ABSTRACT
Surprise, therefore, is one of the greatest weapons in the strategic armoury, and the most hazardous enterprise, by achieving surprise, is often the least dangerous; the German invasion of Norway in 1940 was strategically impossible and therefore succeeded with remarkable ease. Surprise in itself, however, may not compensate for an inferiority in numbers. In battle, where all things are uncertain, so far as it lies within his power the wise general will strain every nerve to ensure that, before the battle begins, the strength of his army is at its maximum, and every trained soldier he can lay his hands upon is present.
