of Albemarle, and his Regiment, commonly known as Coldstreamers, was inspected by the King on his triumphal entry into London. Monck's Regiment of Horse and Foot paraded on Tower Hill and ordered to lay down their arms and disband, and then were immediately ordered to take them up in the name of the King. From that moment the Regiment became personal Guards to the Sovereign of the Realm.

Colonials
Colonials was a nickname of the 100th Regiment of Foot from their Canadian origins.

Colour-Sergeant
Colour-Sergeant was a British Army rank which was created in 1813 at Wellington's suggestion for a senior N.C.O of a company to attend the companies colours (standards and flags). The rank was abolished in 1912.

Colt
Samuel Colt of Hartford, Connecticut patented the first successful percussion revolver in England in 1835 and in America in 1836.

Colt Anaconda
The Anaconda is Colt's largest double-action revolver and made entirely from stainless steel. It is chambered for the formidable .44 inch Magnum cartridge with 6" and 8" barrelled versions available and also chambered for .45 inch Colt cartridge.

Colt commando
The Colt commando is an American automatic rifle. It takes a .223 inch round from a 20/30-round magazine. It has a muzzle velocity of 915 m/s and a cyclic rate of 750 rpm. It is sighted to 458m.

Colt King Cobra
The Colt King Cobra is a budget double-action stainless steel revolver with two barrel lengths and adjustable sights introduced to succeed the Tropper series. It is chambered for the .357 inch magnum cartridge and has a six round magazine.

Colt Python
The Python is Colt's premier double-action revolver with a fine reputation for accuracy with its 1:14 twist rifling. Early models were available with a nickel plated finish but this was dropped with the introduction of stainless steel to supplement the existing blued carbon steel models. A limited number were made with 8 inch barrels and chambered for the .38 inch Smith and Wesson Special cartridge only, the standard model takes the .357 inch magnum shell.

Column
A column is a military formation in which the units are arranged one behind the other instead of side by side as in a line.

Comet
The Comet was a British cruiser tank, equipped with the Christie large wheel suspension and armed with a 77 mm gun. It was first used in March 1945 after the British had crossed the Rhine and remained in service for many years after the war. Its greatest asset was its reliability.

Commander
In the British Navy, Commander is a rank below Captain, and above lieutenant-commander.

Commando
A commando is a member of a specially trained, highly mobile military unit. The term originated in South Africa in the 19th century, where it referred to Boer military reprisal raids against Africans and, in the South African Wars, against the British. Commando units have often carried out operations behind enemy lines. In Britain, the first commando units were the British Combined Operations Command who raided enemy-occupied territory in the second World War after the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940. At the end of the war the army commandos were disbanded, but the role was carried on by the Royal Marines.

Commissariat
The commissariat is the army department which supervises the supply of food and forage to the troops, and its transport.

Composite Armour
Composite Armour is a type of armour plate fitted to AFV. It comprises layers of hard steel and heat resistant ceramics to withstand HEAT ammunition better than normal steel.

Condor
The condor was a British gunboat, which, under Lord Charles Beresford, engaged alone the Marabout fort at the bombardment of Alexandria in 1882.

Condottieri
The Condottieri were mercenaries hired during the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries to take part in the wars between the Italian States.

Conspicuous service Cross
The Conspicuous Service Cross was a medal, instituted in 1901, awarded to officers in the Royal Navy below the rank of Lieutenant-Commander and to Warrant Officers. It was replaced in 1914 by the Distinguished Service Cross.

Copperhead
see "m712"

Cordite
Cordite is a smokeless explosive used in cartridges. It is made from 58% nitro-glycerine, 37% gun-cotton and 5% Vaseline.

Cordon
A cordon is a line of military (and nowadays also police) posts placed around a district or house etc. in order to prevent communication between it and the parts around it.

Cordon Bleu
Cordon Bleu denoted the blue ribbon worn by the Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Holy Ghost, the leading order of royalist France.

Corporal
Corporal is the lowest rank of non-commissioned officer in the British Army. He wears two stripes on his sleeve.

Corporal of Horse
Corporal of Horse is the Household Cavalry name for the rank of sergeant.

Corporal-major
Corporal-major is the Household Cavalry name for the rank of sergeant-major.

Corvette
A corvette is a convoy escort and patrol warship.

