Читать книгу American Civil War For Dummies - Keith D. Dickson - Страница 93

This section looks at the principles that guide the formation of strategy and tactics in war — the science of war. The principles of war have existed in one form or another since military forces first existed in human history. Civil War generals certainly were familiar with them, although in a different context. The principles have been codified now, and the following list is what military professionals study today:

 Objective: Every military operation at all levels of war must have a clear, decisive, and attainable objective. You cannot win a war without an objective. Strategically speaking, the objective is the national political goal. Tactically, the objective is usually an enemy force or position.

 Offensive: Wars are most often won through offensive action. The offensive provides the attacker the opportunity to impose its will on the enemy. In doing so, the attacker gains the initiative both strategically and tactically. The enemy then is unable to take any independent action and is forced to conform to the will of the attacker.

 Mass: Gather overwhelming combat power at the decisive point and time. At both the tactical and strategic levels of war, mass is critical to success.

 Economy of force: Forces must be employed judiciously and always with a purpose. An economy of force operation strategically and tactically can free forces from one point to mass with other forces for a decisive attack at another point.

 Maneuver: Moving forces to gain an advantage over the enemy. Maneuver is applicable to both offense and defense. Maneuver allows an army to employ economy of force or mass. An enemy can be defeated through maneuver alone, without ever having to fight a battle. The greatest generals in history have always been masters of strategic and tactical maneuver.

 Unity of command: Forces must be kept under one commander responsible for planning and directing their employment. Subordinate commanders act in accordance with the commander’s plans to achieve the strategic objective by assigning their own forces objectives at the tactical level.

 Security: Protect forces from being surprised by the enemy. The best security is a thorough knowledge of the enemy’s plans and intentions.

 Surprise: Strike the enemy at a time and place least expected. Surprise multiplies combat power immensely and can achieve decisive results. Speed, maneuver, deception, and mass can be employed strategically and tactically to achieve surprise.

 Simplicity: The KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) principle. War is a complex business. Plans and orders at every level of war must be simple and concise so that everyone understands the plans and intentions of the commander.