| AA | Anti Aircraft (guns or shells) |
| AFV | Armoured Fighting Vehicle |
| AMGOT | Allied Military Government of Occupied Territory |
| AP | Armour Piercing shell |
| ARV | Armoured Recovery Vehicle |
| AT | Anti Tank gun |
| AVRE | Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers (modified Churchill tank) |
| AWD | Allied War Department |
| Besa | 7.92mm machine gun mounted co-axially with main turret gun |
| BWEF | British Western Expeditionary Force |
| CB | Confined to Barracks |
| CI | Chief Instructor |
| CMP | Corps of Military Police |
| Cpl | Corporal |
| DM | Driver Mechanic |
| D&M | Driving & Maintenance |
| DO | Driver Operator |
| DR | Dispatch Rider |
| DSO | Distinguished Service Order |
| EME | Electrical & Mechanical Engineers |
| FDS | Field (or Forward) Dressing Station |
| FDS | Forward Deliver Squadron (vehicle & crew replacement) |
| FFI | Free From Infection |
| FFI | French Forces of Interior (resistance groups) |
| FUP | Forming Up Point |
| GM | Gunner Mechanic |
| GO | Gunner Operator |
| HE | High Explosive shell |
| Honey | Small light reconnaisance tank |
| HQ | Headquarters |
| I/C | In command (e.g 2i/c) |
| IO | Intelligence Officer |
| KOYLIS | King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry |
| Laager | Tank harbour, all round defensive position |
| LAD | Light Aid Detachment (under REME control) |
| LCT | Landing Craft Troops |
| LOB | Left Out of Battle (official rest period) |
| LST | Landing Ship Tanks |
| MC | Military Cross |
| ME | Messerschmidt ME109 fighter aircraft |
| MG | Machine Gun |
| Minnies | German Nebelwerfer mortars ("Moaning Minnies") |
| Mitchells | American B25 twin-engine medium fighter-bomber |
| Mk IV | German medium Panzer tank |
| MM | Military Medal |
| MO | Medical Officer |
| MT | Motor Transport |
| Nebelwerfer | German mortar - also known as "Moaning Minnies" |
| O.D. | Other Denomination (religious) |
| Panther | German tank with the dreaded 88mm gun |
| Petard | 25lb. AVRE-mounted mortar to penetrate concrete |
| PIAT | Projector Infantry Anti-Tank (spigot bomb launcher) |
| POW | Prisoner Of War |
| RASC | Royal Army Service Corps |
| REME | Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers. Same as EME |
| RO | Reconnaisance Officer |
| RSM | Regimental Sergeant Major |
| RTG | Richard Trevor Greenwood, author of this diary |
| RTR | Royal Tank Regiment |
| SGT | Sergeant |
| Sherman | American tank |
| SP | Self-propelled guns for anti-tank work |
| Spandau | German rapid-fire machine gun |
| SQMS | Squadron Quarter Master Sergeant |
| SQN | Squadron |
| SSM | Squadron Sergeant Major |
| Stonk | Heavy barrage of mortar fire |
| TDU | Tank Deliver Unit |
| Tiger | German tank |
| Tpr | Trooper |
| Typhoon | British (Hawker) low level fighter-bomber |
