FUBAR F***ed Up Beyond All Recognition: Soldier Slang of World War II

by Gordon L. Rottman

Overview

An entertaining book detailing the military slang of World War II.

The soldier slang of World War II was as colourful as it was evocative. It could be insulting, pessimistic, witty, and even defeatist. From 'spam bashers' to 'passion wagons' and 'roof pigs' to 'Hell's Ladies,' the World War II fighting man was never short of words to describe the people and events in his life.

FUBAR: F***ed Up Beyond All Recognition takes a frank look at the British, Commonwealth, American, German, Japanese and Russian slang used by the men on the ground, and shows how, even in the heat of battle, they somehow managed to retain their sense of humour, black though it might have been.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781849086530
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	01/01/2011
Series:	General Military
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	300
File size:	917 KB

About the Author

Gordon L. Rottman entered the US Army in 1967, volunteered for Special Forces and completed training as a weapons specialist. He served in the 5th Special Forces Group in Vietnam in 1969–70 and subsequently in airborne infantry, long-range patrol and intelligence assignments until retiring after 26 years. He was a Special Operations Forces scenario writer at the Joint Readiness Training Center for 12 years and is now a freelance writer, living in Texas.
Gordon L. Rottman entered the US Army in 1967, volunteered for Special Forces and completed training as a weapons specialist. He served in the 5th Special Forces Group in Vietnam in 1969–70 and subsequently in airborne infantry, long-range patrol and intelligence assignments before retiring after 26 years. He was a Special Operations Forces scenario writer at the Joint Readiness Training Center for 12 years and is now a freelance writer, living in Texas.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Author's Note
Introduction
Phonetic Alphabets

PART I GI and Gyrene Jargon – US Army and Marine Corps Slang
PART II Tommy, Aussie, Canuck, and Kiwi Talk – British Commonwealth Army Slang
PART III Landserdeutsch – German Army Slang

Appendix 1 Imperial Japanese Army Slang
Appendix 2 Red Army Slang
Appendix 3 Armored Fighting Vehicles Nicknames
Appendix 4 What Did Germany's Enemies Call Them?

Abbreviations
Select Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

This is a highly informative book packed with fascinating insights into the military language used in WWII, but also for those with an interest in the development of the English (and German) language.” —Timothy Baghurst, The Traveler (September 2007)

“The overwhelming implication of FUBAR is that this remarkable reference book, a unique witness to the language of war, represents a class of men passing away with inexorable force. Dove or hawk, it makes no difference: If one truly want to understand this important aspect of the fighting men one supports or condemns, it would be infinitely myopic to ignore their words, how they said them, and why.” —David Cotner, VC Reporter (October 4, 2007)

“Soldier slang of World War II is colorful and could range from insults to witty sayings: any collection strong in World War II history thus needs Fubar: Soldier Slang of World War I, a dictionary defining World War II slang from all armed forces sides. From conscripted 'koala' Australian soldiers to identifying a 'Chinese attack', this is loaded with phrases and insights.” —California Bookwatch (December 2007)

“Reading this book brings to life the rich culture of the men and women of the armed forces of WWII. The level of detail in Rottman's collection of terms is astounding and the size of the volume speaks to its completeness. Writers of historical fiction or reference books will find this book invaluable. Hobbyists and modelers will also find this book useful as many of these phrases and terms can add to the character and detail of nearly any WWII model. Most of all, anyone with an interest in WWII will enjoy this colorful place.” —Matthew Hope, HM (Jan/Feb/Mar 2008)

“Reading this book brings to life the rich culture of the men and women of the armed forces of WWII. The level of detail in Rottman's collection of terms is astounding and the size of the volume speaks to its completelness. Writers of historical fiction or reference books will find this book invaluable. Hobbyists and modelers will also find the book useful as many of these phrases and terms can add to the character and detail of nearly any WWII model. Most of all, anyone with an interest in WWII will enjoy this colorful book.” —Steven Weakly, Historical Miniature Magazine (2008)

“I purchased FUBAR and stayed awake reading until sleep could no longer be avoided, great book.” —Greg Sunyak (January 2008)

“FUBAR: Soldier Slang of World War IIwas a fun book to flip through. When HBO's 'The Pacific' goes on the air, I am going to keep this book nearby; I am thinking that it just might be useful!” —C. Peter Chen,World War II Database, ww2db.com(December 2009)

“FUBARis a compilation of thousands of slang terms and their definitions from WWII. It is a wonderful companion for both new students of the war and experienced historians. Some phrases will be familiar to modern readers. Most of us already know that a 'jarhead' is a slang term for a member of the United States Marine Corps. and that 'scuttlebutt' is a reference to rumors. You probably did not know, however, that a scuttlebutt was also a water fountain on a ship. Accordingly, 'scuttlebutt' seems to embrace the same concept as water cooler conversations.

FUBARis a lot of fun to read and I have kept it close by my reading chair since I received it. Rarely do I read a book that does not include slang terms that previously I had understood only by intuiting the meaning. Now I have a definitive resource to guide me through the soldier slang of the Second World War.” —David Mitchell, World War II Forums, ww2f.com (November 2009)

“Even though World War II ended 62 years ago, it is still with us in books and films. This small and important guide is one more testament to that... Academic libraries, as well as a variety of special readers, will want to add this useful and reasonably priced volume.” —Charles R. Andrews, American Reference Books Annual (March 2008)

“...this is more of a reference or easy browsing book than one where you sit down and start reading. You'll find many of the words to be pretty funny and some even a bit shocking... It is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed browsing through and it is one that I know you will find just as much fun to read. Most highly recommended.” —Scott Van Aken, modelingmadness.com (September 2007)

From the Publisher