Von Schlieffen's "Cannae"

"To win, we must endeavour to be the stronger of the two at the point of impact. Our only hope of this lies in making our own choice of operations, not in waiting passively for whatever the enemy chooses for us." -- Schlieffen

Authorised English language translation of Schlieffen's masterly treatise on the battle of Cannae; the campaigns of Frederick the Great & Napoleon, & the campaigns of 1866 & 1870-1. Complete with an excellent & extensive series of detailed colour maps. This is a truly great 20th Century military book. For generations, historians have considered Schlieffen's writings to be the foundation of Germany's military strategy in World War I, and have hotly debated the reasons why the plan, as executed, failed.

Long after his death, the German General Staff officers of the Interwar and Second World War period, particularly General Hans von Seeckt, recognised an intellectual debt to Schlieffen theories during the development of the Blitzkrieg doctrine.