The soldier slang of World War II was as colourful as it was evocative. It could be insulting, pessimistic, witty and even defeatist. From 'spam bashers' to 'passion wagons' and 'roof pigs' to 'Hell's ladies' the World War II fighting man was never short of words to describe the people and events in his life. "F***ed Up Beyond All Recognition" takes a frank look at the Commonwealth, American and German slang used by the men on the ground and shows how, even in the heat of action, they somehow managed to retain their sense of humour, black though it might be.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Reading this book brings to life the rich culture of the men and women of the armed forces of WWII. The level of detail in Rottman's collection of terms is astounding and the size of the volume speaks to its completelness. Writers of historical fiction or reference books will find this book invaluable. Hobbyists and modelers will also find the book useful as many of these phrases and terms can add to the character and detail of nearly any WWII model. Most of all, anyone with an interest in WWII will enjoy this colorful book."-Steven Weakly, Historical Miniature Magazine (2008)
"Reading this book brings to life the rich culture of the men and women of the armed forces of WWII. The level of detail in Rottman's collection of terms is astounding and the size of the volume speaks to its completeness. Writers of historical fiction or reference books will find this book invaluable. Hobbyists and modelers will also find this book useful as many of these phrases and terms can add to the character and detail of nearly any WWII model. Most of all, anyone with an interest in WWII will enjoy this colorful place." -Matthew Hope, HM (Jan/Feb/Mar 2008)
"Even though World War II ended 62 years ago, it is still with us in books and films. This small and important guide is one more testament to that... Academic libraries, as well as a variety of special readers, will want to add this useful and reasonably priced volume." -Charles R. Andrews, American Reference Books Annual (March 2008)
"I purchased FUBAR and stayed awake reading until sleep could no longer be avoided, great book." -Greg Sunyak (January 2008)
"Soldier slang of World War II is colorful and could range from insults to witty sayings: any collection strong in World War II history thus needs Fubar: Soldier Slang of World War I, a dictionary defining World War II slang from all armed forces sides. From conscripted 'koala' Australian soldiers to identifying a 'Chinese attack', this is loaded with phrases and insights." -California Bookwatch (December 2007)
"The overwhelming implication of FUBAR is that this remarkable reference book, a unique witness to the language of war, represents a class of men passing away with inexorable force. Dove or hawk, it makes no difference: If one truly want to understand this important aspect of the fighting men one supports or condemns, it would be infinitely myopic to ignore their words, how they said them, and why." -David Cotner, VC Reporter (October 4, 2007)
"This is a highly informative book packed with fascinating insights into the military language used in WWII, but also for those with an interest in the development of the English (and German) language." -Timothy Baghurst, The Traveler (September 2007)
"...this is more of a reference or easy browsing book than one where you sit down and start reading. You'll find many of the words to be pretty funny and some even a bit shocking... It is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed browsing through and it is one that I know you will find just as much fun to read. Most highly recommended." -Scott Van Aken, modelingmadness.com (September 2007)
Reviews of the paperback edition:
"FUBAR: Soldier Slang of World War II was a fun book to flip through. When HBO's "The Pacific" goes on the air, I am going to keep this book nearby; I am thinking that it just might be useful!" -C Peter Chen, World War 2 Database/ww2db.com (December 2009)
"FUBAR is a compilation of thousands of slang terms and their definitions from WWII. It is a wonderful companion for both new students of the war and experienced historians. Some phrases will be familiar to modern readers. Most of us already know that a "jarhead" is a slang term for a member of the United States Marine Corps. and that "scuttlebutt" is a reference to rumors. You probably did not know, however, that a scuttlebutt was also a water fountain on a ship. Accordingly, "scuttlebutt" seems to embrace the same concept as water cooler conversations.
