World War II Street-Fighting Tactics

From Cassino to Stalingrad, many of the most famous and brutal battles of World War II were fought in the burnt out remains of cities. 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.

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.

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