Infantry at War 1939-1945

Histories of warfare usually take account only of the broad ebb and flow of the tide of battle: objectives taken, positions held, battles won and lost. The ordinary soldier figures as no more than a statistic, on the strengths of opposing forces or the casualty lists.

Yet without the infantryman there would be no battle – and for him war is more than outlines and statistics. He is an individual, fighting his own fight, and all the complex machinery of war is devoted, ultimately, to getting him to the battlefield and supporting him while he is there. Ultimately, too, it is the infantryman who decides the outcome; who “winkles the other bastard out of his foxhole and makes him sign the peace treaty!”

In this book the authors present an account of the infantry of the Second World War: their tactical role, their organization, and particularly the weapons they used. These ranged from self-propelled howitzers to automatic pistols.