Auftragstaktik, mission type tactics, gives a subordinate commander a clearly defined objective and the senior commander's intent, then leaves the subordinate free to decide how to achieve it rather than issuing detailed step by step orders. Prussian reformers built the doctrine into the newly systematized German General Staff after Napoleon's defeat of Prussia at Jena Auerstedt in 1806, and Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke the Elder stated its central principle, that an officer acts most effectively within the framework of his senior commander's intent rather than a fixed order. General Hans von Seeckt further institutionalized the doctrine in the Reichswehr between 1919 and 1935. The Wehrmacht's use of Auftragstaktik in the Second World War let cross trained, combined arms commanders exploit battlefield opportunities with minimal interference from above, one of the command habits behind the speed of blitzkrieg operations.
Facts
Core ClaimTell a subordinate commander what to achieve and why, not how; trust trained officers to decide the method on the ground faster than orders could travel back up the chain and down again. 1 Origin Year1806 marks the Prussian defeat at Jena Auerstedt that triggered the reforms from which Auftragstaktik grew; the doctrine developed and was formalized over the following century, notably under Hans von Seeckt, 1919 to 1935. Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
Auftragstaktik's decentralized command was one of the practices behind the speed of blitzkrieg operations.
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