A&AEE – Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment
A – Attack
AA – Anti-Aircraft/Ack-Ack
AAA – Anti-Aircraft Artillery/Triple A
AB – Air Base
AC – Air Corps
AAF – Army Airfield
AAF – Army Air Forces
ACC – Army Cooperation Command
ACG – Air Commando Group
ADC- Air Defense Command
AE – Air Efficiency award
AF – Air Field/Air Force
AFDU – Air Fighting Development Unit
AFRes – Air Force Reserve
AFFTC – Air Force Flight Test Center
AMC – Air Materiel Command
AN – Army and Navy
AN/APS – Airborne Search and Detection Radars
ANG – Air National Guard
APO – Army Post Office
ARDC – Air Research and Development Command
ATSC – Air Technical Service Command
Bandit – enemy aircraft
Bf – Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (Messerschmitt)
Big Friends – Allied bombers
Bogie – enemy fighter
BPC – British Purchasing Commission
Brother Agate – SRC-522 radio (ground-based)
CAC – Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation
cal – calibre
CBI – China-Burma-India Theatre of Operations
CG – Composite Group
C-ACW – Chinese-American Composite Wing
C.O. – commanding officer
cu. – cubic
DA – Defense Air/Department of the Army
Deck – ground
DOD – Department of Defense
E/A or e/a – enemy aircraft
EAME – European-African-Middle Eastern Theatre of Operations
ETO – European Theatre of Operations
F – Fighter, ‘Foto’, Photographic Reconnaissance
FAB – Fuerza Aérea Boliviana
FAD – Fuerza Aérea Dominicana
FAG – Fuerza Aérea Guatemalteca
FAS – Fuerza Aérea Salvadoreña
FBG – Fighter-Bomber Group
FBS – Fighter-Bomber Squadron
FBW – Fighter-Bomber Wing
FC – Fighter Command
FEAF – Far East Air Forces
FFAR – folding-fin aerial rocket
FG – Fighter Group
FIG – Fighter Interceptor Group
FIS – Fighter Interceptor Squadron
FIW – Fighter Interceptor Wing
Foto Joe – Photographic Reconnaissance aircraft
F/O – flight officer
FS – Fighter Squadron
FTG – Fighter Training Group
FTS – Fighter Training Squadron
FTW – Fighter Training Wing
ft – feet
FW – Fighter Wing
Fw – Focke-Wulf
GAC – General Aviation Corporation
Gal. – gallon
GAMC – General Aviation Manufacturing Corporation
GB – Great Britain
GR – Groupe de Reconnaissance
HQ – Headquarters
HVAR – high velocity aerial rocket
IFF – identification of friend or foe
in. – inch
IRAN – Inspect, Repair as Necessary
KIA – killed in action
km – kilometre
kit. – knot
lb – pound
lbs – pounds
Little Friends – Allied fighters/pursuits
Luftwaffe – German Air Force
m – metre
MAP – Military Assistance Programme/Ministry of Aircraft Production
MAAF – Mediterranean Allied Air Forces
MASAF – Mediterranean Allied Strategic Air Force
MC – Materiel Command
Me – Messerschmitt
mi. – mile
MIA – missing in action
Mk. – Mark
Mm – millimetre
MOD – Ministry of Defence
mph – miles per hour
MTO – Mediterranean Theatre of Operations
MX – Materiel, Experimental
NA – North American
NAA – North American Aviation
NACA – National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration
n.m. – nautical miles
OBE – Order of the British Empire
P – Pursuit airplane
PG – Pursuit Group
port – left
PS – Pursuit Squadron
PRG – Photographic Reconnaissance Group
PRS – Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron
PRW – Photographic Reconnaissance Wing
PTO – Pacific Theatre of Operations
RAE – Royal Aircraft Establishment
RAF – Royal Air Force
RAAF – Royal Australian Air Force
Ramrod – Bomber Escort Mission
RCAF – Royal Canadian Air Force
RF – Reconnaissance Fighter
RNZAF – Royal New Zealand Air Force
ROK – Republic of Korea
ROKAF – Republic of Korea Air Force
rpm – revolutions per minute
R-R – Rolls-Royce
SAC – Strategic Air Command
SAF – Swiss Air Force
SAAF – South African Air Force
SCR – Set, Complete, Radio
Starboard – right
SWPA – South-West Pacific Area
SWPTO – Southwest Pacific Theatre of Operations
TAC – Tactical Air Command
TEMCO – aka Temco – Texas Engineering and Manufacturing Company
TF – Trainer Fighter
TP – Trainer Pursuit
UK – United Kingdom
Uncle Dog – SCR-522 radio (airborne)
US – United States
USA – United States of America
USAAC – US Army Air Corps
USAAF – US Army Air Forces
USAF – US Air Force
VE – Victory in Europe
VIP – Very Important Person
VJ – Victory in Japan
WEP – War Emergency Power
X – Experimental
XP – Experimental Pursuit
yds – yards
Zeke – official code name for Mitsubishi A6M
Zero – unofficial nickname for Mitsubishi A6M
ZI – Zone of the Interior (United States)