Crimean War
The Crimean War was conducted between Russia on one side and Turkey, Britain, France and Sardinia on the other and was occasioned by a conflict over the supposed right of a Tsar to protect all Christians in the Sultan's dominions. In 1853 a Russian army invaded the principalities of Moldavia and Walachia and Turkey declared war. England followed her traditional policy of protecting Turkey against possible dismemberment and of trying to prevent an expansion of Russia that might threaten British interests in India. France under Napoleon III joined in with the intention of increasing her prestige and diverting attention away from domestic issues.

Croix de Guerre
The Croix de Guerre are French and Belgian military decorations which were instituted in 1915 and given to members of the forces on land, sea or in the air for conspicuous bravery.

Cromwell Tank
The Cromwell Tank was a British tank of the Second World War. It was protected by 63 mm thick armour on the front of the hull, 76 mm thick armour on the front of the turret and 32 mm thick armour on the sides of the turret. It carried a crew of five and had a top speed of 51.5 kmph and a range of 278 km. It was armed with a British 17-pounder (76 mm) main gun.

Cross-bar shot
Cross-bar shot was cannon balls with iron bars crossing through them. The bars would extend some 6 to 8 inches out of the cannon ball at both sides. Cross-bar shot was used for destroying rigging and palisading.

Cross-bow
The cross-bow (arbalist) is a bow fastened across a stock (hence the name cross bow). The bow string was cocked and fired by way of a trigger, projecting a bolt. The cross-bow was invented by the Normans but went out of fashion when the long-bow became popular, mainly because 12 arrows per minute could be fired from a long-bow compared to 3 bolts per minute from a cross-bow.

Cruise missile
The Cruise Missile is a long-range guided missile that has a terrain-seeking radar system and flies at moderate speed and low altitude. It is descended from the German V1 of the Second World War. Initial trials in the 1950s demonstrated the limitations of cruise missiles, which included high fuel consumption and relatively slow speeds as well as inaccuracy and a small warhead. The Tomahawk cruise missile is an American missile capable of having a nuclear warhead. It has a range of 583 km and a flight speed of mach 0.7.

Cruiser
A cruiser is a warship.

Crusade
The Crusades were Military expeditions in the Middle Ages to the Holy Land, originally sanctioned by the Church. Their objective was twofold - to ensure the safety of pilgrims to Jerusalem, and to recover the Holy Land for Christendom.

Crusader
The crusader was a British tank used in the Second World War. It carried a crew of five, and had a top speed of 45 kmph. It was initially armed with a two pounder gun, these were upgraded to the six pounder gun later in the war. It was protected by sloping armour up to 50 mm thick.

Cuirass
A cuirass was a coat or jerkin worn by soldiers as protection against pistol-shot and sword cuts. Varieties include the chain-mail and metal studded leather coats of the Middle Ages through to the corset worn by the Life Guards on ceremonial parades.

Cuirassiers
Cuirassiers were heavy cavalry which evolved from the mounted men-at-arms of feudal days. An Austrian corps was formed in 1484, very heavily armoured and by 1705 there were 20 corps.

Culverin
The culverin was a French cannon, introduced into England in 1534. It had a bore of 5.25 inches and fired an 18 lb ball.

Curtain Fire
Curtain Fire is a line of shells exploding just in front of an advancing infantry to shield them from attack. Sometimes the shells would be exploded behind an entrenched enemy position to prevent their retreat.

Curtal-ax
The curtal-ax was a type of short sword.

Curtana
The curtana is a pointless sword carried before English monarchs at their coronation. Emblematically it is considered as the sword of mercy.

Cutlass
The cutlass was a short sword carried by seamen. It was effective due to being short enough to be easy to control, and yet long enough to defend a skilful swordsman. Today the term is used in Jamaica for the machete which resemble in simple form the cutlass they evolved from.

Cuyler's Shropshire Volunteers
see "86th Regiment of Foot"

Cyanogen bromide
Cyanogen bromide is a tear gas that was used by all sides during the Great War. Its prime effect is as a lachrymatory agent and irritant, although it is lethal at higher concentrations. It was introduced by the Austrians in September 1916 and subsequently adopted by the British and Italian armies. However it is highly corrosive and decomposes in contact with metal, and is also unstable in storage, losing its effect and becoming inert. Hence its use as a war gas was short, and it was soon replaced by more stable compositions.

Cyanogen chloride
Cyanogen chloride is a toxic nerve gas that was used during the Great War. It acts on the nerve centres, particularly those controlling breathing, causing rapid paralysis and death. It was introduced by the French in October 1916 to replace hydrocyanic acid. At low concentrations it acts as a tear gas and lung irritant but prolonged exposure even at this level can be lethal due to lung damage.

