Ski Warfare: Combat Strategies and Tactics in Frozen Terrains

By Fouad Sabry

What is Ski Warfare

Ski warfare is the use of ski-equipped troops in war.

How you will benefit

(I) Insights, and validations about the following topics:

Chapter 1: Ski warfare

Chapter 2: Commando

Chapter 3: Jäger (infantry)

Chapter 4: Finnish Army

Chapter 5: 10th Mountain Division (United States)

Chapter 6: Light infantry

Chapter 7: Long-range reconnaissance patrol

Chapter 8: Jungle warfare

Chapter 9: Alpini

Chapter 10: Gebirgsjäger

(II) Answering the public top questions about ski warfare.

Who this book is for

Professionals, undergraduate and graduate students, enthusiasts, hobbyists, and those who want to go beyond basic knowledge or information for any kind of Ski Warfare.

• Language: English
• Publisher: One Billion Knowledgeable
• Release date: May 29, 2024

Book preview

Chapter 1: Ski warfare

Ski warfare is the employment of ski-equipped combatants.

The Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus first reported ski warfare in the 13th century. During the 1161 Battle of Oslo, Norwegian troops utilized skis for reconnaissance. They were also employed in Sweden in 1452, as well as by numerous other Scandinavian countries throughout the 15th and 17th century. In 1767, the first military ski races were held. They eventually became the biathlon.

During the Napoleonic Wars of 1807 to 1814, Denmark-Norway (but only Norway) employed ski troops against Sweden.

The Italian Army established 88 Alpini Battalions during World War I. Their mission was to combat summer and winter at the Alpine Arch's highest areas. The majority of battalions were disbanded following World War I. The 4th Alpini Parachutist Regiment, 5th Alpini Regiment, 6th Alpini Regiment, and 7th Alpini Regiment are the only regiments that continue to train every soldier in ski warfare.

During the 1939 Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union, ski troops played a crucial role in Finland's victories. Finnish ski troops utilized forested, rural terrain without roads to remarkable effect against the oncoming Soviet mechanized infantry. In the Battle of Suomussalmi, three Finnish regiments annihilated two Soviet mechanized divisions (45,000 men) (11,000 men).

The Arditi Alpieri formation, the Monte Bianco formation, the Monte Cervino battalion, and the Monte Rosa battalion comprised the Italian ski forces. They were sent to France, the Balkans, and the Soviet Union.

In November 1941, the Soviet Union dispatched 11 ski battalions and other troops to bolster their fortifications during the Battle of Moscow.

The most common mode of transportation for Norwegian soldiers during the 1940 Norwegian Campaign was skis and sleds, and in Operation Gunnerside, paradropped Norwegian commandos used skis to reach and sabotage the heavy water plant Vemork at Rjukan in Telemark, Norway, which the Germans were using as part of their nuclear research program.

Even in the Middle East, the Australian Ski Corps was sent against Vichy French forces in Lebanon's mountainous terrain.

The 10th Mountain Division of the United States Army was formed and prepared for ski combat. They were sent to Italy.

Swedish, The Finnish and Norwegian armed services utilize skis not only for cross-country skiing, but also for towing soldiers with tracked transport vehicles or snowmobiles.

One or two ropes hang from the end of a tracked vehicle such as the famous Swedish Hägglunds Bandvagn 206 or the Finnish Sisu Nasu and troops hang onto the ropes with their hands and ski-poles.

Numerous nations instruct their military in skiing and winter warfare, among them:

Certain Austrian Army personnel are trained in ski combat.

Danish Navy — Slædepatruljen Sirius (Sirius Arctic Patrol) patrols Northern and Eastern Greenland.

The Estonian Army routinely trains conscripts in skiing and other winter warfare abilities.

All soldiers in the Finnish Army are trained in ski combat, and skiing is a routine requirement for conscripts.

27th Chasseurs Alpins Brigade, French Army

German Bundeswehr Gebirgsjäger

Hellenic Army — Greek Special Forces Command has a mountain ski warfare training center (ΚΕΟΑΧ) on Mount Olympus for Marines and Commandos.

The Alpini Corp of the Italian Army comprises 16 Regiments.

The Israel Defense Forces Have an Alpinist Unit.

Mountain Combat Company of the Lebanese Commando Regiment, Lebanese Armed Forces

Royal Netherlands Marine Corps, Korps Commandotroepen, and the 11 Luchtmobiele Brigade conduct annual drills in the interior of Northern Norway.

Every soldier in the Norwegian Army is trained in ski combat.

The 21st Podhale Rifles Brigade and components of the 6th Paratroopers Brigade make up the Polish Army.

Romanian Land Forces — Vânători de Munte (Mountain Hunters), Every soldier receives ski combat training.

