A German officer, confronted by some task, would ask: worauf kommt es eigentlich an? (what is the core of the problem?). An American one, trained in the “engineering approach” to war, would inquire: what are the problem’s component parts?74 The American’s question is quite legitimate, of course. The German officer would ask himself that question as well, but he would ask it only after answering his first one. The American would typically never get around to asking the first one at all. The difference in mindset is subtle; the impact is enormous.
