DOC Great Battles of the Hellenistic World by Joseph Pietrykowski in History

Description

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.