Cyclite
see " Benzyl bromide"

Cylinder (weapon)
The cylinder is the drum of a revolver that contains the chambers for the ammunition.

D-10TG
The D-10TG is a 100 mm calibre Russian tank rifle. It was designed straight after the Second World War and was the premier high-velocity cannon of the Soviet army during the 1950s. It was mounted on T-54 and T-55 MBTs and had a muzzle velocity of 1415 m/s and armour piercing capabilities of 150 mm at 500m and 125 mm at 1000m firing HVAPDS ammunition.

D.S.O.
see "Distinguished Service Order"

DA
DA is an abbreviation for Di-phenyl-chlor-arsine, a nose irritant gas used during the Second World War. It has no smell. It has a delayed action, but causes sneezing, a burning pain in the chest, nose, throat and mouth after a few minutes.

Dacian Wars
The first Dacian War took place between Rome and Dacia in 101 until 102, the second Dacian War between 105 until 106. They were fought under the Roman Emperor Trajan, and resulted in Dacia becoming a Roman province.

Daga
The Daga was an Italian escort ship of the Second World War. She was launched in 1943 and mined in October 1944. She was armed with two 100 mm guns, six 450 mm guns and torpedo tubes. She was seized by the German navy in 1943 and never saw action for the Italians.

Dahlgren Gun
The Dahlgren Gun was an improved form of cannon invented in the 19th century by John Dahlgren of the US navy. It was unusual in having less metal between the muzzle and the trunnions than other guns.

Damascus-steel
Damascus-steel was a kind of steel originally made in Damascus and much prized for making swords. It was a laminate of pure Iron and steel comprising higher than normal quantities of carbon and produced by careful forging, doubling and twisting.

Dannawirke
see "Dannewerke"

Dannewerke
Dannewerke (Dannawirke) is a series of almost impregnable earthworks stretching across the long narrow peninsular of Schleswig, Holstein, and Jutland. It was constructed during the stone-age and rebuilt in 937 by Thyra, queen of Gormo ethe Old, for which she was named 'Dannabod', the pride of the Danes.

Dardanelles campaign
The Dardanelles campaign was an unsuccessful Allied naval operation in 1915 against the Turkish-held Dardanelles. After a series of unsuccessful naval attacks in January to March 1915, the idea of a purely naval attack was abandoned, and instead planning began for a military action against the Gallipoli peninsula. The only real impact of the naval attack was to alert the Turkish army so that they had time to reinforce and fortify the area before the Gallipoli landings.

Death or Glory Boys
see "18th Light Dragoons"

Delhi Spearmen
see "9th Lancers"

Demi-culverin
The demi-culverin was a cannon firing a 9 lb shot.

Depth charge
Depth charges were an anti-submarine bomb invented by the British in 1916 and consisting of a steel drum, about the size of an oil drum, packed with TNT and dropped over the side of the ship. A preset timer would detonate the charge at a desired depth and damage or destroy the submarine.

Deringer
The Deringer was a pocket pistol invented by Henry Deringer of Philadelphia. The original models were single barrelled percussion muzzle loaders with a rifled barrel. In 1861 Daniel Moore patented a .41 inch calibre rim-fire cartridge model.

Desert Fox
Operation Desert Fox was the air-strike on Iraq by British and American war planes in December 1998 following the non-cooperation of the Iraqi government in the UN weapons inspection of Iraq. The attacks were condemned by Russia, China and France and the secretary-general of the United Nations who had been attempting diplomatic channels to avoid deaths.

Desert Rats
The Desert Rats was the nickname of the British 8th Army in North Africa during the Second World War. The name came from their uniforms having a shoulder insignia bearing a jerboa (or desert rat).

Destroyer
The Destroyer is a small, fast warship designed for antisubmarine work. Originally called 'torpedo-boat destroyers', they were designed by Britain to counter the large flotillas built by the French and Russian navies in the late 19th century. They proved so effective that torpedo-boats were more or less abandoned in the early 1900s, but the rise of the submarine found a new task for the 'destroyer'. They proved invaluable as antisubmarine vessels in both the Great War and Second World War.

Detonator
A detonator is a contrivance containing a very sensitive explosive, used to fire a larger charge of a less sensitive and more manageable explosive. Detonators commonly contain mercury fulminate, lead azide and tetranitroaniline.

