Understanding Change: Sigismund Von Schlichting and the Operational Level of War

Abstract : One of the ways we can help make ourselves equal to the process of change in military organizations is by studying the efforts of other armies tas they adapted in the face of political, technical, or other kinds of revolution. The late 19th Century is particularly suited to this study, and in Germany especially, in spite of Moltke's successes, debate about change was intense. With the benefit of hindsight, we can see that Sigismund von Schlicting, who retired from the German Army as a corps commander in 1896 had an unsurpassed appreciation for the new conditions of warfare. This monograph traces the development of Schlichting's thought, shows its influence on the development of the operational art of the Soviet General Staff, and shows, how Schlicting tied the need for operational thinking to changes in technology. It also shows briefly how we might use an analog of Schlicting's though process today. A brief biography is included as an appendix.