1986 · printed 57

World War I · Infiltration tactics

Action

  • Brief but intense artillery bombardment, that includes gas and smoke shell, to disrupt/suppress defenses and obscure the assault.
  • Stosstruppen (small teams or squads of thrust troops equipped with light machine-guns, flame-throwers, etc.) thrust forward close behind rolling artillery barrage, without any “effort to maintain a uniform rate of advance or align formations”. Instead, as many tiny, irregular swarms spaced in breadth and echeloned in depth, they seep or flow into any gaps or weaknesses they can find in order to drive deep into adversary rear.
  • Kampfgruppen (small battlegroups consisting of infantry, machine-gunners, mortar teams, artillery observers and field engineers) follow-up to cave-in exposed flanks and mop-up isolated centers of resistance from flank and rear.
  • Reserves and stronger follow-on echelons move through newly created breaches to maintain momentum and exploit success, as well as attack flanks and rear to widen penetration and consolidate gains against counter-attack.

Idea

  • Hurl strength (echeloned in great depth), via an irruption of many thrusts, thru weaknesses along (many) paths of least resistance to gain the opportunity for breakthrough and envelopment.

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