Definitions.

This is coolbert:

From that previous blog entry:

"strategy, grand strategy or the operational art"

For clarification purposes, the definitions of what exactly constitutes "grand strategy", "strategy", and the "operational art". As would be generally agreed upon by the experts. In this particular case three Englishman, two most senior general officers and one theoretician from that era of the Great War and the Second World War. If anyone would know, be it accepted that they would.

1. Grand strategy. Those means and measures taken to harness in more or less totality the resources of the nation-state for the war effort. Also create favorable alliances with other nation-states during a time of war and commence planning for what will occur in the AFTERMATH of the war.

"[T]he role of grand strategy – higher strategy – is to co-ordinate and direct all the resources of a nation, or band of nations, towards the attainment of the political object of the war – the goal defined by fundamental policy." - -  B. H. Liddell Hart

"Grand strategy should both calculate and develop the economic resources and man-power of nations in order to sustain the fighting services. Also the moral resources – for to foster the people's willing spirit is often as important as to possess the more concrete forms of power. Grand strategy, too, should regulate the distribution of power between the several services, and between the services and industry." - -  B. H. Liddell Hart

"Furthermore, while the horizons of strategy is bounded by the war, grand strategy looks beyond the war to the subsequent peace. It should not only combine the various instruments, but so regulate their use as to avoid damage to the future state of peace – for its security and prosperity." - -  B. H. Liddell Hart.

I couldn't have said it better.

2. Strategy. Those means and measures taken by the military of a nation-state to satisfy policy as determined by the political authority. The planning of which to achieve desirable goals and objectives formulated and agreed upon by the highest military command authority.

"to derive from the [policy] aim a series of military objectives to be achieved: to assess these objectives as to the military requirements they create, and the pre-conditions which the achievement of each is likely to necessitate: to measure available and potential resources against the requirements and to chart from this process a coherent pattern of priorities and a rational course of action." - - Field -Marshal Viscount Alan Brooke.

 "Strategy is the art of distributing and applying military means, such as armed forces and supplies, to fulfil the ends of policy." - -  Field-Marshal Montgomery.

That definition of Montgomery much to be preferred over that of Alan Brooke.

3. The operational art. The movement and maneuver of units on the large scale. Corps [several divisions reinforced], armies [multiple divisions in a single grouping], groups of armies [army group or front]. Movement consisting of both combat arms and logistical support in a coordinated fashion.

"the operational level of war was conceived by the military theorists to describe the movement and logistics necessary for the coordinated concentration of many units for an offensive."

"Formations are of the operational level if they are able to conduct operational movement on their own, that is operating independently, and are of sufficient size to be directly handled or have a significant impact on the enemy's decision-making at the strategic level"

Within the context of A. Hitler as commander-in-chief making all significant war-making decisions obviously the man NOT conversant or knowledgeable in the operational art, or even understanding much less capable of formulating strategy or grand strategy!!

coolbert.