Abwehr: The German military intelligence organization that was active during the nineteen thirties and nineteen forties.
Allied Powers: The nations led by the United States, England, and Russia in opposition to the Axis Powers during the Second World War.
Axis Powers: The nations led by Germany, Japan, and Italy in opposition to the Allied Powers during WWII.
Branch: A division of the OSS that was responsible for a designated area of research or operations.
Breakers: A term that represented various groups formed in opposition to the German regime and its crimes.
Cousins (aka Friends): Positive terms used in official US communications to represent the British.
Detachment: A smaller unit added to a larger group for undertaking specific operational purposes.
Deuxième Bureau: The French “Second Bureau” military intelligence service existed since the later nineteenth century but was it subsequently replaced following WWII.
Espionage: The practice of using spies to acquire intelligence about targeted persons, groups, and nations.
Morale: The mental and emotional status of a person or group that can be influenced to affect their loyalty and commitment to a cause or policy.
Nabors: A term used to represent the Germans who were neighbors to the Switzerland the staging ground for some OSS projects.
Psychological Warfare: Propaganda and other non-combat intelligence operations used to influence opposition forces.
Sabotage: Intentionally obstructing or destroying a person, place, or thing to serve political or military objectives.
Signals Intelligence Service: A US Army's intelligence gathering and cryptographic unit.
Vichy: The German puppet government that Marshall Philippe Petain led in occupied France.
A-2: Air Intelligence
ABDA: American-British-Dutch-Australian Command
AAF: Army Air Force
ACC: Allied Control Commission in occupied territories
AFHQ: Allied Forces Operational Headquarters in the Western Mediterranean
AFO: Burmese Anti-Fascist Organizations
AFPFL: Burmese Anti-Fascist People’s Freedom League
ALFSEA: Allied Land Forces South East Asia
ALIU: Art Looting Investigation Unit
ALOT: American Liaison Officer Team in Italy
AMZON: American Zone of Germany
APC: US Alien Property Custodian
BIA: Burma Independence Army
BIS: Bank for International Settlements
BEW: Board of Economic Warfare
BNA: Burmese National Army
BPF: Burma Patriotic Front
CAPS: A network of intelligence sources located in Switzerland that reported to the OSS.
CALPO: The Free Germany Committee was group of former German soldiers and partisans who fought German forces in the Soviet Union. CBI: China-India-Burma Theater of Operations
CCS: US and UK Combined Chiefs of Staff
C&D: Censorship and Documents Branch
CE: Counter Espionage
CIB: Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force Counter-Intelligence Branch
CIC (aka G-2): US Army Counter-Intelligence Corps
CLNAI: Committee for Liberation of Upper Italy
COI: Office of the Coordinator of Information (OSS predecessor group)
CSDIC: Combined Services Detailed Interrogation Center
CT (aka CTO): China Theater of Operations
DIP: OSS London’s Division of Intelligence Procurement responsible for intelligence penetration of German areas.
EAM: Greek resistance movement
ECONIC: Economic Intelligence
EOU: Enemy Objectives Unit
ERR: Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (German task force looting art from Jewish victims)
ESD 44: Economic Survey Detachment Group 44
ETO: European Theater of Operations
FAAA Units: First Allied Airborne Army Detachment
FEA: Foreign Economic Administration
FEB: Far Eastern Bureau of the UK India Mission
FED: Foreign Exchange Division
FETO: Far Eastern Theater of Operations
FFI: Free French Forces
FN: OSS Foreign Nationalities Branch
FP: Field Photographic Branch
G-5: US Army Civil Affairs
IAMM: US Independent Military Mission in Yugoslavia
ICRC: International Committee of the Red Cross
IDC: Interdepartmental Committee for Acquisition of Foreign Publications
IIU: Insurance Intelligence Unit
INA: Indian National Army
ITF: International Federation of Transport Workers
ISLD: British Intelligence Inter-Service Liaison Department within the Middle and Far East
JA: Jewish Agency for Palestine
JCS: US military Joint Chiefs of Staff
JIC: Joint Intelligence Committee
KMT: Kuomintang Chinese nationalist party
MA: Military Attaché
MAN: German resistance group that conducted attacks and sabotage against the ruling leadership.
MPAJA: Malaysian People’s Anti-Japanese Army
MEDTO: Mediterranean Theater of Operations
METO: Middle East Theater of Operations
MID: US Army Military Intelligence Division
MILORG: Norwegian resistance movement
MIS: CIC War Department Staff Military Intelligence Service
MO: Morale Operations conducted by the OSS Psychological Warfare Unit
MRL: The OSS Maryland Research Laboratory
MU: Maritime Unit
NATO: North African Theater of Operations
NDRC: US National Defense Research Committee
NEI: Netherlands East Indies
OELR: Office of European Labor Research
OG: Operational Commando Groups
OI: Oral Intelligence Branch
OKW: German Armed Forces High Command
ONI: US Office of Naval of Intelligence
OSO: Office of Special Operations
OSS: Office of Strategic Services
OVRA: Kingdom of Italy’s Secret Police
OWI: US Office of War Information
OZNA: Yugoslavian Department for the Protection of the People intelligence group
PLOPS: Planning and Operations Committee
PWB: US Psychological Warfare Board
PWD: Psychological Warfare Division
PWIS: Prisoner of War Information Service
R&A: Research and Analysis Division
R&D: Research and Development Division
RSHA: German government’s Main Security Office
SA: German paramilitary Assault Division (aka storm troopers, brown shirts)
SAARF: Special Allied Airborne Reconnaissance Force
SACMED: Supreme Allied Commander of the Mediterranean
SACO: Sino-American Cooperative Organization
SCAP: Supreme Commander Allied Powers
SCI: Special Joint OSS X-2 Branch and MI5 Counter Intelligence Operations
SD: Sicherheitsdienst (German State Security Intelligence Section)
SEAC: Southeast Asia Command
SEATIC: South East Asia Translation and Interrogation Center
SEPALS: Scandinavian Base Camps
SF: Special Funds
SF Detachments: US Special Forces units attached to army groups operating in the European Theater
SFE: Survey of Foreign Experts
SFHQ: US Special Forces Headquarters
SHAEF: Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force
SI: Secret Intelligence Branch
SIM: Servizio Informazioni Militari (Italian military Intelligence service)
SIPO: Germany Security Police
SOA: Australian Special Operations
SO: Special Operations Branch
SOU: Ship Observer Unit
SPOC: Joint British and US G-3 Special Project Operations Center
SS: German Security Service
SR: The intelligence section of the Deuxieme Bureau
SSS: SI intelligence teams attached to the US Army under the direction of G-2
SSU: The Strategic Services Unit (descendant group of the OSS)
S&T: Schools and Training
SWPA: South West Pacific Area
UHVR: Ukrainian Supreme Liberation Council
WD: US War Department
WRB: War Refugee Board
X-2: Counter Espionage Branch
