German general Hermann Balck (1897--1982) was considered to be one of
World War II's greatest battlefield commanders. His brilliantly fought
battles were masterpieces of tactical agility, mobile counterattack, and
the technique of Auftragstaktik, or "mission command." However, because
he declined to participate in the U.S. Army's military history
debriefing program, today he is known only to serious students of the
war.
Drawing heavily on his meticulously kept wartime journals, Balck di