World War II Street-Fighting Tactics
64 page book.
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Author: Stephen Bull
Illustrator: Peter Dennis
About this book
In a continuation of the tactics mini-series, this book analyzes the physical tactics of the close-quarter fighting that took place in ruined cities during World War II. Street-to-street fighting in cities was not a new development, but the bombed-out shells of cities and advances in weaponry meant that World War II took such strategies to a new level of savagery and violence. Packed with eye-witness accounts, tutorials from original training manuals, maps, and full-colour artwork, this is an eye-opening insight into the tactics and experiences of infantry fighting their way through ruined cities in the face of heavy casualty rates and vicious resistance.
Contents
- INTRODUCTION
- 'BLITZKRIEG' IN URBAN AREAS: Prewar doctrine: German - British; 1940: anticipating invasion; American responses
- THE EASTERN FRONT, 1941-44: The opening rush; Stalingrad: the academy of street fighting; Warsaw: improvisation and terror; Lessons from Warsaw: the German analysis
- THE ITALIAN EXPERIENCE: The Canadians in Ortona; British analysis: Fighting in Built Up Areas (1943); Cassino; Air support: Training Manual No.5
- THE US ARMY IN NW EUROPE: Doctrine: FM 31-50; The urban environment - squad organization - house-to-house fighting - tank
- infantry co-operation - raiding; Practical experience: 23rd Infantry at Brest - 26th Infantry at Aachen - 410th Infantry at Schillersdorf
- GERMANY, 1945: German forces; Allied forces - flamethrowers
- CONCLUSIONS
- PLATE COMMENTARIES
- INDEX
Paperback; September 2008; 64 pages; ISBN: 9781846032912