"Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat." As a World War II buff and wargamer, I find the above quote corresponds well to how the Allies and Axis played their roles during the last major war of the 20th century. (The quote is frequently attributed to Sun Tzu but cannot be found in The Art of War—Ed.) It is my opinion that—man for man—although the Germans were the better soldiers of the war, they lacked a coherent strategy for bringing about a decisive victory; while the Allies managed their offensives inefficiently, which prolonged the war. Despite the latter, the Allied overall grand strategy was sound and unified, and it won the war. The concept of strategic planning is often overlooked by many wargamers when playing a World War II campaign game. Many gamers have a tendency to play out history, attempt to repeat battles, make many small campaigns, or fall in love with units. I, on the other hand,...
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