Dictionary - TracesOfWar.com

Machine gun: Machine gun, an automatic heavy quick firearm.
Madagascar plan: Unexecuted plan aimed at forcing Jewish civilians within the German realm to immigrate to the island of Madagascar.
Maginot Line: French defence line along the French-German border.
Majdanek: Concentration camp nearby the Polish city of Lublin. Originally a POW camp. From 1942 an extermination camp.
Manchukuo: Name that the Japanese gave to the puppet state which they established in 1932 merging the Chinese Manchuria and Jehol.
Mandated territory: Former German colonies and Turkish territory which was governed on behalf of the league of Nations after World War 1.
Manhattan project: The American development of the Atomic bomb during World War Two.
Maquis: French underground resistants’ movement during World War Two.
Mare Nostro: Italian word meaning ”Our Sea”. Represents ambition of the Italian fascists: to capture power around the Mediterranean.
Marshal: Highest military rank, Army commander.
Marshall Plan: American economic support programme to help rebuild Western Europe destroyed by World War Two. The plan was named after the American Secretary of State.
Martial law: Military government, involving the suspension of ordinary law .
MARVA: Navy’s Women’s corps.
Mass production: Producing large quantities of the same product.
Master Bomber: Specialized plane leading the marking of the territory which could transmit corrections in order to increase the accuracy of the bombing to hit the target as close as possible
Mauthausen: Place in Austria where the Nazi’s established a concentration camp from 1938 to 1945.
May days: The five days of combat of the Dutch army against the German invasion during World War 2 for 10-15 May 1940.
Medal of Honor: United States of America’s highest military honour. Awarded for awarded for personal acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty.
Mein Kampf: “My Struggle”. Book written by Adolf Hitler, outlining the principles of National Socialism.
Memelland: Area in Lithuania that was annexed by the Germans in 1938.
MI 5: British Military Intelligence, security.
MI 6: British Military Intelligence, intelligence
MIA: Missing in action, Missing.
MIAD: Died while missing in action.
MID: Military intelligence service.
Midway: Island in the Pacific where from 4 to 6 June 1942 a battle was fought between Japan and the United States. The battle of Midway was a turning point in the war in the Pacific resulting in a heavy defeat for the Japanese.
Militarism: Great influence of the army on civilian society.
Military Authority: Dutch military body with special authority on non-military issues (1944 – 1946).
Mine: An object filled with explosives, equipped with detonator which is activated by either remote control or by colliding with the targeted object. Mines are intended to destroy of damage vehicles, aircrafts or vessels, or to injure, kill or otherwise putting staff out of action. It is also possible to deny enemy access of a specific area by laying mines.
Mobilization: To make an army ready for war, actually the transition from a state of peace to a state of war. The Dutch army was mobilized on the 29 August 1939.
Molotov Cocktail: Popular name for a simple incendiary, which is a bottle with a wick and filled with a mix of gasoline or kerosene mix with motor oil. The ratio is approximately 2/3 gasoline and 1/3 oil. If you would only use gasoline the fuel will flow too quickly. Oil makes the mix “stick” and thus increases the effectiveness.
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact: Monstrous alliance and non-aggression pact between Nazi-Germany and the Soviet-Union in 1939 involving a secret protocol dividing the countries of Eastern Europe.
Monstrous Alliance: An alliance, cooperation between two parties which initially might seem mismatched.
Monte Casino: Monastery on a mountain near the Italian city of Casino. The monastery was completely destroyed after heavy fighting from February to May 1944.
Moral: The will of the troops/civilians to keep fighting.
Moral bombing: Bombings aimed at enemy workers and other civilians to demoralize them or to break their morale in an attempt to have them revolt against the authorities.
Mortar: Canon that is able to fire its grenades, in a very curved trajectory at short range.
Mullberry Harbour: Artificial harbour built by the Allies in 1944 on the Normandy coast. These harbours were made of caissons (floating concrete structures) that were sunk at their place of destination. These harbours remained in use until ports such as Cherbourg and Calais had been conquered.
Munich Agreement: Conference in 1938 between Hitler, Chamberlain, Daladier and Mussolini about Czechoslovakia. To prevent a European war, Czechoslovakia had to give up the "Sudetenland” area to Germany.
Mussert-Jews: A term that is being used for Jews that were admired by Mussert or other Nazis because of their social or scientific significance. In total 84 Jews were designated as such.
Mutiny: Revolt of soldiers or sailors against the authorities.

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