History Main / UrbanWarFare

* The UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}n invasion of UsefulNotes/{{Ukraine}} since February 2022 has been marked by some fierce urban combat, especially in the likes of Mariupol (footage of it is featured in ''Film/TwentyDaysInMariupol''), Bakhmut and Avdiivka, which were utterly destroyed by Russian artillery. The attempted Russian sieges of Kharkiv and Chernihiv as well as the outskirts of Kyiv also qualified, if way shorter and resulting in Russian retreat.

* The UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}n invasion of UsefulNotes/{{Ukraine}} since February 2022 has been marked by some fierce urban combat, especially in the likes of Mariupol, Bakhmut and Avdiivka, which were utterly destroyed by Russian artillery. The attempted Russian sieges of Kharkiv and Chernihiv as well as the outskirts of Kyiv also qualified, if way shorter and resulting in Russian retreat.

Urban warfare is very different from conventional combat in the open, in which commanders have wide latitude to maneuver tanks, artillery and infantry, and where air power plays an important role. Clearing a city full of determined defenders is a very difficult task, as the urban environment negates the effectiveness of many of the most powerful weapons of modern militaries, such as tanks, field artillery and aircraft, leveling the playing field somewhat for not-so-well-equipped forces, including LaResistance that might oppose them. Any building, even a bomb-shattered ruin, can be turned into an armed stronghold and pose a major obstacle. Armored vehicles have difficulty maneuvering in tight streets and are vulnerable to ambush from rocket propelled grenades ([=RPGs=]), and artillery and air support won't do you any good if the enemy keeps changing positions, has its resources dispersed over the city, and is enmeshed amongst civilians (which raises the risk of bombing or shelling them).[[note]] The degree to which an invading army and their political masters care about civilian casualties in urban warfare varies. Some armies and governments are worried about the international law implications, ethical aspects, or public relations impact and may try to minimize civilian casualties. Others ... don't. The Nazis had no qualms about leveling civilian buildings and even using flamethrowers during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, and Soviet and Japanese armies in World War 2 were often almost as bad.[[/note]]

As an unfortunate side effect of the [[DirtyBusiness dirty]], [[WeHaveReserves casualty-ridden]], and momentum-killing nature of the fighting, armies (and their political masters) are often forced to leave the job half done by avoiding cities altogether (usually due to political implications of such a prolonged, bloody conflict). At other times, [[ShootTheDog they simply flatten as much of the city as possible before/while/instead of fighting over it]], thereby neutralizing some of the advantages of the "urban" aspect, and usually [[PyrrhicVictory rendering the place strategically worthless in the process]], as well as being, shall we say, ''problematic'' to any remaining citizenry. Yet another option is to besiege the city. After all, it's very difficult to grow adequate food supplies in an urban area, and breaking the defending force's spirit is preferable to a drawn out conflict.

* The UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}n invasion of UsefulNotes/{{Ukraine}} since February 2022 has been marked by some fierce urban combat, especially in Mariupol and Bakhmut, which were both utterly destroyed by Russian artillery. The attempted Russian sieges of Kharkiv and Chernihiv as well as the outskirts of Kyiv also qualified, if way shorter and resulting in Russian retreat.

* Mostly averted in military thriller ''Literature/{{Victoria}}'', since irregular warfare specialist John Rumford knows well just how horribly brutal and attritive this is, both to military and civilians, and makes sure to do his damnedest to avoid it if he can help it. He is on the whole successful, though not entirely so.

* ''VideoGame/PostScriptum'': Many of the maps featured in the game, being set in Western Europe, have towns, cities, and villages scattered in between them, giving defending teams much-needed cover and defensive positions, and force attacking teams to make methodical, and slow, advances in order to avoid getting killed.

