Highly illustrated history of infantry warfare during the Second World
War covering Allied and Axis infantry on every battlefront during the
conflict, with over 400 photographs.
The infantry can always be found at the sharp end of the battlefield.
You may be able to crush an opponent with armour or artillery, but
there's only one way to take and hold ground and that's with riflemen -
the 'poor bloody infantry'. And it is the infantrymen of the Second
World War - from all sides, Allied and Axis - who are the subject of
this highly illustrated history. It uses over 400 wartime photographs
plus contemporary documents and other illustrations to show the
developments in equipment, training and tactical techniques and to give
an insight into the experience of the infantry soldier during the
conflict.
Although the infantry were critical to the war effort, their
contribution is often overshadowed by the more dramatic roles played by
soldiers with more specialized skills - like tank crew, paratroopers and
special forces. They also suffered devastating casualties, in particular
during the last phase of the war in the west when around 20 per cent of
an infantry division's riflemen were likely to die and over 60 per cent
could expect to be wounded. So as well as describing how the infantry
fought, the authors look at the motivation which kept them fighting in
awful conditions and despite brutal setbacks. The result is a thorough,
detailed and revealing portrait of infantry warfare over seventy years
ago.
