Common terms and abbreviations of the Third Reich
1933-1945.
Abgeordnet |
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abg. |
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Temporarily transferred to a position at another place. |
Abschnitt |
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Abs.; Abschn. |
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Sector; district. |
Abteilung |
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A.; Abt. |
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Unit, battery, battalion, department |
Abwehr |
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Abw. |
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Wehrmacht Intelligence service |
Abwehrpolizei |
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Counter-espionage police. A function of the Grenzpolizei under the jurisdiction of the Gestapo. |
Abzeichen |
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Abz. |
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Badge of rank, appointment, or distinction. |
Adjutantur |
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i. Staff department dealing with routing personnel and administrative matters; ii. The earlier title of the Persönlicher Stab RfSS |
Ahnenerbe Forschungs- und Lehrgemeinschaft |
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Society for Research into and Teaching of Ancestral Heritage. Administered by Pers.Stab RfSS, this office promoted research of family and national hereditary history and dissemination of racial theories. |
Allgemeines Heeresamt |
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A.H.A. |
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General Army Directorate |
Allgemeine Heeresmitteilungen |
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A.H.M. |
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General army orders |
Allgemeine-SS |
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Allg. SS |
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The general body of the SS, composed of part-time, full-time, and honorary members. |
Allgemeines Wehrmachtsamt |
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General Armed Forces Office in OKW, conerned with matters of personnel, training, equipment, etc. |
Amt |
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A main office, branch, or directorate of a Ministry, or an independent Ministry such as the Auswartiges Amt |
Amtsgruppe |
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A subordinate branch of a Hauptamt. |
Anhaltelager |
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Temporary detention camp. |
Anordnung |
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Order, instruction, or regulation |
Anwärter |
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Anw. |
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Cadet or candidate |
Abeitsdienstführer |
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Overseer of labor performance in a concentration camp; responsible to the Arbeitseinsatzführer. |
Arbeitseinsatzführer |
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Supervisor of labor in a concentration camp. |
Arbeitserziehungslager |
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Labor education camp for released prisoners requiring special training to readjust them for industry. |
Armee-Bekleidungs-Amt |
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A.Bekl.Amt |
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Army clothing depot |
Armee-Briefstelle |
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A.Briefstelle |
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Army postal station |
Armee-Feldlazarett |
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A.Feldlaz. |
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Army field hospital |
Armeekorps |
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A.K. |
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Infantry corps |
Armee-Kartenstelle |
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A.Kartenstelle |
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Army map depot |
Armee-Kraftfahr-Park |
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A.K.P. |
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Army motor transport park |
Armee-Nachrichten-Park |
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A,N.Pk. |
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Army signals equipment park |
Armee-Nachrichten-Regiment |
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A.N.R. |
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Army signals regiment |
Armee-Oberkommando |
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A.O.K. |
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Army (H.Q.) |
Armee-Pferde-Lazarett |
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A.Pf.Laz. |
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Army veterinary hospital |
Armee-Sanitäts-Abteilung |
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A.San.Abt. |
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Army medical unit |
Armee-Sanitäts-Park |
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A.San.Pk. |
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Army medical stores park |
Artillerie-Ersatz-Regiment |
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A.E.R. |
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Artillery depot/replacement regiment |
Artillerie-Führer |
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Arfü |
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Commanding officer divisional artillery regiment |
Artillerie-Kommandeur |
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Arko |
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Artillery commander from G.H.Q. pool |
Artillerie-Lehr-Regiment |
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Art.Lehr-Rgt |
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Artillery demonstration regiment |
Artillerie-Park |
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Art.Pk. |
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Artillery equipment park |
Artillerie-Regiment |
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A.R.; Art.Rgt. |
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Artillery regiment |
Astronomischer-Mess-Zug |
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Astr.Mess-Zug |
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Astronomical survey section |
Aufklärung |
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Aufkl. |
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lit. enlightenment; military: Reconnaissance |
Aufklärungs-Abteilung |
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A.A.; Aufkl.Abt. |
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Reconnaissance unit |
Aufklärungs- und Kavallerie-Abteilung |
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Aufkl.u.Kav.Abt. |
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Reconnaissance and cavalry demonstration unit |
Ausbildung |
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Ausb. |
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Training |
Ausbildungs-Bataillon |
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Ausb.Btl. |
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Training battalion |
Ausbildungs-Division |
