Skip to content
quotesby

The Germans underestimated our artillery. And they underestimated the effectiveness of our infantry against their tanks. This battle showed that tanks forced to operate in narrow quarters are of limited value; they're just guns without mobility. In such conditions nothing can take the place of small groups of infantry, properly armed, and fighting with utmost determination. I don't mean barricade street fighting-there was little of that-but groups converting every building into a fortress and fighting for it floor by floor and even room by room. Such defenders cannot be driven out either by tanks or planes. The Germans dropped over a million bombs on us but they did not dislodge our infantry from its decisive positions. On the other hand, tanks can be destroyed from buildings used as fortresses.

Vasily Chuikov#3

WarMilitaryStrategyCombatTactics

About this quote

What does it mean?
Urban terrain neutralizes tanks, making determined infantry in buildings the dominant force.
In plain terms
Tanks do not work well in cities, but soldiers do.
What can you take from it?
Adapt tactics to the environment.

Where it applies

  • city fighting
  • fortified positions
  • asymmetric warfare

Putting it to work

  • use terrain
  • fortify buildings
  • train infantry

Questions to consider

  • How does terrain affect warfare?
  • What limits heavy armor?

Another view

Modern tech can still dominate even in urban settings.

More from Vasily Chuikov

  1. There are those who propose that both sides remove all their forces from Germany. That's a silly idea. The Germans hate us; we couldn't think of removing our f…

    Permalink to quote #2
  2. I would not have believed such an inferno could open up on earth. Men died but they did not retreat.

    Permalink to quote #4
  3. Every German soldier must be made to feel that he is living under the muzzle of a Russian gun.

    Permalink to quote #1

Related quotes

  1. They're busily re-thinking a lot of their cherished doctrines. Nothing concentrates the military mind like getting shot at.

    Bruce SterlingBruce Sterling quote #57
  2. We are going for the enemy's fortifications. Artillery is doing its share in every phase of the battle. Automatic weapons are so extensively used to-day that w…

    Leonid GovorovLeonid Govorov quote #1
  3. The bullet is a fool, the bayonet is a fine chap.

    Alexander SuvorovAlexander Suvorov quote #2