FUBAR is a lot of fun to read and I have kept it close by my reading chair since I received it. Rarely do I read a book that does not include slang terms that previously I had understood only by intuiting the meaning. Now I have a definitive resource to guide me through the soldier slang of the Second World War." -David Mitchell, World War II Forums/ww2f.com (November 2009) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
"Reading this book brings to life the rich culture of the men and women of the armed forces of WWII. The level of detail in Rottman's collection of terms is astounding and the size of the volume speaks to its completeness. Writers of historical fiction or reference books will find this book invaluable. Hobbyists and modelers will also find this book useful as many of these phrases and terms can add to the character and detail of nearly any WWII model. Most of all, anyone with an interest in WWII will enjoy this colorful place." -Matthew Hope, HM (Jan/Feb/Mar 2008)
"Even though World War II ended 62 years ago, it is still with us in books and films. This small and important guide is one more testament to that... Academic libraries, as well as a variety of special readers, will want to add this useful and reasonably priced volume." -Charles R. Andrews, American Reference Books Annual (March 2008)
"I purchased FUBAR and stayed awake reading until sleep could no longer be avoided, great book." -Greg Sunyak (January 2008)
"Soldier slang of World War II is colorful and could range from insults to witty sayings: any collection strong in World War II history thus needs Fubar: Soldier Slang of World War I, a dictionary defining World War II slang from all armed forces sides. From conscripted 'koala' Australian soldiers to identifying a 'Chinese attack', this is loaded with phrases and insights." -California Bookwatch (December 2007)
"The overwhelming implication of FUBAR is that this remarkable reference book, a unique witness to the language of war, represents a class of men passing away with inexorable force. Dove or hawk, it makes no difference: If one truly want to understand this important aspect of the fighting men one supports or condemns, it would be infinitely myopic to ignore their words, how they said them, and why." -David Cotner, VC Reporter (October 4, 2007)
"This is a highly informative book packed with fascinating insights into the military language used in WWII, but also for those with an interest in the development of the English (and German) language." -Timothy Baghurst, The Traveler (September 2007)
"...this is more of a reference or easy browsing book than one where you sit down and start reading. You'll find many of the words to be pretty funny and some even a bit shocking... It is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed browsing through and it is one that I know you will find just as much fun to read. Most highly recommended." -Scott Van Aken, modelingmadness.com (September 2007)
Reviews of the paperback edition:
"FUBAR: Soldier Slang of World War II was a fun book to flip through. When HBO's "The Pacific" goes on the air, I am going to keep this book nearby; I am thinking that it just might be useful!" -C Peter Chen, World War 2 Database/ww2db.com (December 2009)
"FUBAR is a compilation of thousands of slang terms and their definitions from WWII. It is a wonderful companion for both new students of the war and experienced historians. Some phrases will be familiar to modern readers. Most of us already know that a "jarhead" is a slang term for a member of the United States Marine Corps. and that "scuttlebutt" is a reference to rumors. You probably did not know, however, that a scuttlebutt was also a water fountain on a ship. Accordingly, "scuttlebutt" seems to embrace the same concept as water cooler conversations.
FUBAR is a lot of fun to read and I have kept it close by my reading chair since I received it. Rarely do I read a book that does not include slang terms that previously I had understood only by intuiting the meaning. Now I have a definitive resource to guide me through the soldier slang of the Second World War." -David Mitchell, World War II Forums/ww2f.com (November 2009) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Gordon L. Rottman entered the US Army in 1967, volunteered for Special Forces and completed training as a weapons specialist. He served in the 5th Special Forces Group in Vietnam in 1969-70 and subsequently in airborne infantry, long-range patrol and intelligence assignments until retiring after 26 years. He was a special operations forces scenario writer at the Joint Readiness Training Center for 12 years and is now a freelance writer, living in Texas. The author lives in Cypress, TX.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Job: Interesting, Fun and Informative,
By
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This review is from: FUBAR F---ed Up Beyond All Recognition: Soldier Slang of World War II (General Military) (Hardcover)
I own several different dictionaries of military slang, and this is far and away the best. Rottman did his homework. In addition to library research, he worked with online discussion groups including WW II vets to understand the precise meaning (or meanings) of expressions. He also has a way with words himself -- it's not easy to get ideas across in brief dictionary entries, but Rottman does it. The entries are always informative, often full of personality, and sometimes funny -- never pedantic. It's also obvious that helping to recreate and preserve the culture of WW II soldiers is something Rottman really cares about.Before I peeked at his Amazon listing, I was pretty sure that this wasn't Rottman's first book on the war. The depth of his knowledge really shines through. I had more than a few "Wow, I didn't know that!" moments while reading. For example: "Zombies." These were Canadian soldiers who declined to volunteer for overseas deployment. Apparently if you didn't volunteer, Canada would not send you. Didn't know that. Reading this book is like eating a really well-prepared meal -- it's full of little surprises and pleasures. Highly recommended. If you have a serious interest in WW II, this should be in your collection.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A precise view,
This review is from: FUBAR F---ed Up Beyond All Recognition: Soldier Slang of World War II (General Military) (Hardcover)
Now I've seen military slang dictionaries before, but this one is different in several ways. It covers World War II army and marine slang, not just of the United States, but the British Commonwealth with a heavy dose of often humorous or rather cheeky Australian slang, and, something seldom attempted, Landserspeak, the slang of the German soldier. As a bonus there is something else one seldom sees, Japanese and Russian soldier's slang. There is something else about this book though. It does not just give a cut and dried definition of the word, but often its origins, the nuances of its meaning, and examples of its use if it's not apparent. This work provides a window into the mind of the World War II soldier. One sees a commonality among them regardless of the uniform they wore and the ideology they fought for. There is a certain dark humor in the face of adversity that helped carry them through their trails. One can see the cynicism dripped off their words. Regardless of the army, they all had slang words to describe the food they ate, abbreviated terms or nicknames for their weapons and equipment, often unflattering terms for their leaders, rather cavalier words with a double meaning in regards to the opposite sex and its pursuit, items of uniform, the holes and other places they called home, the regard they had for rear service troops, and the trails of their daily lives. Just flipping through the pages and reading entries at random are a joy in and of itself.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book,
This review is from: FUBAR F---ed Up Beyond All Recognition: Soldier Slang of World War II (General Military) (Hardcover)
My grandfather served in WorldWar II, but he would never talk about it. After seeing this book in an advertisement, I decided to pick it up because I've always been curious about what it was like to be in that terrible war. I really liked reading through FUBAR because it gave me a quick snapshot into what my grandfather and so many other went through.
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