ABSTRACT
A commander has two means of accomplishing his objective-firepower and mobility, the latter being termed “manoeuvre” when carried out tactically.
Infantry and armour are primarily manoeuvre arms, and develop firepower to achieve it. Artillery moves only to improve the provision of firepower, and to assist its own survival. Success in war depends upon combining the two. At times, technical progress has been faster in one sphere than in the other, and this has often shifted the estimation of tactical value in favour of one, usually at the expense of the other. In peacetime, greater emphasis is usually placed on manoeuvre, and in wartime there is a tendency, born of experience, to favour firepower. The greater the initial deficiency of firepower, the greater the likelihood that the balance will subsequently tilt in its favour, perhaps unduly so.