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Ausb.Div. |
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Training division |
Ausland/Abwehr |
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Ausl./Abw. |
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Amt (previously an Amtsgruppe) of OKW responsible for Espionage, Counterespionage, Sabotage, and Foreign Information. Headed by Admiral Wilhelm Canaris until his arrest for anti-Nazi activities in 1944, whereupon it was absorbed by the RSHA. |
Auslands-Organisation |
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AO |
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The NSDAP agency concerned with care and supervision of Germans in foreign countries. Ranked as the 43rd Gau of the NSDAP under Gauleiter and Foreign Office Staatssekretär Ernst-Wilhelm Bohle. |
Aussendienststelle or Aussenstelle |
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Aust. |
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Outstation or outpost of the Sipo and SD |
Ausser Dienst |
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a.D. |
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retired; on inactive list |
Auswärtiges Amt |
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Foreign Office; The Reich Ministry for Foreign Affairs |
Bäckerie-Kompanie |
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Bäck.Kp. |
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Bakery company |
Bahnhofs-Kommandantur |
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Bahnhofs-Kdtr. |
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Railway station command |
Bahnschutzpolizei |
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Railway protection police. Transferred to SS control, 1942. |
Bann |
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A subdivision of the Hitler-Jugend Gebiet (region), approximately comparable to a Kreis (district) of the NSDAP. |
bataillon |
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Btl. |
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Battalion |
Batterie |
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Batt(r). |
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Battery (artillery troop) |
Bau-Bataillon |
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Bau-Btl. |
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Construction battalion |
Bauinspektion |
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Construction Inspectorate, a branch of Amtsgruppe C of the SS-WVHA. |
Beamter |
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An official or functionary. |
beauftragt |
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b. |
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authorized; commissioned; in charge |
Beauftragter |
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Beauftr. |
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A representative, commissioner, or administrator. |
Befehl |
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An order or command. |
Befehlshaber des Ersatzheeres |
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B.d.E. |
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C.-in-C. Replacement Army |
Befehlshaber der Ordnungspolizei |
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BdO |
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Commander of the Orpo in a Wehrkreis or similar territory. |
Befehlshaber der Sicherheitspolzei und des Sicherheitsdienstes |
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BdS |
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Commander of the Sipo and SD in a Wehrkreis or similar territory. |
Behörde |
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An authority or administrative body. |
bei(m) |
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b. |
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on; near |
Bereitschaftsdienst |
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BD |
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Emergency service branch (of the TeNo) |
Bereitschaftspolizei |
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Mobile barracks police units of the Landespolizei, administered by the various Länder before the police were centralized in 1935/1936. |
Bevollmächtigter |
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Bev. |
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Plenipotentiary |
Bewachungsmannschaft |
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Guard detachment of the SS in a concentration camp. |
Bezirk |
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Bez. |
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A district; sub-region; administrative unit. |
Bezirksverwaltungsgericht |
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BVG |
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District Administrative Court |
Blockführer |
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1. An SS NCO in charge of a block or company of prisoners in a concentration camp, responsible to the Rapportführer. |
Blockleiter |
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Lowest official of the NSDAP, responsible for the political supervision of 40 to 60 households. Subordinate to a Zellenleiter |
Bürgermeister |
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Mayor of a mid-size town or smaller community. |
Chef der deutschen Polizei |
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Ch.d.Dt.P.; ChdDtP; ChdDtPol. |
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Commander-in-Chief of the German Police (Heinrich Himmler) |
Chef der Heeresrüstung und Behfehlshaber des Ersatzheeres |
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Ch.H.Rü.u.B.d.E. |
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Chief of Army Equipment and Commander of the Replacement Army |
Chef der Ordnungspolizei |
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CdO |
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Chief of the Order Police (Daluege, then Wünnenberg) |
Chef der Sicherheitspolizei und des SD |
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CSSD |
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Chief of the Security Police and SD (Heydrich, then Kaltenbrunner) |
Chef der Zivilverwaltung |
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CdZ |
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Head of the Civilian Administration in an occupied territory. |
der Reserve |
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d.R. |
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of the Reserve |
Deutsch |
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Dt. |
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German |
Deutsche Arbeitsfront |
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DAF |
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The German Labor Front, largest of the NSDAP's affiliated organizations comprising all the corporations, guilds, and professional associations. Led by Reichsleiter Dr. Robert Ley. |
Deutsche Ausrüstungswerke |
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German Equipment Works, SS enterprise founded in 1939. |
Deutsche Erd- und Steinwerke GmbH |
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German Clay and BrickworksLtd. SS enterprise established in 1938, primarily to construct brickworks and exploit quarries by the use of prisoner labor. |
