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| {{short description|Type of infantry for leading attacks}} | |||
| {{Inappropriate tone|date=February 2009}} | |||
| {{For|the 1967 film|Shock Troops (film)}} | |||
| {{Refimprove|date=August 2006}} | |||
| '''Shock troops''', '''assault troops''', or '''storm troops''' are special formations created to lead ]s. They are often better trained and equipped than other military units and are expected to take heavier casualties even in successful operations. | |||
| ] '''Shock troops''' or '''assault troops''' are ] formations and their supporting units, intended to lead an ]. DEBO'S SHOCK TROOPS ARE A TEAM OF HIGHLY SKILLED ENROLLMENT ADVISORS AND LEAD THE WAY THROUGH ENROLLMENT FURY. IT TAKES MAD SKILLZ TO BE ON DEBO'S TEAMS. Shock troop is a loose translation<ref>Although the German word ''Stoß'' is occasionally used to translate ''shock'', as in ''Stoßwelle'' (]), or to allude to a shock-like event, as in ''Erdstoß'' (]), in this case ''stoß'' derives directly from the verb ''stoßen'' (to push), referring to the original task of the ''Stoßtruppen'', known in German as ''vorstoßen'' (roughly: to carry the attack forward).</ref> of the ] word ''Stoßtrupp''. The units which contain assault troops are typically organized for mobility, with the intention that they will penetrate through enemy defenses and attack into the enemy's vulnerable rear areas. | |||
| "Shock troop" is a ], a loose translation of the ] word '''''Stoßtrupp''''' (literally "thrust squad" or "push squad").{{efn|Although the German word ''Stoß'' is occasionally used to translate 'shock' or allude to a shock-like event, as in ''Erdstoß'' (]), in this case ''stoß'' derives directly from the verb ''stoßen'' (to push), referring to the original task of the ''Stoßtruppen'', known in German as ''vorstoßen'' (roughly: to carry the attack forward, to penetrate the enemy lines).}} Assault troopers are typically organized for mobility with the intention that they will penetrate enemy defenses and attack into the enemy's vulnerable ]. Any specialized, elite unit formed to fight an engagement via overwhelming assault (usually) would be considered shock troops, as opposed to "]" or ]-style units (intended mostly for ]s). However, both types of units could fight behind enemy lines, by surprise if required. | |||
| Although the term shock troop became popular in the 20th century, the concept is not a new one, see for example the use by Napoleonic era armies of the '']''. Presently, the term is rarely used explicitly, as the strategic concepts behind it have become standard contemporary military thinking (see section ]). | |||
| == |
== Before 1914 == | ||
| ]s were originally specialized assault soldiers for siege operations, first established as a distinct role in the mid to late 17th century. Grenadiers were soldiers who would throw grenades and storm breaches, leading the forefront of such a breakthrough. Even when the original black powder grenade was abandoned the grenadier companies and regiments were retained as specialist assault troops. | |||
| {{Expand section|date=May 2008}} | |||
| The ] of ] (356-326 BC) are described as being the first example of shock cavalry being used in Europe.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hanson|first=Victor Davis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XGr16-CxpH8C|title=Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power|date=2007-12-18|publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-307-42518-8|language=en}}</ref> | |||
| ==World War I== | |||
| :{{Main|Stormtrooper}} | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| During the ] (1864–1870), in which ] fought against ], ], and ], the Paraguayans deployed shock troops (composed of a mixture of dismounted cavalry and fit men who could row and swim) armed with sabres, cutlasses, knives, bayonets, pistols, and hand grenades. They attacked small fortified positions and boarded Brazilian river steamers.<ref>''Armies of the 19th Century: The Americas/The Paraguayan War'', Terry Hooker (P. 82)</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ==World War |
==World War I== | ||
| {{Main|Stormtroopers (Imperial Germany)|Arditi|Yildirim Army Group}} | |||
| During the interwar period, the fame of 'Shock' troops and tactics commended itself to several totalitarian societies. The Soviet Union embraced the idea, and also introduced 'Shock' Labour Brigades, where they threw manpower at particular construction problems. Inspired, partly, by ]'s book '']'', the Nazis also embraced the idea of shock and storm troops. | |||
