Logo from Scott Cunningham.

Glossary S

(s)

schweizerische — Swiss. (German)

S

osvetitelnij — illumination. Prefix used for Soviet ammunition nomenclature. (Russian)

s

schwere — heavy. (German)

S

Skorostnoy — speed. This is used for the lighter, faster version of the KV–1. (Russian)

S

Sukhoputniy — overland. This is used for the non-amphibious version of the T–40. (Russian)

SA

Semi-Automatique — semi-automatic. A French term indicating that cartridge cases are used, i.e. ammunition is loaded as a single piece. (French)

sabot

A full calibre shoe which surrounds the sub-calibre core (the penetrator) of an anti-tank projectile. The sabot is usually of light weight material and its purpose is to carry the penetrator within the gun barrel during firing. After leaving the muzzle the sabot may be discarded (an APDS projectile) or may remain with the core (an APCR projectile). Sabot comes from the French word for shoe.

SAET

Section de l’Armement et des Etudes Techniques — Armament and Technical Studies Section. (French)

Schürzen

Schürzen — (armoured) skirts. Schürzen was 5mm soft steel armour fitted to the sides and (sometimes) rear of German vehicles to protect from Soviet 14.5mm ATRs. (German)

Sd.Kfz.

Sonder-Kraftfahrzeug — special vehicle. A designation system for German armoured vehicles.(German)

sec

Secondary. In the armour tables this indicates that more than one turret is fitted to the vehicle. The data refers to the secondary turret(s).

Sfl.

Selbsfahrlafette — self-propelled. (German)

Sh

Shrapnel — shrapnel and case shot. Note that the Russian word for shrapnel is the same as in English. Prefix used for Soviet ammunition nomenclature. (Russian)

Sh

Shturmovaya — assault. This is used to describe the purpose of vehicle guns. (Russian)

Shot

A solid projectile with no HE filler. The words “shot” and “shell” have two distinct meanings in English and are often used loosely which can result in some confusion. “Shot” is a contraction of roundshot and harks back to the early days of artillery; it implies a solid projectile with no internal cavity. “Shell” on the other hand is used to describe a projectile with an internal cavity, which may be used to contain HE, smoke, shrapnel, etc.

s.K.

schwere Kanone — heavy gun. Implies high velocity. (German)

Skoda

Skoda — armaments firm in Czechoslovakia. (Czechoslovakian)

S.m.K.

Spitzgeschoss mit Kern — pointed bullet with core. This has a hardened steel core and was the second most common German 7.92mm ammunition, making up about 8% of production. (German)

S.m.K.H.

Spitzgeschoss mit Kern, Hart — pointed bullet with core, hard. This had a tungsten core and made up about 1% to 2% of production until March 1942, when production ceased due to the shortage of tungsten in Germany. Stocks continued to be issued to troops in the field as late as February 1943. (German)

SP

Self-Propelled.

SP

Sploshnoj — solid. This indicates that the projectile has no cavity for HE and so is a solid shot AP projectile and not AP/HE as is usually the case for most World War II AP projectiles. Suffix used for Soviet ammunition nomenclature. (Russian)

spec

specification.

SPG

Self-Propelled Gun.

Sprgr.

Sprenggranate — high explosive shell. A German HE projectile. (German)

s.Pz.B.

schwere Panzerbüchse — heavy anti-tank rifle. (German)

Steil.Gr.

Steilgranate — stick bomb. A Steilgranate projectile is an over-calibre warhead mounted on a long finned tail boom. Inside the tail is a solid rod that slipped into the muzzle of the gun, while the tail passed over the outer surface of the barrel. A separate charge is used to fire the bomb. The penetration performance is very good but the range is low due to the low muzzle velocity. More information about this and other ammunition types is in the Background Information section. (German)

Stu.G.

Sturmgeschütz — assault gun. Used for a short barrel gun. (German)

Stu.K.

Sturmkanone — assault gun. Used for a long barrel gun. (German)

SVDS

Super Velocity Discarding Sabot. The British name for an APDS projectile in World War II.

Do you like this web site? Please rate it between one and ten, with ten being the best:

Ratings are submitted to: The Wargames and Military History Search Engine.