The Russian Navy — 80th Separate Arctic Motor Rifle Brigade, a specialized arctic warfare shore unit of the Northern Fleet stationed in Alakurtti, Murmansk Oblast, is one of numerous comparable groups where ski combat training is a component.

Spain — Brigada de Cazadores de Montaña Aragón I (Mountain Light Infantry Brigade Aragón I), in Jaca (Huesca) with a specialized section Compañía de Esquiadores-Escaladores (Skiing-Climbing Company), the Jaca (Huesca). [1]

The 132nd Mountain Battalion of the Slovenian army is trained in ski combat and mountain survival, and it is a member of the International Federation of Mountain Soldiers (IFMS). Additionally, Slovenia is the host nation for NATO's Multinational Centre of Excellence for Mountain Warfare.

The majority of Swedish soldiers are trained for ski combat.

Switzerland's — 3rd Mountain Army Corps (Corps d’armée de montagne 3)

Royal Marines 3 Commando Brigade members in the United Kingdom receive training in alpine and cold weather warfare at sites in Norway.

The United States Marine Corps through the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center [2] in northern California; the US Army in Alaska at the Northern Warfare Training Center and the Army Mountain Warfare School in Jericho, Vermont; and the US Navy in Alaska at the Naval Special Warfare Cold Weather Detachment Kodiak.

Since the 1670s, the Norwegian military has held skiing tournaments. Biathlon grew out of military skiing events.

The U.S. ski patrol plays a crucial role in the plot of the novel A Separate Peace.

{End Chapter 1}

Chapter 2: Commando

A commando is a combatant or member of an elite light infantry or special operations force who is highly trained for acting in small squads behind enemy lines.

Originally, commando referred to a sort of fighting unit, not an individual member of that unit. In other languages, commando and kommando refer to a command, such as a military or elite special operations force. In the militaries and governments of the vast majority of nations, commandos are distinguished by their expertise in unconventional attacks against high-value targets.

To distinguish a single commando from a commando unit in English, the unit is sometimes capitalized.

The origin of the word commando is the Latin verb commendare, which means to suggest. From the perspective of the early modern period, the term originates from the Dutch word kommando, which roughly translates to command or order and mobile infantry regiment. Originally, this word refers to Boer mounted infantry regiments who fought throughout the Xhosa Wars and the First and Second Boer Wars. It is also conceivable that the word was borrowed into Afrikaans from Portuguese dealings with its surrounding African colonies, where comando means command..

1943 Combined Operations (Min. of Information) i. Lt. Lt.-Col. D. W. Clarke drew out an outline for a plan.... The men for this style of irregular warfare should be organized into Commando units, he said. Neither was the historical analogy implausible. After the triumphs of Roberts and Kitchener had dispersed the Boer army, the guerilla tactics of its individual troops (known as Commandos) prevented a decisive British victory.... With some reluctance, his [sc Lt. Col. D. W. Clarke's] ideas were approved, as was the moniker Commando.

During World War II, newspaper accounts of the deeds of the commandos solely in the plural led readers to believe that the singular referred to a single individual rather than a military organization, and this new usage became standard.

There are restrictions on entry into commando units because to the unique mental and physiological criteria placed on applicants. Applicants must meet specific qualifications. Selecting applicants with the highest motivation, special forces of the 21st century conduct unique selection procedures.

Historiographic evidence indicates that the Otdelnly Gwardieskij Batalion Minerow, the forerunners of the contemporary Russian spetznas, were selected. Soldiers had to be under 30 years old, were predominantly athletes or hunters, and had the utmost motivation. Some individuals perished during training and selection because they were fatigued and left to their own devices.

After a lengthy interview process, Long Range Desert Group hired its workforce. Close to Achnacary in Scotland, the first members of the SAS were had to complete a 50km march, and the Royal Marine commandos evaluated the motivation of its applicants with an obstacle course involving real explosives and machine gun fire. The French Foreign Legion evaluates applicants using medical, intelligence, and physical fitness examinations in addition to interrogations, minor drills, and completing small tasks.

The commandos must think independently. Contrary to military tradition, it is vital to work in small groups in order to escape enemy surveillance.

After the establishment of the Dutch Cape Colony in 1652, the term was used to describe military bands. The first Commando Law was enacted by the Dutch East India Company-chartered towns, and similar legislation was upheld by the independent Boer Orange Free State and South African Republic. When defense was necessary, the law ordered burghers to equip themselves with horses and rifles. The enforcement of these laws was known as the Commando System. A unit of mounted militiamen was known as a commando and was often led by a commandant who was elected from within the unit.

During the First Boer War, Boer commandos utilized superior marksmanship, fieldcraft, concealment, and mobility to eject the British (wearing red uniforms, being poorly trained in shooting, and being unmounted) from the Transvaal. These techniques were employed throughout the whole of the Second Boer War. After the British took the capitals of