Mouse-holing

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Mouse-holing is a tactic used in urban warfare, in which a unit creates small passages between adjoining rooms or buildings by manually tunneling through a wall, using a satchel charge or other explosive device, or with vehicle-mounted cannon or tank guns.^[1] In urban warfare, this tactic is necessary to avoid open streets where advancing infantry, caught in enfilade, are easily targeted by machine-gun and sniper fire.

With mouse-holing, combatants are able to move around an urban battlefield under cover, without needing to expose themselves to enemy fire or observation. A typical passage is large enough for a single file of soldiers. Large, unrestricted holes can compromise the structural integrity or the building, and offer little cover from opposing forces. Similar to underground tunnels used in rural battlefields, they can also allow forces to infiltrate behind enemy lines, providing a significant tactical advantage. In some cases, a mouse-hole will be camouflaged with furniture, especially when they are created to aid a defending force or a clandestine operation. When used in defensive positions, mouse holes often join and combine with underground tunnels.

Mouse-holing began to appear in military tactical manuals in World War II. It was used with great success by Canadian forces during the Battle of Ortona and by Soviet forces during the Battle of Stalingrad. At Stalingrad, it allowed troops to consistently infiltrate areas to the German rear that were supposedly cleared.