MARC Record from harvard_bibliographic_metadata

LEADER: 04114cam a2200433 i 4500
001 013789168-7
005 20130829185237.0
008 130107s2013 okuab b s001 0 eng
010 $a 2012050123
020 $a9780806143804 (hardcover : alk. paper)
035 0 $aocn823742265
040 $aDLC$beng$cDLC$erda$dDLC
042 $apcc
043 $an-us---
050 00 $aD769.339$b.W35 2013
082 00 $a940.54/1273$223
100 1 $aWalker, John R.,$d1946-
245 10 $aBracketing the enemy :$bforward observers in World War II /$cJohn R. Walker.
264 1 $aNorman :$bUniversity of Oklahoma Press,$c[2013]
300 $axxii, 274 pages :$billustrations, maps ;$c24 cm
336 $atext$2rdacontent
337 $aunmediated$2rdamedia
338 $avolume$2rdacarrier
504 $aIncludes bibliographical references (pages 243-264) and index.
505 0 $aThe evolution of forward observation -- Mobilizing for war : the 37th (Ohio National Guard) and 87th Divisions -- Tactical parity and disparity : different enemies -- Baptism of fire : the 37th Division on New Georgia -- Massed fires and mass slaughter : Bougainville -- Collateral damage in the Philippines : Luzon and Manila -- Initiation to combat : the Saar basin -- Forward observers in the Ardennes : the Bulge -- Through the wall and across the rhine -- Conspicuous gallantry : forward observers and the Medal of Honor -- The key to successful infantry-artillery coordination.
520 3 $aThe hallmark of the twentieth-century battlefield was the increasingly effective practice of "combined arms" warfare-the combining of various "combat arms" (infantry, cavalry, armor, artillery) to accomplish the mission. In the vanguard of this development was the use of artillery to support the mission of infantry on the battlefield. Although artillery bombardment was responsible for most deaths on the battlefield, armies rarely paired infantry and artillery in the assault. Between the two world wars the U.S. Army concluded that field artillery had an important role to play in its evolving combined arms doctrine. The new doctrine emphasized mobile, mechanized warfare and the crucial importance of artillery firepower in support of infantry. The most satisfactory arrangement for providing close artillery support was to locate artillery observers in the air over the battlefield and on the ground to accompany maneuvering infantry.
520 3 $aThe pairing of American infantry and artillery reached fruition in the European and Pacific Theaters of the Second World War. What is missing from the historical literature on combined arms, however, is the study of how that togetherness evolved. This dissertation will argue that the establishment of forward observer teams at the battle's front line that provided the vital link between infantrymen and the artillery batteries supporting them. To assess these developments in the union of combined arms theory and practice, this dissertation will be organized in three parts. The first will trace the inception of indirect fire and the evolution of field artillery tactical doctrine through 1941. The second section, which will be the heart of the study, will follow the experiences of forward observer personnel from tow U.S. Army Divisions in the Second World War.
520 3 $aThe 87th Infantry Division in Europe and the 37th Infantry Division [Ohio National Guard] in the Pacific will be examined as case studies. By studying one division from both theaters of the.
650 0 $aWorld War, 1939-1945$xArtillery operations, American.
650 0 $aWorld War, 1939-1945$xRegimental histories$zUnited States.
610 10 $aArtillery, Field and mountain$zUnited States$xHistory$y20th century.
610 10 $aUnited States.$bArmy.$bInfantry Division, 37th.
610 10 $aUnited States.$bArmy.$bInfantry Division, 87th.
650 0 $aUnified operations (Military science)$xHistory$y20th century.
650 0 $aArtillery, Field and mountain$zUnited States$xHistory$y20th century.
899 $a415_565387
899 $a415_565389
988 $a20130928
906 $0DLC