Deutschland
The Deutschland was a German pocket-battleship of the Second World War. She set out on her first North Atlantic cruise on 24th August 1940.

Devonshire and Dorset Regiment
The Regiment was founded in 1958 from the amalgamation of the former Devonshire and former Dorset Regiments. The Regiment traces its history back to the forming of the 11th Regiment of Foot, later the Devonshire Regiment, in 1685, and the 39th and 54th Regiments of Foot, later to become the Dorset Regiment.
From its first Battle Honour of Dettingen in 1743 the Regiment has seen action in all the main campaigns, and many smaller ones, fought by the British Army over the past 300 years. A selection of its 141 Battle Honours give an idea of these campaigns all over the world - Plassey, Salamanca, Pyrenees, Sebastopol, Afghanistan, South Africa, Mons, Ypres, Loos, Somme, Gallipoli, Mesopotamia, Normandy, Arnhem, Rhine, Sicily, Italy, Mandalay, Burma. In the Great War the Regiment raised 35 battalions and 20 in the Second World War who fought in all the major areas of conflict.
Today its 1st Battalion, a regular army unit, is stationed in Paderborn in Germany, and its 4th Battalion, a territorial army unit, is based in barracks in the Regiment's two counties. Since 1945 the regular battalions have seen active service in Malaya, Kenya, Cyprus, Guiana, Belize, Northern Ireland and in 1995 served with United Nations forces in Bosnia. The present regular battalion is an armoured infantry one equipped with Warrior armoured personnel carriers in the 1st (UK) Armoured Division part of NATO's Allied Rapid Reaction Force.
The Regiment has strong links with its home counties of Devon and Dorset which is its main area of recruitment. The majority of soldiers in the Regiment come from the two counties and, besides having the Freedom of 12 cities and towns, the Regiment maintains close affiliations with many organisations in the counties, and with the Cadet Forces and also runs a flourishing association to keep all who have served in the Regiment in touch with each other.

Dimethyl sulphate
Dimethyl sulphate is a toxic gas that was used in the Great War by the Germans (who called it D-Stoff) and the French (who called it Rationite). It is a powerful irritant in low concentrations, and is fatal in higher concentrations and after long exposure, and has a peculiar caustic action on the skin. It decomposes readily in the presence of moisture, even damp air, and so was little used.

Diphenylchlorarsine
Diphenylchlorarsine is a toxic gas that was used by the Germans (who called it Clark 1) in the Great War. Inhaling it causes nausea, vomiting, headaches, and chest pains but it is rarely lethal and then only in extremely high concentrations rarely achieved in field conditions. It was introduced simultaneously with mustard gas as the agent to be used on offensive operations, since mustard was too persistent to be used against areas toward which German troops were advancing. It was specifically aimed at penetrating Allied gas masks, by distributing the substance as a fine dust which could not be neutralized by the chemicals or stopped by the coarse filters in the masks. However, a technical error in the design of the shells used to fire the gas meant the dust was too coarse to penetrate gas masks.

Dirty Half Hundred
see "50th Regiment of Foot"

Distinguished Conduct Medal
The Distinguished Conduct Medal (D.C.M.) is a British military decoration instituted in 1862 to be conferred upon non-commissioned officers and men for distinguished conduct in the field. Since August 1918 it can be earned only by services in action.

Distinguished Flying Cross
The Distinguished Flying Cross (D.F.C.) is a British decoration instituted in 1918 for gallantry displayed by officers and warrant officers of the Royal Air Force while on active service.

Distinguished Service Cross
The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a British decoration established in 1901 as the Conspicuous Service Cross, and given its present title in 1914 and extended to include officers up to the rank of lieutenant.

Distinguished Service Medal
The Distinguished Service Medal (D.S.M.) is a British medal instituted in 1914 for chief petty officers and lower ratings in the Navy and non-commissioned officers and men in the Marines, and awarded for acts not quite deserving the award of the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal.

Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order (D.S.O.) is a decoration established in 1886 and bestowed in recognition of distinguished services in action on the part of commissioned officers of the Army and Navy.

Do
A do is a Japanese armour chest plate worn during kendo.

Dora Line
see "Adolf Hitler Line"

Dorset Regiment
The Dorset Regiment is a British army regiment which was formed by the merger of the 39th Foot and the 54th Foot.

Double-action
Double-action is a handgun mechanism where pulling the trigger retracts and releases the hammer or firing pin to initiate discharge.

