Download or read book Operational Encirclement Quick Decisive Victory Or A Bridge Too Far written by Major Robert G. Fix and published by Pickle Partners Publishing. This book was released on 2015-11-06 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: History is replete with examples of lost opportunities to decisively defeat an enemy’s army on the field of battle. All too often, tactical success has not been followed by actions to ensure operational success. This failure may be attributable to a misunderstanding of the dynamics of operational encirclement. Two case studies highlight these dynamics. The Battles of the Falaise Gap in 1944 and the Ruhr Pocket in 1945 both illustrate the difficulties operational commanders face in conducting this type of operation. In the first case, Allied commanders failed to anticipate the opportunities presented by poor operational planning and tactical execution by their German adversaries and missed an opportunity for a quick and decisive victory. In the second, Allied commanders succeeded in learning from their previous mistakes at Falaise to achieve decisive operational results during the encirclement of the Ruhr. This monograph examines the dynamics of operational encirclement and determines what critical factors impact success or failure in achieving decisive results. It concludes that the three most critical factors which directly impact the success or failure of an operational encirclement include: the development of a flexible campaign plan, the establishment of an efficient and effective command and control infrastructure, and an ability to properly read the events on the battlefield. Based on these factors several planning considerations are identified as useful in the planning and execution of operational encirclements.
Download or read book Operational Encirclements Can The United States Military Decisively Follow Through written by Major Scott Thomas and published by Pickle Partners Publishing. This book was released on 2015-11-06 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study is a historical analysis of how encirclement operations have been and still are important offensive operations. These operations need to be given priority in planning and execution by the United States Military. Encirclement operations have proven to be decisive military operations throughout history; regardless of the composition and disposition of the enemy encircled. The U.S. military has maintained the decisive edge on the battlefield for over sixty years. Even with the benefits of technology, air supremacy, firepower, mobility, and maneuver, the U.S. military has not yet been completely successful in planning and executing encirclement operations. Today the U.S. military is arguably the best equipped and trained force in history. Even with this professional force, it is questionable whether the U.S. military could successfully execute an encirclement operation. Therefore this monograph provides a historical examination as to why the U.S. military has been unable to reap the benefits of the offensive maneuver of encirclement. To accomplish this examination, this monograph conducts an analysis of four historical case studies: The Argentan-Falaise Pocket, the Battle of Ia Drang, Doctrinal Revolution from 1986-2001, and Operation Anaconda. The analysis identifies the U.S. military has placed an over reliance on firepower to replace the maneuver of ground combat units. Secondly, this monograph also argues the U.S. military has placed too much emphasis on technology. This belief in technology has reduced the number of ground combat units employed in offensive operations. Additionally, U.S. military doctrine historically has not provided the foundation necessary to support and encourage the planning and execution of encirclement operations. These deficiencies together have prevented the U.S. military from capitalizing on the decisive nature resulting from the speed and shock of correctly executed encirclement operations.
Download or read book Operational Encirclements Can the United States Military Decisively Follow Through written by and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study is a historical analysis of how encirclement operations have been and still are important offensive operations. These operations need to be given priority in planning and execution by the United States Military. Encirclement operations have proven to be decisive military operations throughout history; regardless of the composition and disposition of the enemy encircled. The U.S. military has maintained the decisive edge on the battlefield for over sixty years. Even with the benefits of technology, air supremacy, firepower, mobility, and maneuver, the U.S. military has not yet been completely successful in planning and executing encirclement operations. Today the U.S. military is arguably the best equipped and trained force in history. Even with this professional force, it is questionable whether the U.S. military could successfully execute an encirclement operation. Therefore this monograph provides a historical examination as to why the U.S. military has been unable to reap the benefits of the offensive maneuver of encirclement. This paper concludes the Army must acknowledge and amend its doctrine to reflect the encirclement operation as a stand-alone form of offensive maneuver. Furthermore, encirclement operations are not just a result of a pursuit or exploitation operation. Encirclement operations can and should be planned as an independent operation. Prioritizing these operations by making them an independent mission will ensure U.S. forces have the resources and combat power needed to ensure success on the battlefield.
Download or read book Operational Encirclement written by Robert G. Fix and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 53 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: History is replete with examples of lost opportunities to decisively defeat an enemy's army on the field of battle. All too often, tactical success has not been followed by actions to ensure operational success. This failure may be attributable to a misunderstanding of the dynamics of operational encirclement. Two case studies highlight these dynamics. The Battles of the Falaise Gap in 1944 and the Ruhr Pocket in 1945 both illustrate the difficulties operational commanders face in conducting this type of operation. In the first case, Allied commanders failed to anticipate the opportunities presented by poor operational planning and tactical execution by their German adversaries and missed an opportunity for a quick and decisive victory. In the second, Allied commanders succeeded in learning from their previous mistakes at Falaise to achieve decisive operational results during the encirclement of the Ruhr.
