On Winter Warfare

Abstract

The report is a review of the history and art of winter warfare. It attempts to publicize a neglected subject by making historical facts concerning it available in a single volume. Part 1 covers winter warfare through the ages, beginning with Genghis Khan and ending with World War II, a period of 700-odd years. Part 3 covers the art of winter warfare as practiced during recent decades. Part 2 consists of illustrations which present additional points and expand upon the other two parts. It is noted that throughout history the lessons learned on the subject have continually been ignored and forgotten. All other conditions being equal, the most important factors determining an army's winter warfare capability are the individual soldier's willingness to accept hardship, the quality of his training, including survival skills, and his morale. Snow, ice and low temperatures can become a strategic advantage to the well-trained, highly motivated combatant. Cold regions, Frost, Snow, Winter, Cold weather, Ice, Unconventional warfare, History, Skiing, Warfare.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 1993
Accession Number
ADA270031

Entities

People

  • George K. Swinzow

Organizations

  • Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Civil War
  • Cold Regions
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Geography
  • Guerrilla Warfare
  • Health Services
  • International Relations
  • Lessons Learned
  • Low Temperature
  • Medical Personnel
  • Military History
  • Military Science
  • Personnel Management
  • Projectiles
  • Second World War
  • War
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Polar and Arctic Studies