War Diaries Talk

Military Abbreviation

  • Wzl.jupp by Wzl.jupp

    I have come across what I believe is an abbreviation - GAS - for an artillery diary. I believe this to mean Group Artillery Shoot on the basis of: the use of CAPS; the numerous references to group shoots in the preceding diary pages; and item 4 of the order listing the ammunition to be used as shrapnel. Any comments?

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  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Good suggestion, but I think this might just be gas, rather than an acronym. Barrages are dealt with separately and appear to be targeting different grid refs.

    I could be wrong, of course! 😄

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  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator

    I'm not an artillery expert but it was the words "will be projected" that make me wonder. That sounds more like actual gas rather than artillery. It's odd that there is no further detail of the gas projection in the order, but could this Order be the covering fire for the gas, to catch the enemy running away from it? Giving a Zero Hour and having barrages before it does usually indicate something different is happening at that zero hour - in this case the release of gas?

    We do have some ex-artillery people here - hopefully one will spot this and give us a more informed opinion than my guesses!

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  • David_Underdown by David_Underdown moderator

    The Livens Projector (a mortar like device, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livens_Projector) was the standard means of delivering gas shells by this period in the war, so the use of the word projected in conjunction with GAS does suggest it's "just" gas.

    This some how reminds of the alleged incident in the Second World War where the Allies became alarmed at German requests for gas masks etc to be sent to Africa, suggesting they might be about to resort to chemical weapons in the desert war. However, as they followed the German comms via Enigma decrypts, it eventually became obvious that the Germans had originally been alarmed by intercepting US comms asking for more gas, but a German with a better grasp of American English eventually realised that the American units were actually just after gasoline...

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  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Thanks, David.

    Fascinating about the Second World War comms intercepts - I'd never heard that before.

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