* The suppression of the Paris Commune. While the June Days in 1848 [[note]] not to be confused with the much smaller June Rebellion of 1832, shown in ''Franchise/LesMiserables''[[/note]] had been bad enough, with over 10,000 total casualties, its reprise in 1871 was a horror show, with the ''entire commune'' being reduced to rubble from artillery bombardment and a fire. Estimates start at 10,000 ''killed'' and go up from there. Arbitrary summary executions were only halted because the cemeteries were full and the city was at risk of an epidemic from all the corpses. Put another way, it was this slaughter that convinced Karl Marx and other socialists that there could be no peaceful path to revolution. As Vladimir Lenin put it: "20,000 killed in the streets...Lesson: bourgeoisie will stop at ''nothing''."

Compare and contrast with JungleWarfare, where fighting takes place in remote tropical rainforests instead, DesertWarfare, where fighting is done in open deserts, and WinterWarfare, where fighting takes place in conditions below freezing, though in the case of the latter it can easily overlap with this one (Stalingrad being one such example).

* The Battle of Axum from ''[[Fanfic/StarWarsVsWarhammer40K Star Wars vs. Warhammer 40K]]'' has the Jedi and clone troopers fighting the Imperium's forces on the eponymous CityPlanet.

** It's interesting to note that in the German/Soviet situations in city fighting earlier in the war, such as at Stalingrad, the Germans had superior firepower and air support while the Soviets were underequipped and fighting desperately for their lives, were totally reversed in its late stages, such as in Berlin in 1945. Stalingrad is probably the most infamous example. Nicknamed "''Rattenkrieg''" ("Rat War") by the Germans, some would bitterly joke about capturing the kitchen but still fighting for the living room and the bedroom. Buildings were literally cleared out room by room, floor by floor. Perhaps the ugliest thing about the battle was that Stalingrad itself wasn't even a strategically important target for the Germans. The real objective was cutting off the Russian Navy's use of the Volga River, which could have been done just about anywhere. Going after Stalingrad specifically was purely an insult by Hitler against Stalin.
** The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was the Jewish resistance that arose within the Warsaw Ghetto in German-occupied Poland. The resistance was so successful, even with almost no supplies and after being starved for years, that the Nazis resorted to systematically burning houses block by block using flamethrowers and blowing up basements and sewers. To further prove the point, the Ghetto resistance in one district lasted nearly as long as the entire Polish military did against the Wehrmacht across the entire country!

** The Battle of Monte Cassino, part of the Italian campaign, took four months and 55,000 Allied casualties to secure, and the city was devastated by the aerial bombardment. Ironically, [[NiceJobBreakingItHero the main effect of this bombing was to give German troops more cover against Allied infantry.]]

* Similarly done in ''Film/SavingPrivateRyan'' where Vin Diesel's character is shot by a sniper. The final scenes in the movie are combat scenes in an urban environment.

* The UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}n invasion of UsefulNotes/{{Ukraine}} was marked by some fierce urban combat, especially in Mariupol and Bakhmut, which were both utterly destroyed by Russian artillery. The attempted Russian sieges of Kharkiv and Chernihiv as well as the outskirts of Kyiv also qualified, if way shorter and resulting in Russian retreat.

* The Russian invasion of Ukraine was marked by fierce urban combat, especially in Mariupol and Bakhmut which were utterly destroyed.

* ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'': The GhostCity of Mihazono gets turned into a scene of this overnight. An idiot hunter entering the Sarenthal Building shoots the ProjectedMan little girl representing the city's managing ArtificialIntelligence, which makes her raise the alert level AwakeningTheSleepingGiant. Shortly after, some VIP hunters get trapped inside and put out a DistressCall that results in several teams of hunters sent to rescue them getting butchered and barricading themselves in surrounding buildings, sending their own distress calls. When Akira joins a Search And Rescue operation there, they have to force destroyed vehicles out of their way on the roads, and face attackers from all sides including from above.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Battlefield}}'' series has a number of maps being set in a town or city, including the spinoffs of ''Bad Company'' 1 & 2 and ''VideoGame/BattlefieldHeroes''.

