Truppenfuehrung, the 20th-century equivalent of Sun Tzu's ""Art of War"", served as the basic manual for the German army from 1934 to the end of World War II. This document provided the doctrinal framework for blitzkrieg and, as a consequence, for the victories of Hitler's armies. Rather than giving German military leaders a ""cookbook"" on how to win battles, the manual offered instead a set of intellectual tools to be applied to complex and continually changing battle conditions. The keys to understanding the psychology, philosophy and social values of the German army that fought World War II are to be found here. This English-language translation is annotated to help the reader understand its military and social context.

"Indispensable."--Prof. Robert Citino, author of The Path to Blitzkrieg "The most influential doctrinal manual ever written."--Prof. Williamson Murray, author of A War to Be Won: *Highly readable translation of the military manual that guided the German Army in World War II*Crystal-clear introduction and notes place the text in its social and military context*Topics include command, attack, defense, tanks, chemical warfare, logistics, and more: Truppenfhrung ("unit command") served as the basic manual for the German Army from 1934 until the end of World War II, creating the doctrinal framework for blitzkrieg and the early victories of Hitler's armies. All commissioned and senior noncommissioned officers received a copy of the book, which set forth guidelines to be applied to complex and constantly changing battle conditions. Reading it is essential to understanding how the German Army fought the war.