Toward Combined Arms Warfare: A Survey of 20th-Century Tactics, Doctrine, and Organization
Abstract
The concept of "Combined Arms" has existed for centuries, but the nature of the combination and the organizational level at which it occurred have varied greatly. Prior to the 17th century, for example, there was often no need to combine infantry, artillery, and cavalry at the small-unit level. Each branch served a specific function on the battlefield, and only the senior commanders present needed to coordinate the effects of the different arms. In succeeding centuries, the general trend has been to combine the arms at progressively lower levels of organization. The concern of commanders has gone from coordinating the separate actions of separate arms, to gaining greater cooperation between them, and finally to combining their actions to maximize the effect of their various properties. The process of developing and institutionalizing the combined arms concept, organization, and tactics in this century is the focus of this study. The monograph includes the following chapters: Chapter 1, "Prologue to 1914"; Chapter 2, "World War I"; Chapter 3, "The Interwar Period"; Chapter 4, "World War II -- The Axis Advance, 1939-1942"; Chapter 5, "World War II -- The Complexity of Total War, 1942-1945"; Chapter 6, "Combined Arms after 1945"; and "Conclusion."
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1984
- Accession Number
- ADA528264
Entities
People
- Jonathan M. House
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College