Urban warfare is very different from conventional combat in the open, in which commanders have wide latitude to maneuver tanks, artillery and infantry, and where air power plays an important role. Clearing a city full of determined defenders is a very difficult task, as the urban environment negates the effectiveness of many of the most powerful weapons of modern militaries, such as tanks, field artillery and aircraft, leveling the playing field somewhat for not-so-well-equipped forces, including LaResistance that might oppose them. Any building, even a bomb-shattered ruin, can be turned into an armed stronghold and pose a major obstacle. Armored vehicles have difficulty maneuvering in tight streets and are vulnerable to ambush from rocket propelled grenades ([=RPGs=]), and artillery and air support won't do you any good if the enemy keeps changing positions, has its resources dispersed over the city, and is enmeshed amongst civilians (which raises the risk of bombing or shelling them).[[note]] The degree to which an invading army and their political masters care about civilian casualties in urban warfare varies. The Nazis had no qualms about leveling civilian buildings and using flamethrowers during Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The Nazis resorted to systematically burning houses block by block using flamethrowers and blowing up basements and sewers. Some armies and governments are worried about the international law implications, ethical aspects, or public relations impact and may try to minimize civilian casualties. [[/note]]

As an unfortunate side effect of the [[DirtyBusiness dirty]], [[WeHaveReserves casualty-ridden]], and momentum-killing nature of the fighting, armies (and their political masters) are often forced to simply leave the job half done by avoiding cities altogether (usually due to political implications of such a prolonged, bloody conflict). At other times, [[ShootTheDog they simply flatten as much of the city as possible before/while/instead of fighting over it]], thereby neutralizing some of the advantages of the "urban" aspect, and usually [[PyrrhicVictory rendering the place strategically worthless in the process]], as well as being, shall we say, ''problematic'' to any remaining citizenry. Yet another option is to besiege the city. After all, it's very difficult to grow adequate food supplies in an urban area, and breaking the defending force's spirit is preferable to a drawn out conflict.

Significant street fighting of this type was seen at least as early as UsefulNotes/WorldWarII (especially the Battle of Stalingrad), though there are several Napoleonic war battles (most notably the Sieges of Zaragoza) that foreshadowed the urban warfare of the 20th century and such battles likely occurred even earlier than that. (See for example the two medieval Battles of St. Albans, discussed below.) Unfortunately this kind of warfare still takes place in various conflicts around the world.

Urban warfare is a nightmare in modern times. Even untrained militia or partisan group can stand against highly trained troops in the confusing twists and turns of a high population center. It is war at its dirtiest, with collateral damage difficult to avoid and a high potential for confusion. Units often find themselves in a confused tangle of friend and foe, and with LaResistance, it may be hard to know which people are fighters and which are civilians.

As an unfortunate side effect of the [[DirtyBusiness dirty]], [[WeHaveReserves casualty-ridden]], and momentum-killing nature of the fighting, armies (and their political masters) often forced to simply leave the job half done by avoiding cities all together (usually due to political implications of such a prolonged, bloody conflict). At other times, [[ShootTheDog they simply flatten as much of the city as possible before/while/instead of fighting over it]], thereby neutralizing some of the advantages of the "urban" aspect, and usually [[PyrrhicVictory rendering the place strategically worthless in the process]], as well as being, shall we say, ''problematic'' to any remaining citizenry. Yet another option is to besiege the city. After all, it's very difficult to grow adequate food supplies in an urban area, and breaking the defending force's spirit is preferable to a drawn out conflict.

Urban warfare is very different from conventional combat in the open, in which commanders have wide latitude to maneuver tanks, artillery and infantry, and where air power plays an important role. Clearing a city full of determined defenders is a very difficult task, as the urban environment negates the effectiveness of many of the most powerful weapons of modern militaries, such as tanks, field artillery and aircraft), leveling the playing field somewhat for not-so-well-equipped forces, including LaResistance that might oppose them. Any building, even a bomb-shattered ruin, can be turned into an armed stronghold and pose a major obstacle. Armored vehicles have difficulty maneuvering in tight streets and are vulnerable to ambush from rocket propelled grenades ([=RPGs=]), and artillery and air support won't do you any good if the enemy keeps changing positions, has its resources dispersed over the city, and is enmeshed amongst civilians (which raises the risk of bombing or shelling them).[[note]] The degree to which an invading army and their political masters care about civilian casualties in urban warfare varies. The Nazis had no qualms about leveling civilian buildings and using flamethrowers during Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The Nazis resorted to systematically burning houses block by block using flamethrowers and blowing up basements and sewers. Some armies and governments are worried about the international law implications, ethical aspects, or public relations impact and may try to minimize civilian casualties. [[/note]]

