Glossary

by Liz

PINETREE (Code) 8th Bomber Command Headquarters.

F.W. Focke-Wulf FW 190. First flight in 1939. Made its debut in France in 1941. Was a better plane then the Mark V Spitfire, England's best fighter at the time.

B17 Boeing B17E Flying Fortress. US Air corps bomber units arrived in England in 1942. 10 man crew: pilot, co-pilot, engineer, bombardier, radioman, and 5 gunners.

IP Initial Point. Start of the run on target.

PDI Pilot Directional Instruments. Before turning the aircraft over to autopilot and then to Norden bomb site, PDI check to make sure target was centered.

Lilly Piccadilly Lilly. Frank Savage's B17. Name from a popular song in England at the time.

Wren Women's Royal Naval Service provided personnel wherever the Admiralty required them to serve.

A2 jacket Leather flight jacket.

918th Fictional Bombardment Group H, 8th Air Force, based at Archbury. Most probably based on the 306th based at Thurleigh.

SHAEF Strategic Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces (London)

Cawl Welsh country stew or soup of meat and vegetables, quite often whatever was in the larder usually with bacon or mutton leek and potato.

C39 Douglas C-39- basically a military version of the Douglas DC-2 civilian airliner. It could carry 12 passengers or 3600 pounds of cargo.

Bara Brith Traditional fruit bread.

St. David's Patron saint of Wales. He helped spread Christianity among the pagen Celtic tribes. He travelled extensively throughout the known world. He was a monk and was canonized in 1120. On St. David's Day schoolchildren dress in traditional costumes, people speak primarily in Welsh and meals can have raw leek and Bara Brith.