January-February - Air Defense Artillery

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48 THE COAST ARTILLERY JOURNAL <strong>January</strong>-<strong>February</strong> 4. Hold the enemy in his position by containing his forces, or draw him out of position as desired by deceptive operations. 5. Break-through. 6. Encirclement. 7. Annihilation. The German commander places great emphasis on the use of terrain. He studies it in great detail in order that he can use it to his advantage. Every effort is made to attack downhill, to employ obstacles to assist in the achievement of his objectives, to obtain the observation required for the effective employment of the supporting arms, and to develop the scheme of maneuver so that his opponent is placed at the maximum disadvantage from a terrain standpoint. Terrain appreciation is an important subject in every German military school. The break-through is usually made by special assault troops. The point of break-through is thoroughly neutralized by large concentrations of artillery and air power. The initial break-through is normally only 1,000 yards to a mile wide but is immediately widened by attacks from the rear. The encirclement is composed of two spearhead attacks advancing parallel to each other. The outer spearhead is composed of the more mobile elements. Each spearhead is preceded by an air-panzer-motorized infantry team to break the way. The direction of attack is usually a straight line even though the operation is termed an "encirclement." See diagram. When one flank is an obstacle, as at Dunkirk, the encirclement operation is over one flank only. The timing of the attacks depends entirely on the situation. In Holland and Belgium, the holding attack Zone of General Contact Final _ .... Breakthrough -=-\___ -....."Jv " was launched first to draw mobile elements into the trap. At Kiev, the holding attack was not launched until the encircling forces had reached their objectives. The principles outlined in the preceding explanation and diagram hold for all task-force organizations in a particular operation. Every unit has its objective, its mission. Their method-infiltrate, surround, and destroy. Our intelligence officers should be cautioned that if their unit is heavily engaged toward the front, they should be on the alert, because an attack is most certain to come from a flank or even in the rear. They should follow the operations of their own command, study the terrain and watch for traps. The word "defense" has almost a lost meaning in the German military vocabulary. The German commander thinks only in terms of attack. Above all, the German recognizes that a well coordinated attack with modem weapons cannot be stopped by any line, no matter how well fortified it may be. During the year 1941, the initiative was taken from the Germans for the first time in any campaign. When faced by superior odds they withdrew, and when their opponents overextended themselves they launched a counteroffensive. In other cases, German staff officers have explained that they allowed the enemy to advance into a trap before launching their attack. This was particularly noteworthy at Kharkov in May of this year. Note the diagram on page 49. In the past, the Germans have had the advantage because of their tremendous superiority of combat power, that is, aviation, tanks, signal communications, and trained man power. The organization of their entire nation into one vast war machine has enabled them to \ \ Note Overlappting Object! Ves 0 for Armd Un! t s-< y . 0 Direct Pressure Forces Schematic Diagram ot a German attack The More ",,,bile Element. in Outer Attacks Final Break
19-+3 5-21'5. THE WEHRl\IACHT 49 wage a total war against a group of uncoordinated. pOOrlyprepared, nations. Americans take to this type of war naturally. It is more like our game of football than any other comparison. It is every man for himself in the execution of the ~~ 1:::::::::::::::::::::::::1 I 10 0 IHH .....HH GERMAN LINES RUSSIAN LINES RAILROAD BRI DGE 10 20 Km. lip,zy o task in a large team. In this game. the rules are fe\\', and they may be changed at any moment. American forces require only the right tools. the training and the e:-.-perience. They are getting the tools and the training, and they will soon acquire the experience. OPERATIONS AROUND KHARKOV MAY 12-25, 1942
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January-February - Air Defense Artillery

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