Stephen Bull

World War II Winter and Mountain Warfare Tactics (eBook, PDF)

Illustrator: Noon, Steve

• Format: PDF

Produktbeschreibung

The twentieth century saw an unprecedented emphasis on fighting in all terrains, seasons and weather conditions. Such conditions made even basic survival difficult as subzero temperatures caused weapons to jam, engines to seize up and soldiers to suffer frostbite, snow blindness and hypothermia. The conditions often favoured small groups of mobile, lightly armed soldiers, rather than the armoured forces or air power that dominated other combat environments. Some European armies developed small numbers of specialist alpine troops before and during World War I, but these proved to be insufficient as nearly all the major combatants of World War II found themselves fighting for extended periods in extremely hostile cold-weather and/or alpine environments. Drawing upon manuals, memoirs and unit histories and illustrated with period tactical diagrams and specially commissioned full-colour artwork, this study sheds new light on the winter-warfare tactics and techniques of the US, British, German, Soviet and Finnish armies of World War II.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Bloomsbury UK
• Seitenzahl: 64
• Erscheinungstermin: 20. April 2013
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781849087131
• Artikelnr.: 44868096

Autorenporträt

Dr Stephen Bull worked for the National Army Museum and BBC in London before taking up his current post as Curator of Military History and Archaeology with Lancashire Museums. A consultant to the University of Oxford he is also a Member of the Institute for Archaeologists, and has made TV appearances that include the series Battlefield Detectives, news and archaeology features. Published on both sides of the Atlantic and in several languages, he is the author of a number of works for Osprey including titles on tactics in World War II. Dr Bull has been one of the key contributors to the accompanying television series screened in the United Kingdom and North America.

Inhaltsangabe

Introduction: strategic and tactical constraints of terrain and climate on military operations /Pre
war background work: British Polar Institute
Indian Army
European Alpine troops
transport, sleds and skis /Russo
Finnish Winter War of 1939
40: materials and experience
'motti' tactics /Narvik 1940
Norwegian experience
establishment of British Commando Schools /The Russian Front, 1941: Russian tactics, German inadequacies and improvisation /German responses 1942
44: winter warfare and ski
troop manuals /US responses: manuals 1941
44
tactical training
clothing and equipment /Italy, 1943
45: mountain warfare
mule transport /The West, 1944
45: British in the Netherlands
Battle of the Bulge
snow camouflage /Conclusions /Bibliography