Strategy and Doctrine
Auftragstaktik (Mission-Type Tactics)
OWF-trahgs-tak-tik
Also Known As Mission Command
Modern
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. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
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. Classification
Domain (Land, Sea, Air, Cyber) Connections
Associated With
Auftragstaktik's decentralized command was one of the practices behind the speed of blitzkrieg operations.
Source Wikipedia: Mission-type tactics
Source Wikipedia: Mission-type tactics
Developed By
Source Wikipedia: Mission-type tactics
Practiced By
Derived from entity-description (backfill w-bfill-g2-0924): "The Wehrmacht's use of Auftragstaktik in the Second World War"
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Mission-type tactics
WikipediaLead section
Mission-type tactics (German: Auftragstaktik, from Auftrag and Taktik; lit. 'mission tactics', also known as mission command in the United States and the United Kingdom) is a method of command and delegation where the military commander gives subordinate leaders a clearly defined objective, high-level details such as a timeframe, and the forces needed to accomplish that objective.
Origins section
After the severe defeat of the Prussians by Napoleon in 1806 in the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt, the Prussian military rethought their military approach and aimed to build a college of military capability, the General Staff, as a systemic counter to the individual genius that had so soundly beaten them.
Domain attribute (mission-type-tactics)
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.
- Associated With: Wehrmacht
- Associated With: Blitzkrieg
View the Source Frequently Asked Questions
Did one Prussian reform create Auftragstaktik in a single stroke?
No. It developed gradually from 1806 reforms and was not formalized until von Seeckt's work, 1919-1935.
No. Prussia's 1806 defeat at Jena-Auerstedt triggered the military reforms from which mission-type tactics grew, but the doctrine itself developed and was formalized gradually over the following century. It was not codified into its recognizable modern form until Hans von Seeckt's reforms of the Reichswehr, 1919 to 1935. The 1806 defeat is the starting point of a long development, not the doctrine's finished form.
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