★★ Guerrilla units operating in cities must solve strictly defined tasks, limited in scale, being, in fact, reconnaissance and sabotage groups. This is due to the fact that, according to their conditions (high population density, dense transport network, active police and counterintelligence activities, etc.), cities, as well as suburban areas, are the most unfavorable terrain... Continua a leggere →
Fundamentals of Guerrilla Warfare: Theory and Practice (I)
★★ DOZENS of more or less large-scale local conflicts that took place during the 20th century, as well as the experience of using guerrilla methods of armed struggle during World War II, allow us to make some generalizations and conclusions. Despite all their enormous diversity in political, military and geographical conditions, it is possible to... Continua a leggere →
German Commander-in-Chief West, Field Marshal Karl R. Gerd von Rundstedt’s Report on the Allied Invasion of Normandy
★★★ Experiences from the Invasion Battles of Normandy A. Preliminary Remarks 1. Experiences fulfill their purposes only when they are quickly brought to the attention of the troops. This happens from time to time through the medium of individual teletype messages. 2. The following experiences summarize what has happened so far. It is left to the... Continua a leggere →
World War II Invasion of Normandy 1944 – The other side [III] Interrogation of Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel
★★★ Questionnaire presented by US interrogators to Generalfeldmarschall (General Field Marshal) Wilhelm Keitel, Chief of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW, Supreme Command of the German Armed Forces), concerning German plans for counter attacking against the Allies after the Invasion of Normandy. Question: 1. What were the successive plans considered by the OKW: a) 6 Jun... Continua a leggere →
World War II Invasion of Normandy 1944 – The other side [II] Interrogation of Generaloberst Alfred Jodl
★★★ Questionnaire presented by US interrogators to Chief of the Operations Staff of OKW, Alfred Jodl, concerning German plans for counter attacking against the Allies after the Invasion of Normandy. Invasion and Normandy Campaign 1. Question: What was Hitler’s personal influence on the construction and installation of the coastal defenses in the West? How far... Continua a leggere →
World War II Invasion of Normandy 1944 – The other side [I] Interrogation of Generalleutnant Rudolf Schmetzer
★★★ Interrogation of Generalleutnant [Lieutenant General] Rudolf Schmetzer concerning the construction of German defenses in Normandy, France. A) Fundamentals 1) Commands and organization of fortress engineers The sector corresponded exactly to the extent of command of the LXXXIV. Gen.Kdo [Generalkommando - Corps Headquarters], the coastal front of which reached from a point northeast of Caen to the border between... Continua a leggere →
Innovazione, rivoluzioni e clichés
★★★ I cliché sono al centro della nostra considerazione del cambiamento, sostiene lo storico David Edgerton. Le valutazioni del futuro, per quanto fresche le riteniamo, sono intrappolate in modelli ricorrenti di pensiero vincolato che enfatizzano novità e rivoluzioni. Questi cliché hanno un impatto pernicioso sul modo in cui le organizzazioni militari pensano al futuro, creando... Continua a leggere →