Deutsches Rotes Kreuz |
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DRK |
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German Red Cross. President: NSKK-Obergruppenführer Herzog von Sachs- Coburg; Vice-President: SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS Prof. Dr. med. Ernst-Robert Grawitz. |
Deutsche Umsiedlungs-Treuhand GmbH |
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DUT |
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German Resettlement Trust Ltd., affiliated with the RKFDV. |
Deutsche Wirtschaftsbetriebe GmbH |
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DWB |
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German Economic Enterprises Ltd., an enterprise controlled by the SS-WVHA. |
Dienstgrad |
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Rank or grade |
Dienststelle |
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Headquarters, administrative office, station, or depot. |
Durchgangslager |
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Dulag |
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POW transit camp |
Ehrenführer |
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Honorary SS leader. Distinction accorded by Himmler to leading NSDAP and State figures nominally attached to his staff. |
Eingetragener Verein. A registered society (e.g., Lebensborn e.V. |
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e.V. |
Einheit |
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Unit |
Einsatz |
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Action, operation, employment |
Einsatzgruppe |
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EGru. |
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Operational group or task force of the Sipo and SD for special missions (particularly liquidiations of Jews, communist officials, etc.) in occupied territory. |
Einsatzkommando |
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Ekdo. |
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Detachment of the Sipo and SD; subordinate element of an Einsatzgruppe |
Einwandererzentrallstelle |
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EWZ |
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Central Immigration Office administered by the RSHA and part of the RKFDV. |
Eisenbahn-Artillerie |
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Eisb.Art. |
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Railway artillery |
Eisenbahn-Baubataillon |
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Eisb.Baubtl. |
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Railway construction battalion |
Eisenbahn-Baukompanie |
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Eisb.Baukomp. |
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Railway construction company |
Eisenbahn-Betriebs-Kompanie |
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Eisb.Betr.Kp. |
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Railway operating company |
Eisenbahn-Fernsprech-Kompanie |
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Eisb.Fsp.Kp. |
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Railway telephone company |
Eisenbahn-Küchenwagen-Abteilung |
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Eisb.Küchenwg.Abt. |
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Railway kitchen car unit |
Eisenbahn-Nachrichten-Abteilung |
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Eisb.Nachr.Abt. |
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Railway signals unit |
Eisenbahn-Pionier-Bau-Kompanie |
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Eisb.Pi.Baubtl. |
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Railway engineer construction company |
Eisenbahn-Pionier-Park |
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Eisb.Pi.Pk. |
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Railway engineer equipment park |
Eisenbahn-Pionier-Regiment |
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Eisb.Pi.Rgt. |
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Railway engineer regiment |
Eisenbahn-Pionier-Stab zur besonderen Verwendung |
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Eisb.Pi.St.z.b.V. |
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Special railway engineer staff |
Eisenbahn-Pionier-Zug |
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Eisb.Pz.Zug |
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Armored train |
Entgiftungs-Abteilung |
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Entg.Abt. |
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Decontamination battalion |
Entlade-Stab |
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Entl.St. |
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Unloading staff |
Ergänzungs- |
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Erg. |
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Reserve; supplementary |
Erlass |
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Edict, decree, or order |
Ernährung |
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Ern. |
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Food; nutrition |
Ersatz |
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Ers. |
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Training; depot; reinforcement |
Ersatz-Teillager |
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Ers.Teillag. |
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Spare parts depot |
europäisch |
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europ. |
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European |
Fachreferat |
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A specialist subsection or 'desk' in an office or headquarters. |
Feldbahn-Kompanie |
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Feldbahnkp. |
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Field railway company |
Feldeisenbahn-Betriebs-Abteilung |
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Feldeisb.Betr.Abt. |
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Field railway operating unit |
Feldeisenbahn-Direktion |
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Feldeisb.Dir. |
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(see Feldeisenbahn-Kommando) |
Feldeisenbahn-Maschinen-Abteilung |
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Feldeisb.Masch.Abt. |
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Field railway machine unit |
Feldeisenbahn-Nachschub-Lager |
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Feldeisb.Nachsch.Lag. |
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Field railway supply depot |
Feldeisenbahn-Kommando |
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Feldeisb.Kdo. |
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Field railway command |
Feldeisenbahn-Werkstatt-Abteilung |
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Feldeisb.Werkst.Abt. |
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Field railway workshop unit |
Feldgendarmerie-Abteilung |
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F.G.A. |
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Military police battalion |
Feldgendarmerie-Trupp |
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Feldgend.Tr. |
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Military police detachment |