World War II Index/Glossary of Terms

World War II Index/Glossary Home Page

CinCPAC

The abbreviation for Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet (Admiral Nimitz, U.S. Navy)

CinCSWPA

The abbreviation for Commander in Chief, Southwest Pacific Area (General MacArthur, U.S. Army)

Clark Air Field

Clark Field, part of Fort Stotsenberg on the Philippines, was the main base of the Army Air Corps in the western Pacific on the eve of World War II. The Japanese bombed the base on the day after Pearl Harbor, December 8, 1941.

CO (C.O.)

A Commanding Officer.

Cold War

The constant but low-level tension that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union from the end of World War II until 1989.

Coral Sea (Battle of the Coral Sea)

The Coral Sea is just northeast of Australia. The Battle of the Coral Sea occurred in May 1942 between carrier task forces. This battle and the Battle of Midway marked an important turning point in the war in the Pacific.

Corregidor

A Philippine island. Site of the last stand of the U.S. forces in the Philippines, led by General MacArthur, before being taken by the Japanese in 1942.

Crete

German airborne troops defeated the British on this Greek island in May 1941. Although the German airborne losses were staggering, the Allies did not know this and the German victory helped spur the development of the U.S. Army Airborne.