| During the ], many combatants faced the deadlock of ]. On the Western Front in 1915, the Germans formed a specialized unit called the Rohr Battalion to develop assault tactics. During the ] of 1916, the Russian general ] developed and implemented the idea of shock troops to attack weak points along the Austrian lines to effect a breakthrough, which the main Russian Army could then exploit. The Russian Army had also formed ] units in 1886 and used them in World War I to protect against ambushes, to perform reconnaissance and for low-intensity fights in no-man's-land.<ref>{{cite web |title=World War I |url=https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/world-war-i-history |website=HISTORY |date=11 August 2023 |language=en}}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | The von Hutier tactics (]) called for special infantry assault units to be detached from the main lines and sent to infiltrate enemy lines, supported by shorter and sharper (than usual for WWI) artillery fire missions targeting both the enemy front and rear, bypassing and avoiding what enemy strong points they could, and engaging to their best advantage when and where they were forced to, leaving decisive engagement against bypassed units to following heavier infantry. The primary goal of these detached units was to infiltrate the enemy's lines and break their cohesion as much as possible. These formations became known as '']'', or shock troops, and the tactics they pioneered were the basis of post-WWI infantry tactics, such as the development of ]s. | ||
| During World War II the ] of the ] deployed five ]. Many of the units which spearheaded the Soviet offensives on the ] from the ] to the ] were Shock Armies. Shock Armies had high proportions of infantry, engineers and field artillery, but with less emphasis on operational mobility and sustainability. Soviet assaults which were expected to lead to very high casualties were often led by ]s. Soviet Shock Armies were characterized by a higher allocation of army-level artillery units to break German defense positions by weight of fire, and often had heavy tank regiments or heavy self-propelled gun regiments to add additional direct fire support. Once a breach in the enemy tactical position was made, more mobile units such as tank and mechanized corps would be inserted through the Shock Army's positions with the mission of penetrating deep into the enemy rear area. By the end of the war, though, Soviet ] typically enjoyed superior artillery support to that of the shock armies. | |||
| ⚫ | The same sort of tactical doctrine was widely espoused in British and French service in late 1917 and 1918, with variable results.{{cn|date=October 2024}} The British Army standard training manual for platoon tactics, SS 143, was used from February 1917 onwards and contained much of what was standard for German shock troops.<ref>Griffith, Paddy; ''Battle Tactics of the Western Front''; Yale University Press, New Haven, 1994</ref> | ||
| Well-known Shock Armies include the ], which spearheaded several offensives in the ] area, and the ], which played a key role in the ]. | |||
| A Soviet ad hoc combat group was a mixed arms unit of about eighty men in ]s of six to eight men, closely supported by field artillery. These were tactical units which were able to apply the tactics of ] that the Soviets had been forced to develop and refine at each ''Festungsstadt'' (fortress city) they had encountered from Stalingrad to Berlin.<ref>Beevor, Antony. ''Berlin: The Downfall 1945'', Penguin Books, 2002, ISBN 0-670-88695-5 p. 239</ref> | |||
| The Poles who escaped from Poland after its fall in September, 1939 and made their way to the West were organized into units used as shock troops by the British.{{Fact|date=July 2009}} | |||
| ==After World War II== | |||
| The demands of infantry fighting in the Second World War erased much of the romance of 'shock' troops, particularly when any well-trained competent infantry had to be capable of the same tactics, particularly in a formal assault on a well-defended objective. The Soviets retained the term 'Shock' (although the term can also be translated as ']') for some of their armies (permanent Corps-equivalent formations) that had distinguished themselves during the Second World War; but it remains to be seen how, for instance, ] was that different in its components from 20th Guards Tank Army in the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany during the Cold War years. | |||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| *] | * ] | ||
| *] | * ] | ||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| ==Notes== | |||
| {{notelist}} | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| {{ |
{{Reflist}} | ||
| ==Further reading== | ==Further reading== | ||
| * Grau, Lester W. , Red Thrust Star, January 1997 "The Chechen lower-level combat group consists of 15 to 20 personnel subdivided into three or four-man fighting cells. ..." | * Grau, Lester W. , Red Thrust Star, January 1997 "The Chechen lower-level combat group consists of 15 to 20 personnel subdivided into three or four-man fighting cells. ..." | ||
| * Штабс-ротмистр Танеев. О штурмовых частях Германской и Австро-Венгерской армий / Битва Гвардий - https://btgv.ru/history/rare/staff-rotmistr-taneyev-about-the-assault-units-of-the-german-and-austro-hungarian-armies/ | |||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Shock Troops}} | |||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Latest revision as of 19:00, 16 December 2024
Type of infantry for leading attacks For the 1967 film, see Shock Troops (film).Shock troops, assault troops, or storm troops are special formations created to lead military attacks. They are often better trained and equipped than other military units and are expected to take heavier casualties even in successful operations.
