World War II Combat Reconnaissance Tactics.pdf

WORLD WAR II COMBAT

RECONNAISSANCE

TACTICS

'NOT A STEP WITHOUT

RECONNAISSANCE'

This Waffen-SS scout wears a

camouflage smock in one of the

many available patterns, along

with a face mask made from

a shelter-cape. He is adorned

with vegetation to break up

his silhouette and blend in with

the background. His personal

equipment is worn beneath the

smock for additional concealment;

he is armed with a 9mm MP40

machine pistol, a popular weapon

to enhance patrol firepower.

(Courtesy Concord Publications)

econnaissance is an essential aspect of warfare. It is, of course,

a broad subject; this book focuses on tactical reconnaissance -

i.e. at division level and below - and examines the practices

employed by the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union,

Germany and Japan. The armies of each country showed differences in

unit organization, tactics and techniques, but also many similarities.

Reconnaissance tactics, techniques, unit organization and

equipment were in a constant state of evolution during World War II, as

the changing nature of the war brought new concepts in reconnaissance

and as additional missions were assigned to these units. Specialized

reconnaissance units above division level are not discussed here'!

The purposes and means of

reconnaissance

'Reconnaissance' is the activity of reconnoitring

to collect information through surveillance and

examination of an area or specific site, or of

enemy forces and their activities. The focus of

intelligence and reconnaissance varied greatly

depending on the level of command: the lower

the echelon, the more detailed and precise the

information had to be, and the smaller its scope

and area of interest (although higher command

echelons did sometimes need detailed intelligence

on specifics).

At theatre level, the commander was

concerned with the overall numbers of the

enemy's forces, and with his capability to produce

and transport materiel, weapons and equipment

to the combat zone. At army group and field army

levels, commanders were concerned with the

enemy's long-term objectives, his abilities to shape

the battlefield by shifting his forces, the number

of available divisions, and the logistics to support

them. The corps commander was looking at how

many regiments and supporting assets the enemy

could field, and what forces were available to

I See Osprey Battle Orders 12, US Special Warfare Units in the Pacific Theater 1941-45

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