Globoky Boi
Globoky Boi (Deep Battle) describes a doctrinal concept envisoned by Marshal of the Soviet Union Mikhail N. Tukhachevsky who participated in its establishment within Soviet military circles in the late 1920's and 1930's. This doctrinal concept is credited for being the root of Soviet victory in the Second World War. Its formulation contributed to the development of Soviet military science and 'operational art' in the 20's and 30's. The influence of this theory on military thought, after reaching its peak in 1936 in Russia, quickly aroused interest in the late 1930's outside the boundaries of the Soviet Union (Ziemke, 1983). The formulation and validation of deep battle theory ranges from the Russian Civil War to the conclusion of World War II. Development of deep battle theory would undergo many transformations during this period. It tended to oscillate from positional (defensive) strategy to a maneuver and/or deep operations (offensive) strategy. It would invariably become a subject ot intense debate among members of the Red Army General Staff and would continue to do so until 1937 when the Stalinist purges virtually eliminated the senior military leadership of the Soviet Union. Full Story.....
Stalingrad Offensive
The Soviet counterattack at Stalingrad will go down as one of the most significant examples of maneuver at its best. The Soviets seemed on the brink of losing Stalingrad when they launched a counteroffensive against the flanks of the German 6th Army mainly focused against the Rumanian and Hungarian Armies protecting the German 6th Army. On Russian military maps it is simply Hill 103. Mamaev Kurgan, or the Tatar Mound, commands a view of central Stalingrad and the surrounding steppe. But in 1942, the tide of battle rolled across this hill so many times that defenders and attackers alike lost count of the number of times that it changed hands. Mamaev Kurgan was subjected to so much shell - fire that the shrapnel and scrap metal churned into the soil prevented grass from growing there after the war. The entire hill has been turned into a park and massive monuments bear witness to the tragedy that befell the city on the Volga. Full Story.....
Attack on Poland
The attack on Poland by German forces is the official start to World War II military operations. For the German Army Operation Fall Weiss (also known as Case White) would validate current capabilities and operational principles. Despite significant shortages of mechanized forces the Germans would proceed using existing forces combined with close air support to surprise and defeat the Polish forces. In essence Poland became a relatively costly live-fire testing ground for the Germans. A thorough examination of German and Polish preparations will be discussed along with key instances of maneuver and contributions of the combined arms fight to follow-on conflicts in France and Russia. Despite recent discussions of German inadequacies during this campaign the Germans at a minimum restored maneuver to the battlefield after the most recent World War I experience on the continent. Full Story.....
Gembloux Corridor
The attack on Poland by German forces is the official start to World War II military operations. For the German Army Operation Fall Weiss (also known as Case White) would validate current capabilities and operational principles. Despite significant shortages of mechanized forces the Germans would proceed using existing forces combined with close air support to surprise and defeat the Polish forces. In essence Poland became a relatively costly live-fire testing ground for the Germans. A thorough examination of German and Polish preparations will be discussed along with key instances of maneuver and contributions of the combined arms fight to follow-on conflicts in France and Russia. Despite recent discussions of German inadequacies during this campaign the Germans at a minimum restored maneuver to the battlefield after the most recent World War I experience on the continent. Full Story.....
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Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars began introducing the concept of mass armies. Maneuver became very complex during this era based on the fact that commanders can no longer view their armies moving forward into an attack. Commanders must trust their subordinates commanders to carry out the senior commander's vision of attack thus taking the planning process and communications to a whole new level. |
American Civil War The American Civil War experienced several flashes of modern warfare most notably the Battle for Vicksburg and Sherman's March to the Sea. Each of these actions were deliberate and independent operations away from their logistical lines of communications demonstrating some of the first combined arms operations in a offensive and maneuver mode. |
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World War I World War I was one of the most bloodiest conflicts in world history. Despite significant periods of the war being dominated by trench warfare there are several instances of what was to come in World War II. German stormtroopers began demonstrating the concept of the breakthrough, British and German armored operations began setting the stage for theorists in the 20's and 30's, and finally, Russian cavalry during the latter stages of World War II into their Civil War demonstrated many of the concepts of the deep strike. |
World War II World War II began the age of armored warfare. This conflict demonstrated many instances of maneuver warfare for study. This site dedicates a large portion of the studies and material to this conflict which provides the first samples of application in use into today's modern operations in the U.S. military. Heavy emphasis is placed on German and Russian armored operations with some studies dedicated to the advancement and understanding of American armored forces and how WWII armored operations shaped modern day strategy. |
