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Article: Clausewitz's Schwerpunkt: mistranslated from German--Misunderstood in English.( Carl von Clausewitz)
- Article from:
- Military Review
- Article date:
- January 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 U.S. Army CGSC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Eine Operation ohne Schwerpunkt is wie ein Mann ohne Charakter. [An operation without Schwerpunkt is like a man without character.]
--Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg
AS THE U.S. ARMY moves forward in its efforts to transform itself in profound ways, it might be useful for its leadership to reexamine the origins of some concepts that serve as the theoretical underpinnings of current Army and joint doctrine. Among those that should be closely reconsidered is "center of gravity" (COG), a concept widely attributed to Carl von Clausewitz and now regarded as the heart of any sound plan for a campaign or major operation. (1) Even a cursory glance at the ...