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Quote from German Patrol Training Manual:

(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? [:)]

ORIGINAL: Hoplomachia
Who says that the Art of War has to be complicated? [:)]

That is why the KISS(-Keep It Simple, Stupid!) principle should be followed at all times.

Great link!

Great topic and discussion.
 
Rommel was certainly a great warrior.
Now, I recently got a copy of Truppenfuhrung (German Army Regulation 300, 1933-34) and I was a bit shocked to find that this doctrinal publication contains nuggets of war-waging wisdom that I thought were exclusive property of Rommel, Guderian and other celebrity generals. I don't have a copy of this book right now so I can't be precise, but paraphrasing one paragraph: "when there is doubt about enemy intentions and composition, combat will likely clarify it". Which is very similar to the "always attack" motto of Rommel. Other parts of the Regulation are also very interesting, in particular a section about armor writen in times when Germany didn't have any tank force at all.
Anyway, this is not to dismerit Rommel, Guderian or others.