Dover Patrol
The Dover Patrol was a sub-unit of the British Navy based at Dover and Dunkirk throughout the Great War. Its primary task was to close the English Channel to German vessels while escorting Allied ships safely through the area. The Dover Patrol also mounted fighting patrols against the German-held channel coast and German coastal craft, including two daring raids against Ostend and Zeebrugge in 1918. The Royal Naval Air Service unit attached to the patrol also made frequent bombing attacks against Zeebrugge, Ostend, Bruges, and other German-held targets on the channel coast. A naval siege gun force attached to the unit acted as heavy artillery support for the left flank of the Allied armies in France. A total of 125,100 supply ships passed through the area controlled by the patrol during the war, of which only 73 were sunk.

Draconarii
The Draconarii were Roman horse-mounted soldiers who bore a dragon as their emblem.

Dragon
see "M47"

Dragoon
A Dragoon was a mounted soldier who carried an infantry weapon such as a 'dragon', or short musket, as used by the French army in the 16th century. The name was retained by some later regiments after the original meaning became obsolete. The Dragoon was a revolver manufactured by Colt in 1855. It was a single-action pin fire revolver with a 6-round cylinder. It had a calibre of .44 inches. It was also known as the Old Model Army Revolver.

Dragoon Guards
The Dragoon Guards were six mounted regiments raised at the time of Monmouth's Rebellion in 1685, and a seventh raised in 1689. Following the Great War the 3rd and 6t, 4th and 7th and the 5th and 6th Dragoons were amalgamated to reduce the number of regiments to five.

Dreadnought
The Dreadnought was a class of British battleship introduced in 1906. It was the first time steam turbines had been used, and Dreadnought was armed with 10 12 inch guns, 27 12 pounder guns and 5 torpedo-tubes, and had a speed of 21 knots. Her introduction made all previous battleships obsolete.

DShK
The DShK is a Russian 12.7 mm heavy machine-gun developed during the 1930s. It has a muzzle velocity of 860m/s.

DSO
see "Distinguished Service Order"

Dualin
Dualin is an explosive composed of varying proportions of cellulose, nitro-starch, nitro-mannite and nitro-cellulose. It was invented by Carl Ditmar in 1870.

DUKW
The DUKW was an American amphibious truck used during the Second World War. It was basically a standard 6 x 6 GMC 2.5 ton cargo truck fitted with buoyancy tanks and with screw propulsion when in the water. DUKW were mainly used to ferry supplies and men from ship to shore, and played a vital part in almost every amphibious landing performed by Allied troops.

Dum-dum bullet
The dum-dum bullet was a British military bullet developed in India's Dum-Dum Arsenal and used on India's North West Frontier and in the Sudan in 1897 and 1898. It was a jacketed .303 cal. British bullet with the jacket nose left open to expose the lead core in the hope of increasing effectiveness.

Dunnite
Dunnite was an American high explosive named after its developer, Major Dunn and also called 'Explosive D'. It was made of ammonium picrate powder, was relatively insensitive, and was widely used in armour-piercing shells as it withstood the shock of impact against armour without detonating, allowing the shell to pierce the armour before the fuse initiated the explosive.

Earl of Mar's Fusiliers
see "Royal Scots Fusiliers"

Earthwork
An earthwork is a military fortification formed chiefly of earth. They were cheaper and easier to repair than stone defences and also carried less risk of injury to the defenders from broken stone.

East Kent Regiment
The East Kent Regiment (The Buffs) was a British infantry regiment descended from the 3rd Regiment of Foot who in turn had been the Holland Regiment organised in 1572 by the London Guilds to aid the Dutch against Spain. They were known as 'The Buffs' because of the buff-leather coats they once wore. They received their title of East Kent Regiment in 1782.

East Lancashire Regiment
The East Lancashire Regiment was a British infantry regiment formed of the 30th Regiment of Foot and the 59th Regiment of Foot.

East Surrey Regiment
The East Surrey Regiment was a British army unit formed in 1825 from the Huntingdonshire Regiment and the 70th Foot.

Ecrasite
Ecrasite is an explosive impervious to damp, shock or fire. It was invented by Siersch and Kubin in 1889.

Edgehill Fight
The Edgehill fight was the first important engagement of the English civil war. It occurred on the 23rd of October, 1642 and took place between the royalists under prince Rupert and the parliament army under the earl of Essex. At the battle, the earl of Lindsay who commanded the royal foot was mortally wounded. The action was indecisive, but the parliament claimed a victory.