Download or read book Operational Encirclement in Future Limited Conventional Wars written by Daniel J. Peters and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Operational Encirclement written by Robert G. Fix and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 53 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Operations of Encircled Forces written by and published by . This book was released on 1952 with total page 84 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The Soviet-German war was marked by numerous encirclements, first of Soviet units and, as the war continued, of German units as large as entire armies, such as the 6th Army at Stalingrad. Fighting encircled became a frequent occurrence for German commanders, and their experiences at Klin, Cherkassy, and Kamenets-Podolskiy are related here as well as an analysis of the critical role of air support when fighting encircled."--CMH website.
Download or read book The Effects of Operational Encirclements written by Rick Gutwald and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Military theorists expect successful encirclement operations to produce high payoffs in war. Unfortunately, say these theorists, encirclements also incur great risks. Soviet encirclement operations at Korsun and Minsk in 1944 validate the promise of increased benefits, but demonstrate that the risks can be overcome by employing sound battlefield techniques and superior numbers. A comparison of the two World War II operations against contemporary warfare conditions identifies surprise, air superiority and nuclear weapons as major factors contributing to the success or failure of encirclements. This paper concludes that encirclements remain applicable today, but they are not a remedy for all situations. Additionally, campaign planners should know the pros and cons of encirclement employment and should consider incorporating it in their plans when possible.
Download or read book Shutting the Door U S Army Doctrine for Encirclement Envelopment Operations at the Operational Level of War written by Robert J. Curran and published by . This book was released on 1986 with total page 45 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study analyzes how encirclement operations are important to current U.S. Army doctrine as professed in FM 100-5-- Operations. The basic tenets of AirLland Battle, how doctrine is a guide for commonality within the armed services, and World War II and NATOEX operations are examined to discover their applicability for inclusion in current doctrine. Study conclusions include: coalition warfare, unless greatly rehearsed, is a detriment to the successful conduct of an encirclement operation; lack of unity of command over the operation, unless created from the onset of the operation, respective commanders' concern with their areas of operations and not the big picture; planning considerations must include size and composition of attacking force, use of artillery, reserves, and combat service support at a minimum; and educational preparation of the commanders and staffs on the procedures for conducting an encirclement is needed to insure a cogent plan and operation. While the conceptual framework furnished in FM 100-5 and other Army manuals does not contain the appropriate amount of guidance for conducting an encirclement operation, Soviet doctrine contains information that could prove beneficial to US Army doctrine writers.
Download or read book Operational Encirclement in Future Limited Conventional Wars written by Daniel J. Peters and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Operation Don s Main Attack written by David M. Glantz and published by University Press of Kansas. This book was released on 2018-03-08 with total page 952 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With the defeat and destruction of German Sixth Army at Stalingrad all but certain at the end of 1942, the war on the Eastern Front took a definitive turn as the Germans struggled to erect a new defensive front to halt the Soviet juggernaut driving west. Operation Don’s Main Attack is the first detailed study of the dramatic clash of armies that followed, unfolding inexorably over the course of two months across an expanse of more than 1,600 kilometers. Using recently released Russian archival material never before available to researchers, David M. Glantz provides a close-up account, from both sides, of the planning and conduct of Operation Don—the Soviet offensive by the Red Army's Southern front that aimed to capture Rostov in January–February 1943. His book includes a full array of plans, candid daily reports, situation maps, and strength and casualty reports prepared for the forces that participated in the offensive at every level. Drawing on an unprecedented and comprehensive range of documents, the book delves into many hitherto forbidden topics, such as unit strengths and losses and the foibles and attitudes of command cadre. Glantz’s work also presents rare insights into the military strategy, combat tactics, and operational art of such figures as Generals Eremenko and Malinovsky and Field Marshal Erich von Manstein. A uniquely informed study of a critical but virtually forgotten Soviet military operation, Operation Don’s Main Attack offers a fresh perspective on the nature of the twentieth century’s most terrible of wars.
