Prussian Generals - part 2, Carl von Clausewitz

Carl von Clausewitz served in the Prussian army, and later in the Russian army during the Napoleonic wars. Soon after the wars ended, in 1816, he started a work on the art of war. He never finished, instead dying from cholera in 1831. His widow published "Vom Kriege" ("On War") posthumously in 1832. Exactly how complete On War was has been hotly debated, but regardless it is considered to be the major treatise on the art and philosophy of war in the western world.

Some interesting points and concepts in On War are:

• Friction, things rarely go as planned when tiny problems accumulates. Roads are more difficult than envisioned, the weather is slowing movement, soldiers get drunk, and so on.
• Fog of war, commanders on all levels will have limited intelligence on which to act, and lack knowledge of the overall picture.
• War is the continuation of policy by other means. A phrase that has been misinterpreted as advocating war over politics, but what Clausewitz really means is that politicians must be the ones to decide if and when war is warranted, and what the goal of war is.

The first two points means that a commander must act and react swiftly on the information at hand. It is as necessary to adjust in the face of bad luck (or preparations), as it is to grasp opportunity when it presents itself.

The third point is important in that it means that war takes place in a context and, like it or not, politicians have a huge impact on how war is waged.

part 3