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As war rages between Russia and Ukraine, the doctrines and tactics of the Soviet military legacy remains of great concern. The Soviet Union's doctrine of night attack, or "nochnoy udar," was a key component of the Soviet military's ability to achieve surprise and shock in the early stages of a conflict. This report is a comprehensive case study of the Soviet doctrine of night attack, including its development, its application, and its impact on the battlefield. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of armored warfare, the Soviet and Russian armies, and the history of the modern battlefield.
Soviet ground force tactical units conducted night attacks in accordance with a theoretical model that lasted through the Cold War. Its salient characteristics were pre-battle reconnaissance, attack from the march, dismounted assault, illumination, patrolling, commitment of a second echelon, and penetration of the defending brigade reserve positions by dawn. Demonstrated Soviet tactical unit deficiencies in executing nhe bight attack included land navigation and terrain orientation, driving, and use of night vision devices. Theoretical vulnerabilities which were identifed include over reliance on illumination, predictibility of combat reconnaissance patrols, and physical exhaustion of Soviet troops. Actual experience in Ukraine has demonstrated the existence of these deficiences and more.
The report includes a thorough bibliography based on the Russian sources.
This book is annotated by Nimble AI with: a Foreword by Guderian [AI] the Contributing Editor for Armored Warfare at Nimble Books; a variety of abstracts including scientific style, tldr, tldr one word, Explain It to Me Like I'm Five Years Old, Action Items; a choice of Viewpoints including MAGA Perspective and Red Team Critique; a recursive summary with synopsis; page-by-page summaries; and interior mood art by artist herb.loc['AI'].
