"It has long been accepted wisdom that Germany's infantrymen possessed superior tactical ability relative to their Anglo-American adversaries in World War II. Now, drawing on newly available information, Stephen Lauer unpacks that assumption, exploring the conscription, classification, and training methods of the US, British, and German infantries from 1919 through 1945. How did conscripted citizens become foot soldiers willing to fight, and even die, for each other in the face of brutal physical and mental demands? How was it decided which men to assign to combat units? How did each nation engender the social bonds that were essential if soldiers were to succeed-and survive-in their small unit milieus? Addressing these questions of manpower quality, Forging the Anvil is a landmark study of the key factors that influenced the creation of World War II infantries and sustained them in the crucible of close combat"-- Provided by publisher.
Bibliographic references
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents
Foreword / by Major General David Furness (USMC)
Preface / by Christopher Marsh
Forging of the anvil
Finding volunteers : the making of the interwar infantry
The United Kingdom : lowering selection standards
The United States : raising selection standards
Germany : learning from World War II
Building combat divisions : from conscription to war
The United Kingdom : fighting a defensive war
The United States : mobilizing for war
Germany : fighting an offensive war
Facing infantry crises : to final victory and defeat
The United Kingdom : consolidating recruitment and induction
The United States : improving infantry quality
Germany : fighting the anvil
Conclusion
The anvil forged
Appendixes
Comparative ranks
Small unit organizations
Court martials
Non-court martial punishments for commanding officers
Casualties.
ISBN
9781626379589
1626379580 (hardcover)
LCCN
2021025743
OCLC
1260171497
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