Stormtroop Tactics: Innovation in the German Army, 1914-1918 / Edition 1

by Bruce I. Gudmundsson

Overview

Describing the radical transformation in German Infantry tactics that took place during World War I, this book presents the first detailed account of the evolution of stormtroop tactics available in English. It covers areas previously left unexplored: the German Infantry's tactical heritage, the squad's evolution as a tactical unit, the use of new weapons for close combat, the role of the elite assault units in the development of new tactics, and detailed descriptions of offensive battles that provided the inspiration and testing ground for this new way of fighting. Both a historical investigation and a standard of excellence in infantry tactics, Stormtroop Tactics is required reading for professional military officers and historians as well as enthusiasts.

Contrary to previous studies, Stormtroop Tactics proposes that the German Infantry adaption to modern warfare was not a straightforward process resulting from the top down intervention of reformers but instead a bottom up phenomenon. It was an accumulation of improvisations and ways of dealing with pressing situations that were later sewn together to form what we now call Blitzkrieg. Focusing on action at the company, platoon, and squad level, Stormtroop Tactics provides a detailed description of the evolution of German defensive tactics during World War I—tactics that were the direct forbears of those used in World War II.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275954017
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	06/30/1995
Edition description:	Revised ed.
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.49(d)
Lexile:	1560L (what's this?)

About the Author

BRUCE I. GUDMUNDSSON is a military historian on the faculty of the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, Quantico, Virginia. Mr. Gudmundsson is a frequent contributor to the Marine Corps Gazzette.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Prologue: The Massacre of Innocents
Open Order Tactics
Fortress Warfare
Special Assault Units
Verdun
Expansion
Organization and Technology
The Eastern Front
Mountain Warfare
Cambrai
The Peace Offensive
Conclusion
Appendix A: The Wilhelm Raid
Appendix B: The Jacobsbrunnen Raid
Appendix C: André Laffargue
Bibliography
Indexes