"Shock troop" is a calque, a loose translation of the German word Stoßtrupp (literally "thrust squad" or "push squad"). Assault troopers are typically organized for mobility with the intention that they will penetrate enemy defenses and attack into the enemy's vulnerable rear areas. Any specialized, elite unit formed to fight an engagement via overwhelming assault (usually) would be considered shock troops, as opposed to "special forces" or commando-style units (intended mostly for covert operations). However, both types of units could fight behind enemy lines, by surprise if required.
Before 1914
The Companion cavalry of Alexander the Great (356-326 BC) are described as being the first example of shock cavalry being used in Europe.
During the Paraguayan War (1864–1870), in which Paraguay fought against Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, the Paraguayans deployed shock troops (composed of a mixture of dismounted cavalry and fit men who could row and swim) armed with sabres, cutlasses, knives, bayonets, pistols, and hand grenades. They attacked small fortified positions and boarded Brazilian river steamers.
World War I
Main articles: Stormtroopers (Imperial Germany), Arditi, and Yildirim Army GroupDuring the First World War, many combatants faced the deadlock of trench warfare. On the Western Front in 1915, the Germans formed a specialized unit called the Rohr Battalion to develop assault tactics. During the Brusilov Offensive of 1916, the Russian general Aleksei Brusilov developed and implemented the idea of shock troops to attack weak points along the Austrian lines to effect a breakthrough, which the main Russian Army could then exploit. The Russian Army had also formed hunter commando units in 1886 and used them in World War I to protect against ambushes, to perform reconnaissance and for low-intensity fights in no-man's-land.
The von Hutier tactics (infiltration tactics) called for special infantry assault units to be detached from the main lines and sent to infiltrate enemy lines, supported by shorter and sharper (than usual for WWI) artillery fire missions targeting both the enemy front and rear, bypassing and avoiding what enemy strong points they could, and engaging to their best advantage when and where they were forced to, leaving decisive engagement against bypassed units to following heavier infantry. The primary goal of these detached units was to infiltrate the enemy's lines and break their cohesion as much as possible. These formations became known as Stoßtruppen, or shock troops, and the tactics they pioneered were the basis of post-WWI infantry tactics, such as the development of fire teams.
The same sort of tactical doctrine was widely espoused in British and French service in late 1917 and 1918, with variable results. The British Army standard training manual for platoon tactics, SS 143, was used from February 1917 onwards and contained much of what was standard for German shock troops.
See also
Notes
- Although the German word Stoß is occasionally used to translate 'shock' or allude to a shock-like event, as in Erdstoß (seismic wave), in this case stoß derives directly from the verb stoßen (to push), referring to the original task of the Stoßtruppen, known in German as vorstoßen (roughly: to carry the attack forward, to penetrate the enemy lines).
References
- Hanson, Victor Davis (2007-12-18). Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-307-42518-8.
- Armies of the 19th Century: The Americas/The Paraguayan War, Terry Hooker (P. 82)
- "World War I". HISTORY. 11 August 2023.
- Griffith, Paddy; Battle Tactics of the Western Front; Yale University Press, New Haven, 1994
Further reading
- Grau, Lester W. Russian-Manufactured Armored Vehicle Vulnerability in Urban Combat: The Chechnya Experience, Red Thrust Star, January 1997 "The Chechen lower-level combat group consists of 15 to 20 personnel subdivided into three or four-man fighting cells. ..."
- Штабс-ротмистр Танеев. О штурмовых частях Германской и Австро-Венгерской армий / Битва Гвардий - https://btgv.ru/history/rare/staff-rotmistr-taneyev-about-the-assault-units-of-the-german-and-austro-hungarian-armies/