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Ausweis – Identification card.
Danke – Thank you.
Ersatzkaffee – Coffee made from wheat or other grains, not coffee beans. Drunk during the war due to rationing and lack of access to imported coffee beans.
Frau – A title for a married woman. Equivalent to the title missus.
Fräulein – A title for a girl or young unmarried woman. Comparable to the title miss.
Gasthaus – An inn or tavern providing lodging and food.
Gestapo – Hitler’s private militarized police force used for interrogation and infiltration to ferret out spies and other dissidents against the Nazi Party policies.
Hauptmann – German Army Captain.
Heer – German Army.
Herr – A title for a man. Equivalent to the title sir or mister.
Luftwaffe – German Air force.
Maginot Line – French first line of defense, it was built in response to WWI and as a defense against future invasion from the east. It was made of concrete fortifications, obstacles, an underground bunker system, and weapon installations. Construction began in 1929 and continued until 1938. In WWII the invading German Army simply went around it by going through Belgium.
Marken – Ration coupons made for specific items, e.g., eggs, bread, meats.
Marktplatz – A marketplace or town square.
Oberst – German Army Colonel.
Reichsmark – The money created and used during the Third Reich.
Reichseierkarte – The Third Reich’s ration card booklet.
Schutzstaffel – Also known as the SS. Specialized paramilitary troops within the Nazi Party responsible for general policing and enforcing the policies of Nazi Germany. Waffen SS were combat troops within the Army. The SS was also responsible for running the concentration camps. The Gestapo was a subdivision of the SS.
Schwarzwald – Black Forest region in southern Germany bordering France. Known for its dense evergreen forests, rolling hills, and quaint villages. Its western boundary is the Rhine River.
Siegfried Line – A mirror to the French Maginot Line, it was the Germans’ first line of defense against invasion. Built during WWI along the west German border, it included concrete barriers, defensive forts, tunnels, and anti-tank ditches filled with water. After the D-Day invasion, Hitler commanded able-bodied civilians and children to reinforce its construction.
Sturmmann – Stormtrooper rank within the SS.
Volkssturm – Also known as “The People’s Army,” it was the German national militia, established near the end of the war by the Nazi Party as a last resort to guard the homeland. It was comprised of old men, young boys, and women who were not already a member of the German military. Training was limited, organization and communication haphazard, and uniforms were often makeshift paramilitary or simply civilian clothes with an identifying armband. They played many roles including police, border guard, and frontline fighters.
Wehrmacht – The Armed Forces of the Third Reich and Nazi Germany. It includes the Heer (Army), Kriegsmarine (Navy), and Luftwaffe (Air force).
Zigaretten – Cigarettes.