Source: U.S. War Department "Handbook On German Military Forces" (Mar'45)
Officially released from restricted status by the U.S. Army Center For Military History.
1. BASIC DOCTRINES.
An outstanding characteristic of the German nation is it's
fondness for everything connected with militarism. This is
based not only on traditional sentiment but also on long-range
and intense education that glorifies the military spirit.
This gives the German military leaders the essential
foundation for aggressive military operations.
The Germans believe that only the offensive can achieve
success on the field, particularly when combined with the
element of surprise. German military literature, for the
past century, has emphasized the need for aggressiveness
in all military operations.
The Germans have been thoroughly aware of the psychological
component in warfare and have developed systematic terrorization
to a high degree.
At the same time they have placed considerable reliance on novel
and sensational weapons such as the mass use of armor, the robot
bomb, and the super-heavy tank. Their principal weaknesses in this
regard have been their failure to integrate these new techniques
with established arms and tactics - German field artillery, for
example, did not maintain pace with German armor - and their
devotion to automatic weapons at the expense of accuracy.
A highly trained officer corps and a thoroughly disciplined
army are the necessary elements to implement this aggressive
philosophy. German tactical doctrines stress the responsibility
and the initiative of subordinates. The belief of former years
that the German army was inflexible and lacking in initiative
has been completely destroyed in this war, in which aggressive
and daring leadership has been responsible for many bold
decisions. Yet, while the Germans have many excellent tacticians,
they tend to repeat the same type of maneuvers, a fact which
has been fully exploited by Allied commanders.
The German specialization in particular types of warfare such
as mountain, desert, winter, or the attack on fortified
positions, showed thorough preparation and ingenuity. At the
same time, the Germans had been quite willing to learn from
their opponents and on numerous occasions have copied Allied
tactics and weapons.
2. RECENT TACTICAL TRENDS
From the time when the German Army was forced on the defensive
by the Allied armies, German tactical doctrines have undergone
modifications such as renunciation (except in unstated instances)
of air support, and the substitution of linear defense for
elastic offensive defense.
The primary goal of Germany today is to gain time and to
achieve victory in a political sense, since the Germans are
no longer capable of a military victory. Of necessity their
military operations now supplement this effort and have become
a large-scale delaying action.
3. EXERCISE OF COMMAND
The U.S. and German doctrines applied in exercise of the command
are virtually identical. The Germans stress the necessity of the
staff in assisting the commander to evaluate the situation
and in preparing and disseminating orders to the lower units.
They emphasize that the commander should be well forward with
his units not only for the purpose of facilitating communication,
but also because his presence has a salutary effect on the troops.
