Ground Reconnaissance in Large Scale Combat Operations: A World War II Case Study

Abstract

World War II is a valuable case study to examine ground reconnaissance and its employment in large-scale combat operations. Analysis demonstrates that combatants had to grapple with three primary tensions when employing ground reconnaissance during the Second World War. First, combatants had to determine whether to prioritize light forces employing stealthy tactics or highly mobile and lethal forces using aggressive tactics. Second, forces had to decide whether ground reconnaissance was viable given the rise of aerial reconnaissance. Third, combatants had to grapple with whether reconnaissance should be a dedicated task or a common task trained to all ground forces.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 30, 2021
Accession Number
AD1178005

Entities

People

  • Kevin R Hawkins

Organizations

  • Marine Corps University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aerial Reconnaissance
  • Air Force
  • Air Power
  • Aircrafts
  • Artillery
  • Case Studies
  • Combat Operations
  • Department Of Defense
  • Doctrine
  • Employment
  • Governments
  • Military History
  • Military Organizations
  • National Security
  • Reconnaissance
  • Reconnaissance Aircraft
  • Second World War
  • Security
  • Tactical Reconnaissance
  • United States
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • History

Readers

  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Autonomous Capabilities and Mission Reconnaissance.