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The article asserts that there's never been a book about Auftragstaktik. Maybe not on that single topic, but TN DuPuy's Genius for War goes into great detail on
by osullivj 10y ago
The article asserts that there's never been a book about Auftragstaktik. Maybe not on that single topic, but TN DuPuy's Genius for War goes into great detail on the history and development of the Prussian General Staff and their command philosophy. As well as Auftragstaktik important elements of Prussian military doctrine were to put commanding officers in the front line, for all juniors to be trained to do their commander's job, and the notion of operational (operativ) as distinct from tactical or strategic. With the advent of mobile armour this was supplemented with the idea of the Schwerpunkt: the point of maximum striking force at the tip of an armoured formation. All these elements combined for the greatest achievement of this philosophy, the Sickleschnitt, the dash through the Ardennes, the crossing of the Meuse, and the fall of France in 1940. There are plenty of lessons for business organisations in DuPuy's book.