Hugging the Enemy
포옹 전술
An urban defense tactic devised by Vasily Chuikov during the Battle of Stalingrad (1942–1943), in which Soviet front-line positions were kept so close to German lines, within grenade-throwing distance, that the Luftwaffe could not bomb Red Army positions without striking its own troops. By negating German air superiority, the tactic forced the fighting into the rubble in a grinding close-quarters struggle where small assault squads, night counterattacks, and snipers gave the defender the advantage. The concept was refined through the battle and later applied in the Berlin offensive, becoming a foundational doctrine of Soviet urban warfare.
Related people
Related historical events
Sources
- Wikipedia (EN) Chuikov's development of 'hugging the enemy' tactic: 'keeping the German army so close to them as to minimize the airpower enjoyed by the Wehrmacht'
- Wikipedia (RU) 'В. И. Чуйков вводит тактику ближнего боя. Советские и немецкие траншеи располагаются на расстоянии броска гранаты'
- mwi.westpoint.edu West Point Modern War Institute: shock groups 'hugging the Germans near the frontlines to avoid the effectiveness of German airpower'
- nationalww2museum.org National WWII Museum: Chuikov 'implemented new small-unit tactics that helped Red Army forces close the distance with the enemy'