With three months left for Germany to begin the fleeting invasion of France, Rommel receives command of the Seventh Panzer Division. This unit would be dubbed the "phantom division" for its swift and unpredictable tactics.
Erwin Rommel was a German Marshal, one of the military most famous for his brilliant feats. Although he conceded his greatest victories to Nazi Germany, in his last days he would return his efforts against Hitler's atrocities.
Before engaging in combat, Rommel tested the tanks and their officers. The quarterback had a reputation for being insistent on pre-battle training.
Too much shovel work is better than too little. Sweat saves blood, blood saves lives, and the brain saves both.
Rommel boldly moves his divisions across the French countryside. Without wasting a minute they reach Dinant and cross the Meuse river. On the 15th they arrive in Arras.
The British will attempt to stop the German army at this point, if they succeed they will prevent or at least delay the invasion of Britain.
The British forces in charge of Major General Harol Franklin, had tank brigades and infantry units.
The British launch a vigorous attack on the German ranks, capturing several prisoners.
Faced with the shell of the British Matilda tanks, the anti-tank guns and the German Panzers were insufficient.
The British Expeditionary Army was about to change the course of German advance in the war. At that moment, Rommel between creativity and despair orders the use of Flak 18 anti-aircraft guns.
In a fact that went down in military history as a legend, the Rommel flak 18 and howitzers beat British tanks with the support of the German air force.
Rommel, decorated with the Knight's Cross, continues the advance. He reaches the English Channel, takes Cherbourg and takes control of the port. The Germans are already at sea at the gates of the United Kingdom.
Rommel's offensive was not at all the coordinated attack that the chiefs of staff had in mind. The marshal used the fastest units and with an independence of command that allowed him to lead with ease.
The Seventh Division not only made "invisible" to the enemy but also to the heads of the German high command. Rommel cut communications with his superiors to have freedom of action.
After the conquest of France, the Seventh Panzer Division moved to the eastern front, before being surrendered by the Allies at the capture of Berlin.
But the division's invisible movements moved to General Rommel's new units in Africa where the most spectacular mechanized vehicle tactics would take place.
Marketing
In marketing, you can apply infinity of strategies, one does not rule out the other.
But structures tend to become rigid, and strategists like Rommel are needed to turn the chessboard.
Actions don't have to be at scales: defeating one line after another.
Rommel infiltrated his units long after the battle line, taking the enemy from the rear. It interrupted the flow of supplies and reinforcements. It destroyed communications creating chaos in the opposing army.
We must seek advancement over immediate victory.
You don't have to win the battle immediately, infiltrate with patience and gain ground.
Think about whether there are areas within the company that are too still. How far could they go if given more freedom of action and pushed forward?
Bring teams to life as they move forward as much as they can, finding opportunities and deadlocks in the market.
