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:blob_neutral: You will also write an essay, and I will grade it.

:blob_neutral: There will be a test for you, Sailus. If you fail, you will need to repeat the class.

:blob_neutral: A lot. At Monte Cassino the German strongholds withstood even American super heavy artillery. They had to be taken by the infantry. Artillery does not fight. It never did.

Another factor which can influence an attacker to seek battle with less than a three-to-one superiority is confidence in the superior quality of his troops. This accounts for many instances in which the Germans attacked in World War II with less than the desirable numerical superiority, and for...

But the side achieving surprise can count on the effects of surprise multiplying its force strength by a factor ranging between 1.5 and 2.5 (or even more in some cases). Thus, an attacker expecting to achieve surprise would be willing to attack with less than a three-to-one superiority.

Most military men are aware of the rule of thumb that an attacker can count on success if he has a three-to-one numerical superiority, while a defender can expect success if his inferiority is not less than one-to-two.

One circumstance in which a battle occurs without the tacit agreement or acceptance of the defender, is when the attacker achieves surprise. Alternatively, surprise by a defender (for instance, by ambush) may result in a battle taking place before the prospective attacker is ready.

A battle usually does not take place unless each side believes it has some chance for success. Otherwise, the attacker would avoid taking the initiative. The defender, if he could not avoid battle by withdrawal, would make every possible effort to reinforce the prospective battle area...

This is because the attacker has the initiative and can initiate combat at a time and place of his choosing and in the manner of his choosing. The attacker can mass his forces at critical points on the battlefield to gain the advantage in strength which he believes necessary to assure the...

On the Eastern Front during World War II, for example, the German Army regularly conducted successful attacks against numerically superior Soviet forces. To the point that the conclusion must be: in the average modem battle, the attacker’s numerical strength is about double the defender’s.