Osprey Fortress 29 : US World War II and Korean War Field Fortifications 1941-1953

The US Army and Marine Corps in World War II considered themselves highly mobile, offensive forces. Their mobile warfare doctrine envisioned field fortifications and obstacles as temporary in nature. As a result, their design was simple and made use of local materials, and they could be constructed comparatively quickly, whilst still providing adequate protection. By the time of the Korean War, only minor changes had been made to field fortification construction and layout, and to small unit organization, weapons, and tactics. This book addresses field fortifications built by US infantrymen during World War II and in Korea, and covers rifle platoon positions, trenches, crew served weapon positions, bunkers, dugouts, shelters, observation posts and antitank obstacles. Text by Gordon Rottman with illustrations by Ian Palmer.

Contents

• Introduction
• American Tactical Defense Doctrine
• Building and Manning the Defenses
• Construction Materials
• Types of Emplacements
• Theater Specific Defenses
• The Test of Battle
• An Assessment of US Field Fortifications
• References and Glossary
• Index