* ''Literature/{{Gate}}'': TheEmpire was dragged into this early during the invasion of Ginza. Being a Roman-style armies experienced only in open field warfare against the technologically advanced and urban-trained JSDF, they didn't stood a chance.

* ''Literature/{{Gate}}'': TheEmpire was dragged into this early during the invasion of Ginza. Being a Roman-style armies experienced only in open field warfare against the urban-trained JSDF, they didn't stood a chance.

Urban warfare is very different from conventional combat in the open, in which commanders have wide latitude to maneuver tanks, artillery and infantry, and where air power plays an important role. Clearing a city full of determined defenders is a very difficult task, as the urban environment negates the effectiveness of many of the most powerful weapons of modern militaries, such as tanks, field artillery and aircraft), leveling the playing field somewhat for not-so-well-equipped forces, including LaResistance that might oppose them. Any building, even a bomb-shattered ruin, can be turned into an armed stronghold and pose a major obstacle. Armored vehicles have difficulty maneuvering in tight streets and are vulnerable to ambush from rocket propelled grenades ([=RPGs=]), and artillery and air support won't do you any good if the enemy keeps changing positions, has its resources dispersed over the city, and is enmeshed amongst civilians (which raises the risk of bombing or shelling them).[[note]] The degree to which an invading army and their political masters care about civilian casualties in urban warfare varies. The Nazis had no qualms about leveling civilian buildings and using flamethrowers. Some armies and governments are worried about the international law implications, ethical aspects, or public relations impact and may try to minimize civilian casualties. [[/note]]

Urban warfare is very different from conventional combat in the open, in which commanders have wide latitude to maneuver tanks, artillery and infantry, and where air powerplaysan important role. Clearing a city full of determined defenders is a very difficult task, as the urban environment negates the effectiveness of many of the most powerful weapons of modern militaries, such as tanks, field artillery and aircraft), leveling the playing field somewhat for not-so-well-equipped forces, including LaResistance that might oppose them. Any building, even a bomb-shattered ruin, can be turned into an armed stronghold and pose a major obstacle. Armored vehicles have difficulty maneuvering in tight streets and are vulnerable to ambush from rocket propelled grenades ([=RPGs=]), and artillery and air support won't do you any good if the enemy keeps changing positions, has its resources dispersed over the city, and is enmeshed amongst civilians (which raises the risk of bombing or shelling them).[[note]] The degree to which an invading army and their political masters care about civilian casualties in urban warfare varies. The Nazis had no qualms about leveling civilian buildings and using flamethrowers. Some armies and governments are worried about the international law implications, ethical aspects, or public relations impact and may try to minimize civilian casualties. [[/note]]

Urban warfare is very different from conventional combat in the open. Clearing a city full of determined defenders is a very difficult task, as the urban environment negates the effectiveness of many of the most powerful weapons of modern militaries (such as tanks, field artillery and aircraft), leveling the playing field somewhat for not-so-well-equipped forces, including LaResistance that might oppose them. Any building, even a bomb-shattered ruin, can be turned into an armed stronghold and pose a major obstacle. Armored vehicles have difficulty maneuvering in tight streets and are vulnerable to smbush from rocket propelled grenades ([=RPGs=]), and artillery and air support won't do you any good if the enemy keeps changing positions, has its resources dispersed over the city, and is enmeshed amongst civilians (which raises the risk of bombing or shelling them).[[note]]The degree to which an invading army and their political masters care about civilian casualties in urban warfare varies. The Nazis had no qualms about leveling civilian buildings and using flamethrowers. Some armies and governments are worried about the international law implications, ethical aspects, or public relations impact and may try to minimize civilian casualties. [[/note]]