I suppose my determination to be a soldier stems from that date. I mean the real thing, not the parades and the uniforms and the glamour, but the logistics, the offensive advantage, the speed and surprise--the power. A better-prepared, stronger, toughter, faster, meaner son-of-a-bitch than any who came through that door.

If it ever came down to exerting power by force, it would mean I'd already lost it.

Seems to me the only difference between your friends and your enemies is how long they stand around chatting before they shoot you.

Leadership is mostly a power over imagination, and never more so than in combat. The bravest man alone can only be an armed lunatic. The real strength lies in …

Put your trust in God, but keep your powder dry.

I accept I might be defeated, but caught in surprise, never.

If Paulus's army had capitulated before the end, the Russians would have had the advantage of withdrawing forces against Paulus and against the southern front,…