Doctrine

The Creation of Large French Armored Units II

AFV Doctrine France Military and Naval 18 Min Read

Despite the shortage of medium tanks, the military hierarchy had no intention to form the first armored division with tanks other than medium tanks. At the Riom trial, Col. Jean Perré stated that Gamelin anticipated formation of the first armored division in October 1940. Only then would sufficient “heavy” tanks be available. Due to matériel limitations and in accordance with…

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Doctrine Navies 3 Min Read

Naval Doctrine 21st Century

DDG-1000 Zumwalt / DD(X) Multi-Mission Surface Combatant Future Surface Combatant. I. B. Holley concluded his 1953 seminal study, Ideas and Weapons, by observing that “to exist in a warring world the nation must pick winning weapons; if military analysts will distill every possible lesson from the history of two world…

Doctrine Ottoman Personnel 6 Min Read

Ottoman warfare 1000-1650

The medieval and early modern Western image of the Ottoman soldier as motivated principally by fanatic Muslim (ghazi) belief, and the Ottoman Empire as driven by a core mission of ‘‘holy war’’ (jihad), is a gross caricature that has nonetheless been purveyed by generations of historians. For one thing, jihad…

Doctrine History Medieval 6 Min Read

Early Arms Races

Mons Meg, Medieval Bombard, Edinburgh, Scotland. The Mongol armies that brought steppe warfare to its apex and overran most of Asia before conquering Russia in 1240 never penetrated the rest of Europe. But under the Mongol Empire (1226-1368), trade and travel across Asia intensified, and familiarity with gunpowder (as well…

Doctrine German Units 11 Min Read

Panzers between Poland and France I

Though there had been no significant tank-versus-tank engagements during the Polish campaign, German planners were aware that against the French and British, they would face superior numbers, better armed and armored vehicles, and not least stronger antitank defenses. As the Wehrmacht began the process of deploying westward, the armored force…

Doctrine German Units 10 Min Read

Panzers between Poland and France II

Light tank chassis were nevertheless good for something. The towed antitank gun was still considered satisfactory as the backbone of antitank defense. The army’s offensive mind-set, however, encouraged active defense to the point where the initial title of Panzer Abwehr (tank defense) was changed prewar to Panzerjäger (tank hunter). The…

Doctrine German Units 9 Min Read

24th Panzer Division -Tactical Lessons in Stalingrad 11 October 1942

A fascinating glimpse on the German view of fighting in built up areas in Stalingrad (p.52) German Panzer Tactics by Charles C. Sharp Tactical Lessons Street Fighting with Tanks in Stalingrad (Report from the 24th Panzer Division Dated 11 October 1942 The employment of an armored assault group consisting of…

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Gustavus Adolphus’ Reforms

Swedish Infantry Gustavus Adolphus, a key reformer of armed forces in the 17th century, was…

British Armour – Lessons to be Learned I

Following victory in Tunisia there was a pause in British ground operations for two months…

The Army of Elizabeth I

“The Armada Campaign, 1588: • Petronel, Earl of Essex’s troops • English demilancer • English…

Spanish Tercio

By the beginning of the sixteenth century, disciplined pike-armed infantry had become the backbone of…