Download or read book Operations of Encircled Forces written by and published by . This book was released on 1982 with total page 84 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Fire Support in the Reduction of an Encircled Force a Forgotten Mission written by Major Joel A. Buck and published by Pickle Partners Publishing. This book was released on 2015-11-06 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using historical analysis and survey, this study examines the sufficiency of U.S. field artillery doctrine, tactics, and techniques to support the destruction of an encircled enemy. Focus is on identifying existing weaknesses by comparing applicable lessons learned from history with the practices spelled out in current manuals. The Allied attempt to encircle and reduce the German forces within the Falaise-Argentan pocket in central France during August 1944 and the Soviet Belorussian Offensive and subsequent encirclement and reduction of German forces during June 1944 are examined. The results of a survey completed by the V and VII U.S. Corps artillery commanders on the subject are also included. Among the shortfalls identified are: current attention is more focused on breaking out of an encirclement than on forming an encirclement; when encircling an enemy is addressed, discussion stops after the encirclement is formed and before reduction begins; field artillery procedures do not separately address this mission; friendly or enemy use of chemical or nuclear weapons has not been considered; the requirement to simultaneously support reduction and exploitation operations has not been addressed; there is a need for an artillery commander at echelons above corps. The study concludes that the process of reducing a large encircled enemy force is sufficiently different from other operations that it should be separately addressed. Although the “doing” of the component parts of the artillery aspect of this operation are doctrinally established, tying them together into a synergetic package requires innovative attention. Resulting field artillery doctrine, tactics, and techniques derived are equally applicable in reducing an isolated enemy force that has broken through or been Inserted Into our rear area as they are in the reduction of an offensively encircled enemy.
Download or read book Tactical Encirclement Reductions written by Rick Gutwald and published by . This book was released on 1986 with total page 43 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This monograph discusses the intricacies of liquidating tactical encirclements and bypassed pockets of enemy resistance. Operational employment of U.S. Army doctrine will lead to tactical encirclements in most instances. Contemporary doctrine, however, fails to acknowledge the probability of encirclement. Additionally, doctrine fails to address methods of dealing with enemy pockets. History argues that encircled enemy units often refuse to capitulate and usually require reduction by force. Furthermore, four brief examples of encirclement from the Russo-German front of World War II demonstrate that reduction operations are often difficult and complex. An encircling commander must foresee the consequences of encirclements and attempt to create the most favorable conditions for the reduction of encircled enemy forces. He must select a method and technique of reduction. He must base his selection of the situation, the threat posed by the enemy, the requirement for speed, the available resources, and the likely costs. Regardless of the method and technique chosen, the encircling commander must also consider the following: pausing to organize, establishing maneuver and fire control measures, isolating the enemy, nuclear weapon employment, and psychological operations. This paper concludes that the Army must acknowledge its doctrinal void, research and develop a reduction methodology, and amend its doctrine.
Download or read book The British Army and the Operational Level of War written by J. J. G. Mackenzie and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Encircled Forces written by Paul Tiberi and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Throughout history, a common phenomenon of warfare has been the encirclement of the forces of one or both warring factions. The nature of future war -- taking place in a battlefield that will be characterized by fluid activities, greater confusion, and indistinct battle lines -- suggests an increasing likelihood that one's force, or a part thereof, will become encircled at some stage of the conflict. This thesis reviews the nature of encirclements and tests the hypothesis that there exists a set of historically-justifiable principles that are common to the successful employment of encircled forces at the operational level of war. Three case studies are analyzed from an operational perspective. The substance of these assessments provides some tentative principles which are then tested against other historical examples, reflecting different environmental factors, different antagonists, and different outcomes. The author concludes that the hypothesis is substantiated by nine principles which are considered common to the successful employment of encircled forces at the operational level of war. The author suggests that these principles should be examined further and considered during future reviews of U.S. Army doctrine. He also proposes that the subjet be included in the main curriculum of each of the staff colleges.
Download or read book Eastern Front written by Bob Carruthers and published by . This book was released on 2012-03 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Night operations call for disciplined, cool, self-reliant troops." principles of night combat With the on-set of the Cold War the pool of hard won knowledge gained by the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front was invaluable and had to be collected and systematically recycled to the US and British forces as quickly and as thoroughly as possible. The extensive interview programme eventually appeared as the German Report Series and today they represent a fascinating glimpse from the operational and tactical viewpoint of the war in the east at the sharp end. Featured is a detailed report on the principles of Russian and German night combat tactics, and an in-depth training manual written from the German point of view. Combining contemporary reports of the key characteristics of night combat with more obscure aspects, including how to use your eyes at night, driving equipment and evasive tactics, this excellent survey of sources builds into an absorbing account of night combat methods drawn exclusively from original wartime reports. This new compilation is essential reading for anyone interested in discovering rare and vital information on the combat experience on the Eastern Front from primary sources.
