World War II Winter and Mountain Warfare Tactics

by Stephen Bull, Steve Noon (Illustrator)

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781782009412
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	04/20/2013
Series:	Elite , #193
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	64
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

DR STEPHEN BULL is Curator of Military History and Archaeology for Lancashire Museums, with particular responsibility for local regimental collections, and is a consultant for the University of Oxford on World War I projects. He has previously worked at the National Army Museum and the BBC in London. A Member of the Institute of Archaeologists, he has also appeared in the TV series Battlefield Detectives, Lost Treasures, and Instruments of Death. His other books include six Osprey titles – two on World War I, and four on World War II.
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.
Steve Noon was born in Kent, UK, and attended art college in Cornwall. He's had a life-long passion for illustration, and since 1985 has worked as a professional artist. He has provided award-winning illustrations for the publishers Dorling Kindersley, where his interest in historical illustration began. Steve has illustrated over 70 books for Osprey.

Table of Contents

Introduction 4

The historical background

German preparations pre-war

The parameters of combat: climate and terrain - different types of cold, different types of snow

The effects of wind

'Motti' Tactics: Finland, 1939-40 9

Reconnaissance, and stopping

Attacking, and cutting

Isolation, and annihilation

Opportunism and planning

The value and limitations of skis

The Western Allies in Norway, 1940 18

Intervention in Finland planned, January-February 1940

Norway, April-June 1940

The British & US response

The Soviet Tactical Response: Combat in Winter (1941) 23

Movement

Digging-in

Concealment

Anti-tank defence

Patrolling

Route preparation

The attack

The defence

Study of War Experience (Autumn 1942)

Disaster on the Ostfront, 1941/42 34

Hitler's overconfidence

Emergency clothing - 'Winter Fritz'

Taschenbuch für den Winterkrieg (1942): Morale

The rasputitsa

Snow conditions - tactical lessons

Movement & orientation

Clearing routes

Railways

Clothing - padding & camouflage

Equipment

Shelters & food

German Ski Training & Tactics, 1942-44 47

Ski training

Tactical organization and movement

The fire-fight

Techniques Perfected, 1943-45 52

Great Britain: Operations in Snow and Mountain Warfare (1943)

German Mountain Warfare (US appreciation, 1944)

Conclusions 60

Select Bibliography 63

Index 64

Editorial Reviews

Any military history collection will find this a solid discussion of the training, equipment and special approaches winter warfare required, with chapters based on both wartime manuals and critiques of what actually happened during combat. A specific 'must' for any military collection!” —The Midwest Book Review (July 2013)

From the Publisher