Lieutenant Clausewitz (Problem)
Lieutenant Clausewitz (Problem)
Decision-Forcing Case
On 3 December 1803, Lieutenant Colonel von Scharnhorst poses the following problem.
How does the [officer commanding] the garrison of Berlin, on the night of the 2nd to the 3rd [of December] determine whether the enemy has occupied positions at [the villages of] Panko and Gesundbrunnen?
As soon as it is dark, two stealthy patrols move out. The first, which consists of one NCO and two hand-picked men of the infantry, leaves from the Oranienburger Gate in order to reconnoitre Gesundbrunnen. It has the following instructions …
In the role of Lieutenant von Clausewitz, please provide:
Instructions for the first patrol
The composition of the second patrol
Instructions for the second patrol
Be prepared to explain the logic behind any (or all) of your decisions.
Source: This problem can be found in Werner Hallweg, editor, Schriften, Aufsätze, Studien, Briefe (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Rupprecht, 1966), Volume I, pages 57 and 58.
After engaging the problem, and composing your solution, you can use the link below to discover the solution arrived at by Lieutenant von Clausewitz.
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