Category: language

language, Resources

More military abbreviations

Another list of acronyms and abbreviations associated with French Army terminology in La Grande Guerre. This time those most likely to be encountered ‘behind the front’ or in support of the artillery.

Once again, if you have further examples, or can otherwise improve on what’s here, please feel free to comment and make suggestions.

  • CID : Centre d’Instruction Divisionnaire 
  • Cie. T. : Compagnie de Télégraphistes
  • CMI : Centre de Mobilisation Militaire
  • COA : Commis et Ouvriers d’Administration – Administration Clerks and Workers
  • CVAD : Convoi Administratif – unit of ‘the train’
  • CVAX : Convoi Auxiliaire – unit of ‘the train’
  • DCF : Direction des Chemins de fer
  • DCFC : Direction des Chemins de fer de Campagne
  • DCM : Dépôts de Chevaux Malades ou blessés
  • DES : Direction des Étapes et des Services – Formation in the rear area attached to an army to plan and ensure supplies and evacuations of wounded, etc.
  • DRM : Dépôt de remonte mobile
  • ESG : Ecole supérieure de guerre
  • ETEM : Escadron du train des équipages militaires – equivalent of the British and US Army Service Corps units
  • GMP : Gouvernement Militaire de Paris
  • GQG : Grand Quartier Général
  • GVC : Gardes Voies Communication – protection of Lines of Communication
  • HVI : Hôpital Vétérinaire de l’Intérieur
  • SAP: Section d’Autos Projecteurs – vehicle-mounted searchlight unit
  • SEMR : Section des secrétaires d’état-major et de recrutement
  • SP : Secteur Postal 
  • SP : Section de Projecteurs – searchlight unit
  • SPC: Section des Projecteurs de Campagne
  • SR : Service de Renseignements 
  • SRA : Section de Ravitaillement d’Artillerie – Artillery Supply unit – ‘Ammunition Column’
  • SRA : Service de Renseignement de l’Artillerie – Created in November 1915, more than a year prior to the British system of Counter-Battery Staff Officers was established.
  • SROT : Section de Repérage par l’Observation Terrestre – French equivalent of the British ‘Flash-Spotters’ – ‘Ground Observation Tracking Section’
  • SRS : Section de repérage par le son – Sound Ranging Section
  • STA : Section de Transport Automobile 
  • STCA : Section Topographique de Corps d’Armée
  • STDI : Section Topographique de Division d’Infanterie 
  • TM : Section automobile de Transport de Matériel 
  • TP : Section automobile de Transport de Personnel
  • TPS : Télégraphe Par le Sol – ground telegraph i.e. by wire
  • TSF : Télégraphie Sans Fil – Wireless
  • VF : Voie Ferrée
  • VR : Voie Routière

ADDITION : Some abbreviations present on the
headstones of French military cemeteries

  • AMC : Groupes d’auto-mitrailleuses et d’autocanons
  • AS : Artillerie d’assaut (Artillerie spéciale)
  • AS/1 : Artillerie d’assaut (1er groupe)
  • AT : Artillerie de tranchée
  • BCA : Bataillon de chasseurs alpins
  • BCP : Bataillon de chasseurs à pied
  • BMC : Bataillon de marche colonial
  • BTAM : Bataillon de troupes auxiliaires marocaines
  • BTI : Bataillon de tirailleurs indochinois
  • BTM : Bataillon de tirailleurs malgaches (ou marocains)
  • BTS : Bataillon de tirailleurs sénégalais
  • BTS or BTSo : Bataillon de tirailleurs somaliens
  • BTT : Bataillon de tirailleurs tunisiens
  • BTZ : Bataillon territorial de zouaves
  • DES : Direction des étapes et services
  • DTMA : Direction des transports militaires aux armées
  • Etrang. : Régiment de la Légion étrangère (ex. 2o Etrang.)
  • RA : Régiment d’artillerie
  • RAC : Régiment d’artillerie de campagne
  • RACP : Régiment d’artillerie de campagne portée
  • RAL : Régiment d’artillerie lourde
  • RALA : Régiment d’artillerie lourde d’armée
  • RALC : Régiment d’artillerie lourde courte
  • RALGP : Régiment d’artillerie lourde à grande puissance
  • RALL : Régiment d’artillerie lourde longue
  • RALP : Régiment d’artillerie lourde puissante
  • RALT : Régiment d’artillerie lourde à tracteurs
  • RALVF : Régiment d’artillerie lourde sur voie ferrée
  • RAP : Régiment d’artillerie portée
  • RAP : Régiment d’artillerie à pied
  • RAS : Régiment d’artillerie d’assaut
  • RAT : Régiment d’artillerie de tranchée
  • RAT : Réservistes territoriaux
  • REI : Régiment étranger d’infanterie (Légion étrangère)
  • RFM : Régiment de fusiliers marins
  • RI : Régiment d’infanterie
  • RIC : Régiment d’infanterie coloniale
  • RICM : Régiment d’infanterie coloniale du Maroc
  • RIT : Régiment d’infanterie territoriale
  • R. MARCHE ETRANG. : Régiment de marche de la Légion étrangère*
  • RTA : Régiment de tirailleurs algériens
  • RMZ : Régiment de marche de zouaves
  • RMZT : Régiment mixte de zouaves et de ti
  • railleurs
  • RMT : Régiment de marche de tirailleurs
  • RTM : Régiment de tirailleurs marocains
  • RZ : Régiment de zouaves
  • STM : Section transport de matériel
  • TEM : Train des équipages militaires

