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Authors: Oliver L. North

War Stories III (47 page)

BOOK: War Stories III
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WILLIAM “BILL” MERRIKEN
went back to college after the war, earned a degree in business administration, and became the head of a successful small business. After selling his business he worked for the Commonwealth of Virginia and in 1999, he returned to the site of the Malmedy Massacre in Belgium, where he nearly lost his life in 1944.
HARRY KINNARD
made a career of the Army, served in the Korean War, did two tours in Viet Nam and retired as a lieutenant general. He is professor emeritus at the University of Vermont and author of several books on military history and strategy.
EMILE JAMAR
, the paperboy who helped save Bill Merriken's life, graduated from college, became a successful businessman, and later served as the mayor of his town where the Germans and Americans fought during the “Battle of the Bulge.” He and Bill Merriken met for the first time when Bill returned in 1999 for a visit.
JOE REGAN
returned to his job as a ship fitter after World War II ended and married his sweetheart, Kay. After working for Centennial Flour Mills, he was employed by Boeing Aircraft for thirty-six years.
JOACHIM FEST
became a successful and prolific author and lecturer. His six books on the Third Reich emphasize the gratitude he feels toward the United States for rebuilding Germany and establishing a democratic framework for the modern German state.
ARMIN LEHMANN
recovered from his wounds and after helping his family rebuild their lives, he emigrated to the United States, where he worked thirty-five years in the travel industry. He is the author of
In Hitler's Bunker
, and uses his experiences to warn young people about fanaticism.
ALVIN UNGERLEIDER
received two Purple Hearts during his service in World War II and stayed in the Army. He subsequently served in Korea and Viet Nam and retired as a brigadier general. He is a much sought after speaker at civic and historical events.
RICHARD MAROWITZ
was training in Austria for the invasion of Japan when World War II finally ended. After returning to the U.S. in June of '46 he successfully auditioned for a job as a trumpet player for a band in Spanish Harlem. He subsequently became a successful magician and entertainer in his native New York City.
GLOSSARY
AA
—Anti-aircraft
AAA
—Anti-aircraft Artillery
Abwehr
—German military intelligence service
ALT
—Altitude.
AO
—Variously used for Area of Operations and Aerial Observer
APC
—Armored Personnel Carrier
API
—Armor Piercing Incendiary
ARP
—Air Raid Precautions (Great Britain)
ASW
—Anti-submarine Warfare
AT
—Anti-tank
ATA
—Actual time of arrival
AWOL
—Absent without leave
Axis
—The 22 May 1939 “Pact of Steel,” formal alliance between Germany and Italy with which Japan became aligned in 1941
Bandit
—Hostile or enemy aircraft; also sometimes referred to as a Bogey
BAR
—Browning Automatic Rifle
BB
—Battleship
Blitzkreig
—German slang for “Lightning War;” the term first appeared in the British and American press in 1939, describing the German air-armor assault on Poland
CAG
—Carrier Air Group
CAP
—Combat Air Patrol
CC
—Combat Command
CinC
—Commander in Chief
CNO
—Chief of Naval Operations
CO
—Commanding Officer
ComNavNAW
—Commander, Naval Forces, North African Waters
CP
—Command Post
CPT
—Variously used to abbreviate Captain (Army and Air Force) or Civilian Pilot Training
DD
—Destroyer
DE
—Destroyer Escort
D-Day
—The day on which a military operation commences
DIV or Div
—Division
DUKW
—A multi-purpose, diesel-powered amphibious truck equipped with propellers for moving through water and wheels for use on land
DZ
—Drop zone
E-Boat
—A German motor torpedo boat, similar to the U.S. PT-Boat
ETA
—Estimated time of arrival
ETO
—European Theater of Operations
FO
—Forward Observer
Führer
—German for Leader, the title assumed by Adolf Hitler in 1936
Gestapo
—Geheime Staatspolize, the internal security organization of the Third Reich, Hitler's secret police
Herbstnebel
—German for Autumn Mist, the code name for Hitler's Ardennes offensive in December 1944 that the Allies called the “Battle of the Bulge”
H-Hour
—The time at which a military operation commences
Higgins boat
—The smallest of the U.S. amphibious landing craft, originally designed and built by Higgins Boat Works, New Orleans, LA. The plywood-hulled, diesel-powered, bow-ramp equipped craft could carry thirty-six troops or a jeep and trailer. Also see LCVP
HMS
—His (or Her) Majesty's Ship, an abbreviated prefix for British naval vessels
Il Duce
—Italian for “The Leader,” the title assumed by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini
INF or Inf
—Infantry
JCS
—Joint Chiefs of Staff
JTF
—Joint Task Force
KIA
—Killed in Action
Knot
—A nautical mile, equal to 1.15 land miles, or to 1.85 kilometers
LCA
—Landing Craft, Assault
LCI
—Landing Craft, Infantry
LCVP
—Landing Craft, Vehicle & Personnel, also “Higgins boat”
LMG
—Light Machine Gun
LST
—Landing Ship, Tank
Luftwaffe
—The German air force
MIA
—Missing in Action
NCO
—A non-commissioned officer; sometimes called non-com
MTB
—Motor Torpedo Boat; also E-Boat
MOS
—Military Occupational Specialty, for armed forces job descriptions
NKVD
—Narodny Komissriat Vnutrennykh Del, the Soviet internal security organ and intelligence service, predecessor to the KGB
NM
—Nautical mile, equal to 1.1508 statute miles, and 1/60th of a degree
OKW
—Oberkommando des Wehrmacht, Supreme High Command of the German Armed Forces, created by Hitler in 1938 to coordinate the High Commands of the Army (OKH), Navy (OKK), and Air Force (OKL). The OKW was directly responsible to the Führer as commander in chief
OP
—Observation Post
BOOK: War Stories III
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