EM2
The EM2 is a British automatic rifle with a cyclic rate of 450 rpm. It takes a .280 inch round from a 20-round box. The muzzle velocity is 772 m/s and it is sighted to 549m.

Emden
The Emden was a German light cruiser, launched in 1908, which achieved world-wide notoriety by its attacks on British and Allied shipping and seaports during the Great War. The ship and her crew were captured off North Keeling Island in the Indian Ocean in 1914 by the Australian cruiser Sydney. Emden was then destroyed on November 9th 1914.

Enfilade
Enfilade is military firing directed along the length of the enemy's line or trench, instead of across it. It is particularly destructive, since each shot is potentially effective over a greater length of its flight.

Enterprise
Enterprise is the name of several American ships. The original Enterprise was a Sloop launched in 1874. She was a barque-rigged, wooden-hulled vessel armed with a 134 mm gun, four 228 mm guns and one 280 mm gun. The current Enterprise is an American aircraft carrier launched in 1960 and capable of a top speed of 35 knots and capable of carrying 99 aircraft.

Epee-de-Combat
An Epee-de-Combat is a pointed, dull-edged sword with a blade roughly 1 meter long used in duelling and fencing. It developed from the 18th century small-sword.

Espora
The Espora is an Argentinean Meko 140 Type Frigate. She was built by Afne in Rio Santiago and launched on the 23rd of January 1982. She has a displacement of 1470 tons and is armed with four Aerospatiale MM 40 Exocet missiles, one OTO Melara 3in gun, four Breda 40 mm guns, six 324 mm ILAS 3 (2 triple) torpedo tubes and Chaff rocket launchers. She is powered by two Type 16PC2-5V400 SEMT-Pielstick 16-cyl diesels providing 20400bhp and a top speed of 27 knots and a range of 6400 km. She carries a crew of 11 officers and 82 men.

Ethyldichlorarsine
Ethyldichlorarsine was a toxic gas used during the Great War by the Germans from March 1918. Short exposure to the gas causes irritation to the respiratory passages and lungs, but longer exposure can be lethal. In addition to the pulmonary effects, the arsenic component is absorbed rapidly and leads to systemic poisoning. Long exposure also burns the skin, so that the gas is a complex of lung injurant, toxic, and vesicant effects. It was used in mixtures with the equally toxic dichlormethyl ether in artillery shells as part of bombardments and support for infantry attacks.

Excalibur
Excalibur was the sword of King Arthur, who received it from the Lady of the Lake. At Arthur's death, Bedivere cast it into a lake, where it was caught by a mysterious hand.

Exeter
The Exeter was a British heavy cruiser of the Second World War. She was armed with 6 8inch guns, 4 4inch anti-aircraft guns and 2 2pounder anti-aircraft guns and 6 21inch torpedo tubes. She had a top speed of 32.5 knots and a range of 10000 miles.

Exocet
The exocet is a French anti-ship missile. It has a range of 70 km and a flight speed of mach 0.8. Exocet missiles can be launched by aircraft or ships. The missile is guided, and flies less than 3m above the sea level.

F1
The F1 is an accurate Australian sub-machine gun. It takes a 9 mm round from a 34-round box. It has a cyclic rate of 600 rpm and a muzzle velocity of 365 m/s.

Fairbairn-Sykes
see "3rd Pattern Commando Knife"

FAL
The FN FAL is a Belgian automatic rifle. It has a muzzle velocity of 853 m/s, is gas operated, and is sighted to 600m. It takes a 7.62 mm round from a 20-round box. It was first manufactured in 1953. It is capable of automatic or single shot fire.

Falcon
The falcon was a type of cannon firing a 6 lb shot.

Farquhar-hill
The Farquhar-Hill rifle is a British rifle taking a .303 inch round from a 20-round drum. Operation is automatic with a cyclic rate of 700 rpm. It has a muzzle velocity of 732 m/s and is sighted to 1372m.

Fascine
A fascine was a bundle of wood, used to help tanks cross trenches in the Great War. The bundle was tightly wrapped on top of the tank and on arrival at a trench too wide to be crossed unaided, the fascine was released to fall into the trench. The tank then dropped into the trench, landed on the fascine, and clambered out the other side. Where trenches were very wide or deep, several tanks would drop fascines and then all would cross at the same spot.

Female
Female was the name of one of the first British tanks. They were fitted with six machine guns for use in anti-infantry roles.

