Germans
Strategic Concepts & Mechanics
Primary Evidence
"To summarize the Allies’ position, they knew an attack was coming, and they knew where it was coming—in the 200-mile gap between the Maginot Line and the English Channel. In this area, they had about the same number of troops as their enemy, and this in an era when one was supposed to need a three-to-one advantage in order to mount a successful attack. Most amazing of all, the French had even foreseen the possibility that the Germans would attack where they actually did, and they had prepared an answer for it With all of this going for them, how could the French and British lose?"
"The Germans, or some small fraction of them, were able to execute and sustain fast decision cycles, even against the friction of war, because they had instilled an organizational…"
"At the start of the attack on France, the Germans had no advantage in numbers and lagged in technology. Yet they won and won easily, and they did it through the application of strategy. Their strategy was so powerful that in one two-week period, it set aside 300 years of military history."
"In Parisian circles, André will soon repeat that “with one hundred million, it is possible to manufacture five thousand airplanes, and this can be done in a year.” Later, the Michelin brothers will explain the deep reasons for their campaign: “By our profession and thanks to our Frankfurt am Main subsidiary, we were in the front row to know the Germans well. In direct competition with them every day in France and abroad, we were struggling worldwide against their travelers, whom we always found supported — happy merchants — by the German consul of their region. We could not doubt that the war was wanted, prepared by the leaders, and that the rest of the population would follow by discipline, as one man. Even the socialists, even the Rhinelanders, naturally peaceful. It is because the war seemed certain and imminent to us that we felt compelled to make all our efforts to hasten the development of aviation.”"
"The rule about being international meant, among other things, that LEGO could not be marketed as a Danish product. According to Godtfred, the best thing that could happen was for the Germans to believe that the company was German and the French to think the products were made in France. They succeeded. Over the years, many countries took credit for being the birthplace and homeland of LEGO."
"He has taken over the world of frames by destroying the competition, humiliating his Italian rivals, buying out the Americans, annihilating the French and Germans."
"I couldn’t help but resent the conduct of the Germans; I had watched throughout the day how heavy-handed and rigid they were in attempting to get the hostages out. In contrast, I observed the Israelis trying to persuade them to handle the situation without provoking more murders. Correct or not, everyone around me felt that the Germans’ mistakes had gotten the Israelis killed."