Written before the outbreak of World War II, this is a compelling book on military strategy, in particular the doctrines of surprise and the flank attack. Almost breaking completely with traditional military thinking, despite citing ideas which tally with the doctrines of Clausewitz, Moltke and Schlieffen, Erfurth's work is indicative of the vast amount of thinking and writing about warfare that took place in the inter war years in Germany-a crucial element to any nation dedicated to having an effective army and navy.