“In this commando system , it was no one’s job to to train the burghers. Apart from the annual wappenschauw (or shooting practice), the men were left to fight as they had always fought – with the tactics of the mounted frontiersmen. If the enemy were superior in numbers, they would provoke the enemy’s attack,… Read More
“‘First weigh the considerations, then take the risks.’ is a German adage first coined by Field-Marshal Moltke.” (Guderian, 1990, 439). Heinz Guderian, a World War I junior officer and World War II General. Creator, trainer and leader of Germany’s armoured forces during the Second World War. Reference Guderian, H. & Fitzgibbon, C. (trans) (1990) Panzer Leader.… Read More
“Their caution was not Montgomery’s, who obviously considered that insistence on 100 per cent certainty was to be preferred to a policy of boldness, which is true in questions of strategy, although certainly not in tactics.” (Rommel, 1953, p.515). Field-Marshal Erwin Rommel (the Desert Fox), World War I junior officer and World War II… Read More
“…commanders whose battles have so far all been fought in theory tend as a rule to react directly rather than indirectly to the enemy’s moves. Beginners generally lack the nerve to take decisions based on military expediency alone, without regard for what is weighing most heavily on their minds.” (Rommel, 1953, p.401). Field-Marshal Erwin Rommel (the… Read More
“Tactical successes must be ruthlessly exploited. A routed enemy who, on the day of his flight, can be rounded up without much effort, may reappear on the morrow restored to his full fighting power.” (Rommel, 1953, p.398). Field-Marshal Erwin Rommel (the Desert Fox), World War I junior officer and World War II General, considered a… Read More
“The best strategic plan is useless if it cannot be executed tactically.” (Rommel, 1953, p.389). Field-Marshal Erwin Rommel (the Desert Fox), World War I junior officer and World War II General, considered a brilliant military commander; adored by his troops and feared by his enemies. Reference Rommel, E., Liddel Hart, B.H. (ed) & Findlay, P.… Read More
“To accept a British attack in the Marmarica was unthinkable, painful though it was to us all to have to give up territory so hardly won. But courage which goes against military expediency is stupidity, or, if it is insisted upon by a commander, irresponsibility.” (Rommel, 1953, p.347). Field-Marshal Erwin Rommel (the Desert Fox), World… Read More
Boot Camp & Military Fitness Institute 