Infantry Warfare 1939 1945

The infantry can always be found at the sharp end of the battlefield. You may be able to crush an opponent with armour or artillery, but there’s only one way to take and hold ground and that’s with riflemen – the ‘poor bloody infantry’. And it is the infantrymen of the Second World War – from all sides, Allied and Axis – who are the subject of this highly illustrated history. It uses over 400 wartime photographs plus contemporary documents and other illustrations to show the developments in equipment, training and tactical techniques and to give an insight into the experience of the infantry soldier during the conflict. Although the infantry were critical to the war effort, their contribution is often overshadowed by the more dramatic roles played by soldiers with more specialized skills – like tank crew, paratroopers and special forces. They also suffered devastating casualties, in particular during the last phase of the war in the west when around 20 per cent of an infantry division’s riflemen were likely to die and over 60 per cent could expect to be wounded. So as well as describing how the infantry fought, the authors look at the motivation which kept them fighting in awful conditions and despite brutal setbacks. The result is a thorough, detailed and revealing portrait of infantry warfare over seventy years ago.

The infantry can always be found at the sharp end of the battlefield. You may be able to crush an opponent with armor or artillery, but there's only one way to take and hold ground and that's with riflemen - the 'poor bloody infantry'. And it is the infantrymen of the Second World War - from all sides, Allied and Axis - who are the subject of this highly illustrated history. It uses over 400 wartime photographs plus contemporary documents and other illustrations to show the developments in equipment, training and tactical techniques and to give an insight into the experience of the infantry soldier during the conflict. Although the infantry were critical to the war effort, their contribution is often overshadowed by the more dramatic roles played by soldiers with more specialized skills - like tank crew, paratroopers and special forces. They also suffered devastating casualties, in particular during the last phase of the war in the west when around 20 per cent of an infantry division's riflemen were likely to die and over 60 per cent could expect to be wounded. So as well as describing how the infantry fought, the authors look at the motivation which kept them fighting in awful conditions and despite brutal setbacks. The result is a thorough, detailed and revealing portrait of infantry warfare over seventy years ago.

Narrative histories highlighting organization, combat experiences, and casualties of each division Lists of constituent units and division commanders Sources for further reading on each division This is the first of 3 definitive volumes that cover the German ground forces that swept across Europe with such ruthless efficiency in 1939 and 1940 and battled the Allies around the globe until the bitter end in 1945. Taken together, these volumes are the most comprehensive and accessible reference available on the Germany Army in World War II, unmatched in the information compiled on each division from inception to destruction. Volume One covers the 1st through 290th Infantry Divisions.

Nobody in the Second World War paid a higher price for the failure of politicians and generals than the infantry, whatever their nationality. Most battalions had a 100 per cent turn over due to casualties, some as high as 200 per cent. The majority of histories of the Second World War focus on what are perceived to be the more glamorous aspects of the conflict: flying aces, new technologies, politics. However, Charles Whiting's classic book, now reprinted in paperback is in the author's own words not a history. Poor Bloody Infantry is the story of the brave men whose efforts were so central to Allied victory but which has been gravely neglected by many writers on the Second World War. Whiting's vivid account of their experiences puts the reader in the thick of their struggles: firing useless Boyes rifles at oncoming SS tanks; crouching low in foxholes beneath a yellow incandescence as the surrounding dessert rocks and roars. Detailed and personal in scope, Poor Bloody Infantry deals with all aspects of the uncomfortable day-to-day life of infantrymen in the Second World War ranging from experiences in combat to such matters as foul tinned rations and VD.

It is said that artillery won the Second World War for the Allies - that Soviet guns wore down German forces on the Eastern Front, negating their superior tactics and fighting ability, and that the accuracy and intensity of the British and American artillery was a major reason for the success of Allied forces in North Africa from El Alamein, in Italy and Normandy, and played a vital role in the battles of 1944 and 1945. Yet the range of weapons used is often overlooked or taken for granted - which is why this highly illustrated history by Simon and Jonathan Forty is of such value. They stress the importance of artillery on every front and analyse how artillery equipment, training and tactical techniques developed during the conflict.The selection of wartime photographs - many from east European sources - and the extensive quotations from contemporary documents give a graphic impression of how the guns were used on all sides. The photographs emphasize the wide range of pieces employed as field, anti-aircraft and anti-tank artillery without forgetting self-propelled guns, coastal and other heavyweights and the development of rockets. The authors offer a fascinating insight into the weapons that served in the artillery over seventy years ago.

“From mountain warfare with guns on mules to V2 rockets and everything between makes it well worth a place on anyone’s reference shelf.” —Clash of Steel It is said that artillery won the Second World War for the Allies—that Soviet guns wore down German forces on the Eastern Front, negating their superior tactics and fighting ability, and that the accuracy and intensity of the British and American artillery was a major reason for the success of Allied forces in North Africa from El Alamein, in Italy and Normandy, and played a vital role in the battles of 1944 and 1945. Yet the range of weapons used is often overlooked or taken for granted—which is why this highly illustrated history by Simon and Jonathan Forty is of such value. They stress the importance of artillery on every front and analyze how artillery equipment, training and tactical techniques developed during the conflict. The selection of wartime photographs—many from east European sources—and the extensive quotations from contemporary documents give a graphic impression of how the guns were used on all sides. The photographs emphasize the wide range of pieces employed as field, antiaircraft and antitank artillery without forgetting self-propelled guns, coastal and other heavyweights and the development of rockets. The authors offer a fascinating insight into the weapons that served in the artillery over seventy years ago. “Superbly illustrated, this is testament to the courage and skills of extraordinary men in the execution of their duty. An amazing book.” —Books Monthly

On the battlefields of Europe and North Africa during the Second World War tanks played a key role, and the intense pressure of combat drove forward tank design and tactics at an extraordinary rate. In a few years, on all sides, tank warfare was transformed. This is the dramatic process that Simon and Jonathan Forty chronicle in this heavily illustrated history. They describe the fundamentals of pre-war tank design and compare the theories formulated in the 1930s as to how they should be used in battle. Then they show how the harsh experience of the German blitzkrieg campaigns in Poland, France and the Soviet Union compelled the Western Allies to reconsider their equipment, organization and tactics – and how the Germans responded to the Allied challenge. The speed of progress is demonstrated in the selection of over 180 archive photographs which record, as only photographs can, the conditions of war on each battle front. They also give a vivid impression of what armoured warfare was like for the tank crews of 75 years ago.