Handbook on German Military Forces; Technical Manual TM 30-450 December 17, 1941
Washington DC: War Department, 1941. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Wraps. 456 pages. Marked RESTRICTED. Illustrations (photographs, drawings/diagrams, tabular data). Cover and some pages has some wear and soiling. Name, Rank and Branch of previous owner in ink on front cover. Written over the stamp of a previous owner. This was prepared under the direction of the Chief of Staff. It was issued only 10 days after the Pearl Harbor attack, but clearly had been in preparation since at least the commencement of hostilities in Europe in September 1939. This initial handbook represents that then state-of-knowlege of the United States military establishment and the assessment of the then current state-of-practice of the German Military Forces. Includes sections on: Organization and strength of units; Administration, command, and staff; Recruitment and mobilization; Uniform; Infantry; Cavalry and reconnaissance units; Small arms, close support, and antitank weapons; Field Artillery, Armored troops (Panzertruppen), Engineers, Signal Corps, Chemical warfare and smoke, Services, Police, Gendarmerie, semimilitary forces; Air Force, Tactics, and Permanent fortifications. Includes Appendixes on: I. List of Abbreviations; II. Coinage, weights, and measures; III. Road spaces; and IV. Military symbols. Also includes an index. The German Army was the land forces component of the Wehrmacht, the regular German Armed Forces, from 1935 until it ceased to exist in 1945 and then was formally dissolved in August 1946. During World War II, a total of about 13.6 million soldiers served in the German Army. Army personnel were made up of volunteers and conscripts. Only 17 months after Adolf Hitler announced the German rearmament program in 1935, the army reached its projected goal of 36 divisions. During the autumn of 1937, two more corps were formed. In 1938 four additional corps were formed with the inclusion of the five divisions of the Austrian Army after the Anschluss in March. During the period of its expansion under Hitler, the German Army continued to develop concepts pioneered during World War I, combining ground and air assets into combined arms forces. Coupled with operational and tactical methods such as encirclements and "battle of annihilation", the German military managed quick victories in the two initial years of World War II, a new style of warfare described as Blitzkrieg (lightning war) for its speed and destructive power. The German operational doctrine emphasized sweeping pincer and lateral movements meant to destroy the enemy forces as quickly as possible. This approach, referred to as Blitzkrieg, was an operational doctrine instrumental in the success of the offensives in Poland and France. Blitzkrieg has been considered by many historians as having its roots in precepts developed by Fuller, Liddel-Hart and von Seeckt, and even having ancient prototypes practiced by Alexander, Genghis Khan and Napoleon. Recent studies of the Battle of France also suggest that the actions of either Rommel or Guderian or both of them (both had contributed to the theoretical development and early practices of what later became Blitzkrieg prior to World War II), ignoring orders of superiors who had never foreseen such spectacular successes and thus prepared much more prudent plans, were conflated into a purposeful doctrine and created the first archetype of Blitzkrieg, which then gained a fearsome reputation that dominated the Allied leaders' minds. Thus 'Blitzkrieg' was recognized after the fact, and while it became adopted by the Wehrmacht, it never became the official doctrine nor got used to its full potential because only a small part of the Wehrmacht was trained for it and key leaders at the highest levels either focused on only certain aspects or even did not understand it. Condition: Good.
Keywords: Military Manual, WWII, Wehrmacht, Military Organization, Military Training, Tactics, Infantry, Armored Troops, Chemical Warfare, Fortifications, Signal Corps, Military Engineers, Reconnaissance, Military Command, Mobilization
[Book #82974]
Price: $375.00