World War II Infantry Tactics - Company and Battalion

Although British tactics of 1939 and 1940, as outlined in the manuals Infantry Tactics and Infantry Section Leading, were more similar to their German counterparts than many sources would lead us to believe, there was an undeniable assimilation of enemy ideas in the wake of Dunkirk. The key tactical concepts listed in the 1942 Operations manual were: fire, to dominate the battlefield and overcome the enemy's fire; concentration, of both fire and 'will power', at a point of decision; security; surprise; and co-operation. The same year the provisional Instructors' Handbook on Fieldcraft and Battle Drill stressed such matters as infiltration, use of smoke, and platoons being reorganized into sections with pioneers for attack on fortifications - all elements represented in the German literature. It also outlined the theory of the 'Main Effort' on a narrow frontage, another significant parallel with German battalion and company tactical schemes. Detailed plans for attack were usually developed at brigade level as a result of reconnaissance and planning by 'R groups', and transmitted down to the unit through the meeting of 'O' or 'orders groups' comprising officers (and sometimes senior NCOs) of the units involved, near to the place where action was expected.
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