Fencible Light Dragoons
The Fencible Light Dragoons were a body of cavalry raised voluntarily in various counties of England and Scotland in 1794, to serve during the war in any part of Britain. The force was disbanded in 1800.

Ferguson Rifle
The Ferguson Rifle was a .5 inch calibre breech-loading rifle manufactured by Durs Egg in the 1770s. It was 155 cm long and had an effective range of 250 m.

FG42
The FG42 is a German assault rifle developed in 1942 for the German Luftwaffe Parachute regiments. It is gas operated and takes a 7.92 mm round from a 20-round box. It has a muzzle velocity of 762 m/s and it is sighted to 1200m. It can be fired single shot or in bursts.

FGM-77a
The FGM-77a is a US infantry anti-tank missile developed in the 1970s. It has a flight speed of 175 m/s and a maximum range of 1500 meters.

FH70
The FH70 is a NATO mobile field howitzer. It fires, under computer control, three 43 kg shells at a range of 32 km in 15 seconds.

Fifth Alabama Infantry Regiment
The Fifth Alabama Infantry Regiment was organised at Montgomery on May 5th 1861, and at once moved to Pensacola.

Fifth column
A fifth column is a group within a country secretly aiding an enemy attacking from without. The term originated in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War, when General Mola boasted that Franco supporters were attacking Madrid with four columns and that they had a 'fifth column' inside the city.

Fifth Crusade
The Fifth Crusade was aimed against Egypt, and led by John of Brienne with Leopold VI and Andrew II of Hungary. It took place from 1218 until 1221 when the invaders withdrew without success.

FIM-43a
The FIM-43a (redeye) is an American shoulder-fired infantry surface-to-air missile. It entered service in 1964. It flies at a speed of mach 2.5 to a range of 2 miles using initial optical aiming and infrared homing guidance.

FIM-92a
The FIM-92a (stinger) is an American portable air-defence missile. It was first used by British SAS troops in the Falklands conflict. The missile flies at a speed of mach 2 to a range of 5 km. It uses passive infrared homing guidance.

Firearm
A firearm is a weapon from which projectiles are discharged by the combustion of an explosive. Firearms are generally divided into two main sections: artillery (ordnance or cannon), with a bore greater than 2.54 cm, and small arms, with a bore of less than 2.54 cm.
Although gunpowder was known in Europe 60 years previously, the invention of firearms dates from 1300 to 1325, and is attributed to Berthold Schwartz, a German monk.

Firefly
The Sherman Firefly was a British tank built from 1943 onwards. It was a modified Sherman M4A4 tank fitted with a British 17 pounder anti-tank gun.

Fireship
A fireship is a small vessel filled with inflammable material, lighted and set adrift among an enemy's ships in order to set fire to them. Fireships were used during ancient times and successfully employed against the Duke of Parma by the defenders of Antwerp in 1585 and by the British against the Spanish Armada off Gravelines in 1588. Fireships were rendered obsolete by the introduction of metal warships.

First Crusade
The First Crusade occurred was due to take place in 1096 led by Adhemar Bishop of Puy. The various parties were due to assemble at Constantinople, but some arrived early and others were wiped out on the way. The First Crusade proper took place in 1097 led by Godfrey of Bouillon and others. They invaded Asia Minor and in 1098 captured Antioch after a long siege and Jersualem in 1099.

Fitch's Grenadiers
see "83rd Regiment of Foot"

Flame-thrower
The flame-thrower is a weapon first used by the Germans during 1914 and 1915 consisting of a chamber of air or nitrogen under high pressure and a container filled with inflammable oil which is propelled by the high pressure gas.

Flammenwerfer
Flammenwerfer is the German name for a flame-thrower.

Flint-lock
The flint-lock was a development of the discharge method for the musket. Sparks were generated by one impact of a piece of flint on the steel above the priming powder.

FLIR
FLIR (forward looking Infrared) is a device used on aircraft that reads the heat signatures of ground items and is optimised to show ground detail and large objects.

Flying Tigers
see "8-229th Aviation Regiment"

Foreign Legion
A Foreign Legion (such as the French Foreign Legion) is an irregular body of volunteers raised abroad to help a country at war.

Forlorn Hope
A Forlorn Hope was a body of men, usually volunteers, of different regiments selected to lead an assault, enter a breach or perform another perilous task. The name comes from the Dutch word hoop meaning a company.