* A régiment de marche is a temporary French military formation created for a specific campaign or military purpose. Regiments de marche were often a response to manpower shortages. They could also be formed from units that had become disorganized, or from new recruits who had not yet been formed into regular units. 

language, The Experience of War, Uncategorized

le « Système D »

A French postcard entitled 'Le Système D en Action' that shows a soldier in various situations - chiefly with women - where the ability to 'Débrouiller, Dégrouiller, Déméler or otherwise Dem...' (to sort out, to unravel, to untangle and to de...) come in useful in a non-military context.
« Le Système D en Action » Carte postale de ma collection.

In Life, it’s necessary to know how to sort things out, to unravel the knotty problem, to untangle complicated affairs, to de…mystify, declutter, deconstruct the problem. Le système D is all about resourcefulness.

In this carte postale humoristique, we see how a soldier makes use of these skills in a ‘non-military context’. The postcard was produced by A.H. Katz and was typical of the company’s output. Another example, A quoi elles rêvent : la midinette, la nourrice, la mondaine, la bourgeoise can be found here.

I was surprised to find that the term ‘système D‘ was more elusive in origin than I’d expected. It’s identified as a military term, and supposedly one from the Great War, la Grande Guerre, World War One, the First World War (take your pick). One or two websites place its origins ‘Vers 1916‘. It makes sense that it was military slang, along the lines of “improvise, adapt, overcome” but I’ve yet to find the circumstances in which it came into common usage.

What I did find, on the very interesting web site, MENUSTORY.COM :  L’Histoire des menus, les menus de l’Histoire created and developed by M. Yves Françoise and based on his collection, was this item (reproduced by kind permission of M Françoise):

Front illustration of a menu card showing a cavalry soldier of the early 19th century on horseback taking a drink from a lady holding a tray with a bottle on it. She stands on the balcony of what is probably an inn with a sign outside it.
[Copyright menustory.com © Yves FRANÇOISE]
Detail from a menu from the French 19th Territorial Infantry Regiment for 'Réveillon 1914' (either Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve) with items that have associations with events, places or people in the First World War. Examples are 'Le Pudding Général French' and 'Le Potage à la Joffre'. Also featured is 'Le Filet Système D' - which links to this blog post's theme.
Menu d’hier Réveillon 1914 du 19e RIT
[Copyright menustory.com © Yves FRANÇOISE]

In this menu from the 19e Régiment Territorial d’Infanterie for ‘Réveillon 1914’ – Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve – there are puns and references to events, places or people in the First World War. Examples are ‘Le Pudding Général French’ and ‘Le Potage à la Joffre’. Also featured is ‘Le Filet Système D’.

A reference to this term in a military context by a Territorial regiment at the end of 1914. It’s also reasonable to conclude from the context here that this was not by any means the first occasion of the use of the term. For the joke to be understood, système D needed to have been in common usage among those who sat down to enjoy this fine meal.

So, two (three?) mysteries remain: When and why was the term système D first used, and what was the origin of the meat in ‘le Filet Système D’ that gave this dish its name?! It may be best not to speculate too much.

A final note on ‘Do-Do’ and ‘Do-Due’. « Aller faire dodo » is to go to beddy-byes, « dodue » means plump, or chubby. Maybe they also had military connotations (although I doubt it)!

I hope you’ve found this interesting. If you have information to share on all this, or want to comment on this blog post, do feel free to get in touch using the ‘Contact’ form on the site.

language, Resources

A few military medical abbreviations (updated)

The following is a (by no means exhaustive) list of acronyms and abbreviations associated with French Army military medicine terminology in La Grande Guerre. If you have further example, or can otherwise improve on what’s here, please feel free to comment and make suggestions.

