Doctrine - TheHistoryFiles.com

Blitzkrieg in the Desert Part I

The first place where this particularly German form of mobile warfare ground to a halt occurred roughly fifty miles west of Cairo, among the ridges and gulleys that stretched directly southward from El Alamein, until one came to the treacherous dunes of the Quattara Depression. In contrast to the massive flat wheat fields of the […]

Doctrine, Germany

German Doctrine in Spain-Not! Part I

German-made Stuka dive bombers, part of the Condor Legion, in flight above Spain on May 30, 1939, during the Spanish Civil War. The black-and-white “X” on the tail and wings is Saint Andrew’s Cross, the insignia of Franco’s Nationalist Air Force. The Condor Legion was composed of volunteers from the German Army and Air Force. […]

Doctrine, Germany

German Doctrine in Spain-Not! Part II

The Condor Legion takes part in a victory parade in Madrid on May 19, 1939 There were other reasons why, from the Condor Legion’s point of view, large-scale operativ warfare was just not in the cards. The main fighter was the He-51, a biplane with a fixed landing gear that was completely outclassed by the […]

Doctrine, Germany

German Military Thought between the World Wars

General Hans von Seeckt, Chief of the Reichswehr together with infantry men at a Reichswehr maneuver in Thuringia, 1926. The ideas about motorized warfare that came to be called Blitzkrieg energed in the Reichswehr long before Germany had the tanks and other motorized equipment needed. Here we see what the Reichweht had to work with […]

Doctrine

Islamic Military System

There was no single Islamic military system. Depending upon the geography, history, culture, and adversaries, different Islamic military traditions evolved. During the seven centuries of its evolution, before the Ottomans, however, some common identities appeared. All early Islamic militaries were based on duality: an infantry and/or cavalry provisional army that was tribal or feudal, and […]

Armies, Doctrine

GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS AND HIS ARMY II

The struggle at Lützen in 1632 had a decisive impact on the narrative of the Thirty Years War. The engagement also provides an interesting showcase for the tactics used in the Thirty Years War. At War While Gustavus honed the Swedish military and replaced its old guard of senior officers with new professional officers he […]

AFV, Doctrine

Char versus Panzer: The factors that really mattered!

Panzer-IV-vs-Char-B1-bis Notwithstanding the ‘on paper’ superiority of French armour in particular areas, the 1940 campaign would illustrate the degree to which these were degraded by a whole series of other factors. These ranged from French Army doctrine and organisation through to general design limitations and other issues, all of which combined to render the whole, […]

Doctrine, Germany

German Superiority in the East 1915

August von Mackensen [on white horse] On 2 November 1914 Mackensen took over command of the Ninth Army from Hindenburg, who became Supreme Commander East (Oberbefehlshaber Ost). On 27 November 1914 Mackensen was awarded the Pour le Mérite, Prussia’s highest military order, for successful battles around Łódź and Warsaw. By April 1915 the Russians had […]

Armies, Doctrine

Gustavus Adolphus’ Reforms

Swedish Infantry Gustavus Adolphus, a key reformer of armed forces in the 17th century, was crowned king of Sweden at age 17. His country was poor and sparsely populated, but already the ambitious young “Lion of Midnight” (that is, of the North) intended to enrich it with new lands and looted wealth. The only way […]

AFV, Doctrine

American Armored Doctrine And Equipment I

American armored doctrine and equipment were first tested in combat in North Africa. One of the first illusions to evaporate in the heat of battle was the effectiveness of the light tank. On November 26, 1942, Lieutenant Freeland A. Daubin and his platoon of M3 light tanks from Company A, 1st Battalion, 1st Armored Regiment, […]