Fort Driant
Fort Driant was a fort defending Metz in North-West France during the Second World War. In 1944 it was held by German NCO students from a nearby instructional school who kept the US 3rd Army at bay for about three months before it was finally surrounded and the defenders starved into surrender.

Forty-Second Alabama Infantry Regiment
The Forty-Second Alabama Infantry Regiment was organised at Columbus, Mississippi in May 1862, and was composed principally of men who re-organised, in two or three instances as entire companies, after serving a year as the Second Alabama Infantry. The regiment joined Generals Price and Van Dorn at Ripley in September, and was brigaded under General John C. Moore of Texas. A month later the Forty-second went into the battle of Corinth with 700 men, and lost 98 killed and about 250 wounded and captured in the fighting. It was part of the garrison of Vicksburg, and lost 10 killed and about 95 wounded there, and the remainder captured at the surrender of the fortress. The Forty-second was in parole camp at Demoplis, then joined the Army of Tennessee. It fought with severe loss at Lookout and Mission Ridge, and wintered at Dalton. General Baker of Barbour then took command of the brigade, which was in Clayton's (Stewart's) division, Polk's corps. In the spring the Forty-second fought at Resaca with a loss of 59 killed and wounded. It was then continually skirmishing till the battle of New Hope, where its loss was comparatively light, as it was at Atlanta the 22d of July. On the 28th of July the loss was very heavy, and the ranks of the regiment were fearfully thinned by the casualties of battle. A few days later the regiment was sent to Spanish Fort, where it remained on garrison duty during the fall, and until January 1865. It then moved into North Carolina, and its colours floated in the thickest of the battle at Bentonville, and were furled at the capitulation of that army.

Fourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade was intended as a war to conquer Egypt. However, en route the Crusaders were persuaded to take part in a civil war in Constantinople and to restore emperor Isaac Angelus to his throne. They stormed Constantinople in 1204 and established the Latin empire of Romania.

Fowling-piece
Fowling-piece is an alternative name for a sporting shot-gun.

Fox
see "M93"

Fraise
A fraise is a fortification consisting of pointed stakes driven into the ramparts in a horizontal or inclined position.

Franc-tireur
The Franc-tireur were a body of irregular soldiers organised in France during the Franco-German War of 1870-1871. They were sharp-shooters employed in guerrilla warfare, harassing the enemy and cutting off detachments.

Franc-tireurs
Franc-tireurs are irregular troops armed with rifles, but not wearing uniform and usually not subject to military discipline. The term was first applied to the franc-tireurs of the Franco-Prussian War, who were usually shot when caught by the Germans.

Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War was fought from 1870 to 1871 and was one of the most important wars of the 19th century. It was fought between France and Germany, with peace concluded in 1871 with France ceeding Alsace and Lorraine to Germany and paying a huge indemnity.

Fraser's Highlanders
see "Seaforth Highlanders"

French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion was founded in 1831 with foreign sympathisers for the conquest of Algeria. In 1884 it was divided into 4 battalions, and in 1891 a 5th battalion was added. The French Foreign Legion has a reputation for severe discipline, and today forms one of the world's most elite fighting forces, however in the past it spent more time building roads and bridges than actually fighting.

Frigate
A frigate is a light-weight, fast and nimble warship.

Frightfulness
Frightfulness (Schrecklichkeit) is a method of breaking down the moral and crushing the spirit of adversaries in war. It was practised by the Germans during the Great War and the Second World War, being advocated by such writers as Von der Goltz who wrote; 'Inexorable and seemingly hideous callousness is among the attributes necessary to him who would achieve great things in war.' Basically, frightfulness is systematic organised terrorism directed against the civilians of invaded countries.

FT-17
The FT-17 was a French tank produced by Renault and first developed in 1917. 3500 FT-17 tanks were made, and it remained in service until 1940. It was the first true tank, with a rotating turret over a central fighting compartment. It was armed with a 37 mm gun and a co-axial machine gun. It was thickly armoured, with 22 mm of armour at its thickest point and could travel at 7.7 kmph and had a range of 35 km.

Fusil
A fusil was a light flint-lock musket closely resembling a carbine.

Fusilier
A Fusilier was a soldier armed with a fusil.

Fyrd
The fyrd was an English levy of free men raised from each hundred liable to serve in the English army for a period of two months annually. During that time they were paid and provisioned by the Shires, however if they're period of service was extended then they were charged to the state.

Copyright 1997,1998 Servile Software Enquiries to Matthew Probert

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