  • ACA : Ambulance chirurgicale automobile – (Mobile) ambulance unit (‘MASH’?!)
  • Amb : Ambulance
  • CF : ‘coup de feu’ (wound) – gunshot
  • EO : éclat d’obus (for a wound) Shrapnel
  • GBD / GBS : groupe de brancardiers divisionnaire / corps – divisional/corps stretcher-bearer company
  • GS : Groupe de secours
  • HOE : l’hôpital d’orientation des étapes (d’évacuation) – Casualty Clearing Station?
  • l’ESSM : École supérieure du Service de santé militaire – school in Lyon which trained military doctors and pharmacists.
  • PS : poste de secours (? ou santé) – Aid Post
  • PSD : Poste de Secours Divisionnaire – divisional aid post
  • PSR : Poste de Secours Régimentaire – regimental aid post
  • SH : section d’hospitalisation
  • SHO : Section d’Hospitalisation et d’Orientation
  • SIM : Section d’infirmiers militaires
  • SS : le Service de Santé – medical service
  • SS : Section sanitaire
  • SSA : Section sanitaire automobile
  • SSAA : Section sanitaire automobile anglaise
  • SSU : Section sanitaire automobile américaine

To add to this, David O’Mara has provided the following useful guideance:

Officiers [médecins] served in the ‘service de santé‘ [SS] … Sous-officiers, caporals et ‘hommes de troupe‘ [médecins auxiliaires & infirmiers – of varying degree] served in the ‘sections d’infirmiers militaires‘ [SIM].

A section d’hospitalisation [SH] (4 orderlies, 4 drivers & 3 2-horsed wagons carrying medical stores). There were 6 per corps d’armée & another 6 in reserve. Combined with the ambulances (active & reserve), these become the Groupe de secours [GS]

1919, After the War, language, Resources

More Resources: Dictionaries

If they haven’t already, someone needs to look at the printed material produced during and immediately after the First World War for orientating the foreign soldier and, subsequently, the battlefield tourist or ‘pilgrim’.

Here’s a fine example:

Example page from Self pronouncing 9,000 names of places in the war zones: Belgium, Germany, Luxemburg, Switzerland, Austria-Hungary, Italy, France
(Rand, McNally & Co., 1919)

The whole of this very helpful guide (its accuracy needs to be tested before it can be recommended!) can be found here.

A further example was not a new publication but a reprint. Cornélis De Witt Willcox’s A French-English military technical dictionary : with a supplement containing recent military and technical terms had originally been published in 1899, but was republished by the United States’ War Department in September 1917.

The detail is simply staggering. But how useful a book using terms for technology from the previous century was in the rapidly changing environment of the First World War is questionable. Judge for yourself from this sample page:

Example page from . Cornélis De Witt Willcox, A French-English military technical dictionary : with a supplement containing recent military and technical terms
(US Government Printing Office, Washington, 1899)

The variety of anneau (a ring, collar, hoop or link of a chain) is astonishing and some outdated technology (such as the Gardner Gun) feature among the equipment-, harness, pole-chain- and mooring rings.

There’s a growing field of study around language and war but it’s of particular interest to me when it comes to the operational co-operation and liaison between two nations that speak different languages. Specifically, the British and the French. There’s been some work on the methods of liaison in use between the two high commands (particularly on the Somme in 1916, by the late Elizabeth Greenhalgh). My own focus is on this infrastructure, if it existed, under extreme crisis, as it was in the Spring of 1918 during the German Kaiserschlacht offensives.

I’ll add further examples of what might have been less-than-adequate tools of the trade as my research continues. Meanwhile, if you want to maximise your enjoyment of Willcox’s work, you can find viewable and downloadable versions here (courtesy of the Internet Archive).

language, Resources

Further examples of French Army Slang

Azur, used preceded by the word Pif to designate a man with a large nose. For example, Eh! Pif d’azur.

Barbelé (avoir le barbelé dans le ciboulot), sort of cafard.

Bougie, face. For example, T’en fais une bougie!

Bourrin, prostitute.

Braise, mail.

Brin, excrement. For example, Bientôt on nous donnera à bouffer du brin.

Casino, chest.

Cassolettes, shoes.

Ciseaux, sur les appareils Farman, le manche à balai (barre de direction) est remplace par une tige qui se termine par deux boucles, d’où le nom de ciseaux.

Contre-torpilleur, iron field kitchen.

Encaisser, to fly in bad weather and be violently buffeted by the wind.

Esgourdacher, to listen.

Geignot, sort of cafard.

Grenade à cuiller, one which bursts on touching the ground.

Grougnon, sort of cafard.

Homme a lunettes, person who is not resourceful.

Jojo, light, poor wine.

Macaron, automobile steering gear.

Métro, narrow gauge railway behind the lines for transporting supplies.

Negre, black smoke shell.

Nord-Sud, same as Métro.

Parisse, Paris.

Placard, chest.

Polyte, Boche.

Potache, service stripe.

P. P. T., pauvres poires des tranchées.

Rinpinpin, sort of cafard.

Saint-Gothard, same as Métro.

Simplon, same as Métro.

Soixante-quinze, beans.

Tinette, automatic machine gun.

Tricoteuse, bayonet.

[Taken from Milton Garver, ‘French Army Slang’ in Modern Language Notes, Vol. 35, No. 8 (Dec., 1920), p. 508.]