Amphibious operations

It was used in anti-aircraft fire (Ref 9, p 55) 5-inch Incendiary Rocket, used at ranges of about 5,000 yds, was an effective weapon when fired from landing craft in amphibious operations. The rocket head was loaded with thermite or oil incendiary mixtures... 

Although amphibious operations had long been a feature of British warfare, lack of co-operation between the army and navy in the Edwardian period meant that Britain was not well prepared to exploit sea power in this way in the First World War, as was demonstrated at... 

Gallipoli. Matters were no more advanced by the Norwegian campaign in 1940. However, amphibious operations became a major feature of the Second World War and investment in commando carriers and specialist landing craft after 1957 for the East of Suez role raised British capability for combined operations to new levels of efficiency. Once more there is no clear trend here from a naval to an air or nuclear phase in the British way of warfare. 

The Soviet Navy could also assume the offensive and impose a chemical warfare environment in naval engagements. Almost all their tactical weapons, whether air-to-surface or surface-to-surface missiles could carry chemical munitions. Indeed, chemical attacks could prove particularly effective in the context of amphibious operations, not merely against the amphibious forces but also against the supporting naval forces. Soviet weapon systems have the range to implement such attacks, and the stocking of chemicals near the piers and storage places lends credibility to the belief that they have a capability to mount chemical attacks at sea. ... 

As the combat period approached, Colonel Unmacht and his stafiF turned their attention from numerous projects in gas warfare defense and decontamination to the nontoxic chemical weapons and munitions. Their work on the flame thrower tank, and later on stabilized flame thrower fuels, was the outstanding overseas development work of the worldwide CWS. Unmacht was a strong proponent of the use of the 4.2-inch chemical mortar with high-explosive shell, and the development, testing, and combat supply of a landing craft mortar mounting for Pacific amphibious operations represented one of his achievements in the field of combat support. The mortar gun boat development was also a noteworthy example of Army-Navy co-operation. 

In June 1944 the commanding general, USASOS, recommended to General MacArthur the employment of smoke generator units during the early stages of an amphibious operation for screening supply dumps... 

CWS TofO Ltr 22, 28 February 1943, pages 25—24, cites comments made by the Commander of the Joint Expeditionary Force in Report of Amphibious Operations for the Capture of the Marianas Islands, 25 August 1944. 

The naval doctrine on use of smoke in amphibious operations was published in Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet) Smoke Screens for Amphibious Operations, 8 Nov 44. 

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