World War II Street-Fighting Tactics

From Cassino to Stalingrad, many of the most famous and brutal battles of World War II were fought in the burnt out remains of cities.
In a continuation of the tactics mini-series, this book analyzes the physical tactics of the close-quarter fighting that took place in ruined cities during World War II. Street-to-street fighting in cities was not a new development, but the bombed-out shells of cities and advances in weaponry meant that World War II took such strategies to a new level of savagery and violence.
Packed with eye-witness accounts, tutorials from original training manuals, maps, and full-colour artwork, this is an eye-opening insight into the tactics and experiences of infantry fighting their way through ruined cities in the face of heavy casualty rates and vicious resistance.

Dr Stephen Bull is the Curator of the Museum of Lancashire in Preston, which incorporates the collections of several local regiments. He obtained his doctorate from University College, Swansea, with a study of English Civil War weapons. For several years, he worked at the National Army Museum, on a fortifications project and later in the Weapons Department. He has written numerous articles for specialist journals, including a number on the weapons and tactics of World War I.
Peter Dennis was inspired by contemporary magazines such as Look and Learn, leading him to study Illustration at Liverpool Art College. Peter has since contributed to hundreds of books, predominantly on historical subjects, including many Osprey titles. A keen wargamer and modelmaker, he is based in Nottinghamshire, UK.

INTRODUCTION
'BLITZKRIEG' IN URBAN AREAS: Prewar doctrine: German - British; 1940: anticipating invasion; American responses
THE EASTERN FRONT, 1941-44: The opening rush; Stalingrad: the academy of street fighting; Warsaw: improvisation and terror; Lessons from Warsaw: the German analysis
THE ITALIAN EXPERIENCE: The Canadians in Ortona; British analysis: Fighting in Built Up Areas (1943); Cassino; Air support: Training Manual No.5
THE US ARMY IN NW EUROPE: Doctrine: FM 31-50; The urban environment - squad organization - house-to-house fighting - tank/infantry co-operation - raiding; Practical experience: 23rd Infantry at Brest - 26th Infantry at Aachen - 410th Infantry at Schillersdorf
GERMANY, 1945: German forces; Allied forces - flamethrowers
CONCLUSIONS
PLATE COMMENTARIES
INDEX