THE RULES OF THE GAME OF WAR

Translation by Donald Nicholson-Smith French text (c)Alice Debord & Editions Gallimard, Paris, 2006 This version (c)2007, Atlas Press Translation (c)2007, Donald Nicholson-Smith

Preamble

This Kriegspiel, or war game, brings into play the operations of two armies of equal strength, each seeking, through manoeuvre and battle, the destruction of its adversary. Each is at the same time obliged to protect, within the territory it occupies, the resources needed for effective campaigning, and to keep its lines of communication open. All the tactical and strategic relationships embodied in the game are consistent with the principles laid down in Clausewitz's theory of war, grounded in classical eighteenth-century warfare and further developed during the periods of the French Revolution and Empire. From this historical model are derived all the conceptions here adopted: the nature of tactical units, whether mounted or on foot, their conventionally determined offensive and defensive strengths, the proportion of the various types of units within the army as a whole, and the degree of support each may provide.