1. INTRODUCTION
A list of common U.S. artillery terms and their
British equivalents is presented below. It is felt that
this list will be a considerable help to our artillery
units since many of them may be in action beside
British units, or in support of British units, or vice
versa. The list of terms was compiled at a British
artillery school.
2. THE LIST
AMERICAN |
|
BRITISH |
Adjust | | Correct. |
Adjusting | | Ranging. |
Adjutant (S-1) | | Administration Officer. |
Aiming circle | | Director. |
Aiming stakes | | Aiming posts. |
Altitude (elevation) | | Height or elevation. |
Angle-of-site level | | Sight clinometer. |
Army Artillery Group | | Army Group, R.A. (A.G.R.A.). |
Army Artillery Group Commander | | Commander, Army Group, R.A. (C.A.G.R.A.). |
Brigadier General, Army Artillery | | Brigadier, R.A. (B.R.A.). |
Assignment | | Role. |
"At ease" | | Rest. |
"At my command" | | "Fire by order." |
Attached | | Under command. |
Azimuth | | Bearing. |
Base deflection | | Line. |
Base line | | Zero line. |
Base piece | | Pivot gun. |
Base point | | Zero point. |
Big "T" or Little "T" | | Apex angle. |
Boresight | | Test sights. |
"Cease firing" (canceled by "next elevation") | | "Stop" (canceled by "Go on" or fresh sequence of orders). |
Check point | | Witness point. |
Chief of section | | No. 1. |
Commands | | Orders. |
Communications | | Signals. |
Coordinates (12.3-45.6) or 2356. | | Map reference 123456. |
Corps Artillery Officer | | Commander, Corps, R.A. (C.C.R.A. or M.G.R.A.). |
Counterbattery accuracies: | | |
P | | 50 yards. |
Q | | 100 yards. |
R | | 150 yards. |
S | | Over 150 yards. |
Continuous wave | | Morse (key). |
Deviation. | | Line error. |
Direct support | | Supported arm can expect 60% of its calls to be answered. |
Div Artillery Commander | | Commander, R.A. (C.R.A.). |
Executive | | Gun-position officer (G.P.O.). |
Fire Direction Center | | Regimental Command Post. |
Five rounds per gun | | Scale 5. |
General support | | In support. |
Gunner | | Layer (No. 3). |
Gunner's quadrant | | Field clinometer. |
"H" hour | | Zero hour. |
Location (accurate) | | Fix. |
Lost | | Unobserved (O.U.). |
Map reference 36.6-49.5 | | Map reference 366495. |
Mask | | Crest clearance. |
Mission | | Intention. |
"Mission accomplished" | | "Troop stand easy." |
Observing line | | The line O.T. |
"On No. 1 close -- mils" | | "Concentrate -- minutes on No. 1." |
"On No. 1 open -- mils" | | "Distribute -- minutes from No. 1." |
Operations officer (S-3) | | Adjutant. |
Overlay | | Trace. |
Panoramic sight | | Dial sight. |
Piece | | Gun. |
Place mark | | Bearing picket (B.P.). |
Platoon | | Section. |
Precision fire | | Pin-point target. |
Reciprocal laying | | Individual angles. |
Record base deflection | | Record zero lines. |
Salvo fire | | Troop fire, 2 seconds. |
Section | | Subsection. |
Sense | | Spot (observe). |
Sensing (U.S. method): | | Correction (British method): |
"100 short" | | "Add 100." |
"100 over" | | "Drop 100." |
"100 left" | | "Right 100." |
"100 right" | | "Left 100." |
Sheaf | | Subtension of troop at target. |
Shift | | Switch. |
Site | | Angle of sight. |
Standing Operating Procedure. | | The interchange of Liaison Officers, complete with cable and wireless sets. |
Unobserved fire | | Predicted fire. |
Voice radio | | R/T. |
Volley fire | | Salvo or gun fire. |
"X" | | Eastings. |
"X Y" template | | Map code. |
"Y" | | Northings. |
"Y" azimuth | | Grid bearings. |
1 mil | | 3.46 minutes. |
17.78 mils | | 1 degree. |
6,400 mils | | 360 degrees. |