World War II Winter and Mountain Warfare Tactics

by Stephen Bull, Steve Noon (Illustrator)

Overview

Although prolonged warfare in subzero temperatures and/or at high altitude had occurred from time to time before 1900, 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; even the hardiest, best-equipped troops found defending their positions very difficult, let alone conducting offensive operations. 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. Some, like the German forces invading the USSR in 1941, were - apart from a few specialist formations - poorly equipped and trained for the unique difficulties imposed by such conditions, and were initially forced to improvise. Others, such as the Finns in the Winter War of 1939-40, outclassed their Soviet opponents with their mobility (many soldiers were already competent skiers at the outbreak of war), marksmanship, bold initiative and decisive leadership.

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:	9781849087124
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	04/23/2013
Series:	Elite , #193
Pages:	64
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.20(d)

About the Author

Dr Stephen Bull is Curator of Military History and Archaeology for Lancashire Museums, with particular responsibility for local regimental collections. Currently he is engaged in the redisplay of the Museum of Lancashire, including a new gallery on World War I. He has previously worked at the National Army Museum and BBC in London. A Member of the Institute of Archaeologists, he has also appeared in the TV series Battlefield Detectives. He has written numerous articles for specialist journals, including a number on the weapons and tactics of World War I. His other books include six Osprey titles, two on World War I, and four on World War II.

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