Source Document: The Canadian Army 1939 – 1945, An Official Historical Summary, By Colonel C. P. STACEY, O.B.E., A.M., Ph.D., Director, Historical Section, General Staff, 1948.

A.D.G.B – Air Defense of Great Britain
AVRE – Assault vehicle, Royal Engineers
Bde – Brigade
BEF – British Expeditionary Force
BST – British summer time
CA – Civil Affairs
CAOF – Canadian Army Occupation Force
Capt – Captain
CB – Companion of the Order of the Bath
CBE – Companion of the Order of the British Empire
Cdn – Canadian
CGS – Chief of the General Staff
C-in-C – Commander-in-Chief
CMG – Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
CMHQ – Canadian Military Headquarters, London
Col – Colonel
COSSAC – Chief of Staff, Supreme Allied Commander
COTC – Canadian Officers Training Corps
CSM – Company sergeant-major
CWAC – Canadian Women’s Army Corps
DCM – Distinguished Conduct Medal
Div – Division
DSO – Companion of the Distinguished Service Order
ED – Canadian Efficiency Decoration
FBM – Feet board measure
GCMG – Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
Gen – General
GHQ – General Headquarters
GOC – General Officer Commanding
GOC-in-C – General Officer Commanding-in-Chief
GS – General Staff
HE – High explosive
HLI (of C) – The Highland Light Infantry of Canada
HMCS – His Majesty’s Canadian Ship
HMS – His Majesty’s Ship
Hon – Honorable
Inf – Infantry
Lieut (Lt) – Lieutenant
LMG – Light machine gun
L of C – Lines of communication
Maj – Major
MBE – Member of the Order of the British Empire
MC – Military Cross
MG – Machine gun
MM – Military Medal
NCO – Non-commissioned officer
NRMA – National Resources Mobilization Act
OBE – Officer of the Order of the British Empire
PIAT – Projector, infantry, antitank
Pte – Private
RAF – Royal Air Force
RAMC – Royal Army Medical Corps
RCA – Royal Canadian Artillery
RCAF – Royal Canadian Air Force
RCAMC – Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps
RCE – Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers
RCHA – Royal Canadian Horse Artillery
RCN – Royal Canadian Navy
RCR – Royal Canadian Regiment
RDF – Radio direction finding (now called radar)
Recce – Reconnaissance or reconnoiter
RFC – Royal Flying Corps
RHLI – Royal Hamilton Light Infantry
RMC – Royal Military College
RN – Royal Navy
SAS – Special Air Service
SF – Special Force
SHAEF – Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force
Sitrep – Situation report
SS (British) – Special Service (i.e. Commando)
SS (German) – Schutzstaffeln (plural): originally elite guards of the Nazi party; later used as an independent term; fighting units of SS were known as Waffen SS
TAC – Tactical
US – United States
USA – United States Army
VC – Victoria Cross
VD – Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers Decoration
WO II – Warrant Officer, Class II



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