Timeline Twin by Michel Poulin - HTML preview

{1} GRU : Soviet military intelligence.

{2} M.I.6 : British intelligence services.

{3} Tet : New Year in Vietnam.  The most important and popular holiday in the country, calculated according to the lunar calendar.  In 1953, Tet fell on February 13, in the Year of the Dragon.

{4} Fifinella : Name of the female gremlin drawn to represent the women of the Women Air Service Pilots, or WASPs, during World War Two.

{5} Rodina : Mother Russia in Russian.

{6} Roundheads: Nickname given to the parliamentary cavalrymen of Oliver Cromwell

{7} New France : Name given to the French colony in North America that would eventually become Canada.

{8} Haganah : the initial name for the regular army of Israel.

{9} CNO : Chief of Naval Operations.  In effect the head of the United States Navy.

{10} SAS : Special Air Service Regiment.  A British unit specialized in commando raids and clandestine operations.

{11} Avram : The original name of the great patriarch Abraham, before his name was changed to fit Hebrew spelling.  The name of his wife was similarly changed from Saraï to Sarah.

{12} Six : In American military radio procedure, ‘Six’ is the callsign for the unit commander.

{13} GRU : Soviet military intelligence department.

{14} Shukran : Thank you in Arabic.

{15} DSC : Distinguished Service Cross.  Second highest American medal for valor, after only the Medal of Honor.

{16} The French franc of the time was worth about twenty American cents (1800s), while an English pound sterling was worth 25 francs.  One French Napoleon gold coin was worth twenty francs.

{17} NMCC : National Military Command Center.  The heart of the American military command network, situated inside the Pentagon.

{18} BMD-20 : Soviet heavy rocket artillery system, with four tubes for 200mm caliber rockets mounted on a truck chassis.  Maximum range of the rocket : 19.5 km.

{19} GRU : Russian acronym for the Soviet military intelligence service.

{20} Datcha : Secondary rural residence.  A much sought privilege often enjoyed by the Soviet elite.

{21} Great Patriotic War : Name use by the Soviets to designate World War Two.

{22} Boyard : Old slavic nobility title from the Middle Ages.

{23} In 1848, thirty million French francs was worth roughly 1.2 million British sterling pounds of the time, or six million American dollars of 1848.

{24} Esmeralda : Name of the main character in the famous novel ‘THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE-DAME’, written by Victor Hugo.

{25} Bat Masterson: famous sheriff and outstanding pistol shooter of the Far West.

{26} Schnitzel mit Spatzel : German dish of breaded veal fillet with buttered noodles.

{27} Coureur de bois: Popular name in New France for the French who practiced trapping and the fur trade.  Those men in turn were known to have frequent contacts and interactions with local Amerindians.

{28} Hochelaga: Iroquois name for Ville-Marie/Montreal

{29} L’auberge du chasseur: The hunter’s inn in French

{30} Damnée sauvagesse: ‘Damn savage girl’ in French.

{31} Five Nations: Name of the Iroquois Federation until a sixth nation, the Tuscaroras, entered the federation in 1722.  The Five Nations included the Cayugas, the Agniers (Mohawks), the Oneidas, the Onondagas and the Senecas and was created in 1570.