(a) When encountering a hostile infantry group on a highway, the armored patrol should move off the road immediately, if practicable, and combat the hostile group from the flank rather than attempt to fight on the highway. The vehicles following the patrol should be warned at once.
When reading this part of the training manual for german patrols I thought of how Rommel repeatedly in contrast to the above doctrine harassed his troops for searching for cover at any encounter with enemy units during the invasion of France 1940 (The Rommel Papers 1982).
Rommel demanded that fire was to be returned and maintained immediately no matter what.
This goes well in hand with a quote from Rommel:
The day goes to the side that is the first to plaster its opponent with fire.
Who says that the Art of War has to be complicated? [:)]
