Chosen of the Valkyries

Appendix: German Words and Phrases

Abwehr – German Military Intelligence

Bund Deutscher Mädel (BDM) – League of German Girls/Band of German Maidens, female wing of the Hitler Youth.

Einsatzgruppen – SS extermination squads

Gastarbeiter – Guest Worker

Generalmajor – Major General

Germanica – Moscow, renamed after the war

Hauptsturmfuehrer – SS rank, roughly equal to Captain.

Heer – The German Army

Herrenvolk – Master Race

Junker, German nobleman

Kessel – ‘caldron,’ German military term for trapping an enemy formation.

Kinder, Küche, Kirche – Nazi slogan, roughly “children, kitchen, church.”

Kriegsmarine – The German Navy

Lebensborn – literally ‘font of life.’ SS-run program for increasing the German population, including measures to encourage breeding and the kidnapping of ‘Aryan’ children from non-German families.

Luftwaffe – The German Air Force

Mausefalle – ‘Mouse Trap’

Mutterkreuz – Mother’s Cross

Oberfeldwebel – Heer rank, roughly equal to Master Sergeant

Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW, ‘Supreme Command of the Armed Forces’) – The German General Staff.

Obergruppenfuehrer – SS rank, roughly equal to Lieutenant General.

Obersturmfuehrer – SS rank, roughly equal to First Lieutenant.

Ordnungspolizei – Order Police (regular police force)

Reichsführer-SS – Commander of the SS

Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RSHA) – Reich Main Security Office

Sigrunen – SS insignia (lightning bolts)

Standartenfuehrer – SS rank, roughly equal to Colonel.

Sturmbannfuehrer – SS rank, roughly equal to Major.

Sturmann – SS rank, roughly equal to Private.

Strumscharfuehrer – SS rank, roughly equal to Master Sergeant.

Swinehund – German insult, literally ‘pig dog.’

Untermensch – Subhuman.

Untermenschen – Subhumans, plural of Untermensch.

Unterscharfuehrer – SS rank, roughly equal to Second Lieutenant.

Vaterland – Fatherland.

Volk – The German People.

Wehrmacht – The German Military (often taken to represent just the army (Heer)).