Surprise as a Principle of War

One of the earliest lessons soldiers learn is that it’s a lot safer, and potentially more successful, to hit the other guy when he’s not expecting it. That’s what surprise is, and that’s why “Security” is also a principle of war.
The Germans attempted to use surprise in the Battle of the Bulge, and if allied commanders had not ignored their own G-2, they would have known the Germans were preparing an offensive.
The best example of surprise is the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on the Sunday morning of December 7th, 1941.

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