Eli5: Why is Urban warfare feared as the most difficult form of warfare for a military to conduct?
In: 1719
Urban warfare is…a complicated thing, more than just the tactical side. Militaries and defense experts around the globe have published years worth of papers and books on the subject.
On the tactical side, a defender can have an advantage. As we’ve seen in Mariupol, large buildings can give shelter to infantry against artillery and air strikes. Defenders can make use of the cover and complicated layout of cities to set up ambushes, such as like Grozny or in Fallujah. The shorter line of sight in an urban environment also means that armored vehicles that would normally outrange infantry are now closer, meaning that shorter anti tank weapons have a greater success. Overall an attacking force has to move slowly and be expected to take a more than insignificant amount of casualties. Add in to the fact that in many countries urban warfare tactics aren’t taught in depth to the rank and file.
On the operational and strategic side, urban settings are complicated. If you are going to occupy a city, you have to take into account the population and the resources. Civilian governments in peace time can have a hard time managing a city (in the 1980s NYC was called an “ungovernable city” due to the complexity from its physical size and population).
If you want an overview I’d suggest listening to the Urban Warfare podcast (made by the modern warfare institute at Westpoint).
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