Economy of Force as a principle of war.
Otherwise known as not putting all your eggs in one basket. No one ever has enough resources to accomplish everything they want to do. Economy of force dictates the careful parceling out of forces for each phase of the overall operation. However, this means more than using small forces and small unit tactics. For key operations you will often need massed forces, which are obtained by maintaining a large reserve. Invariably, once all your committed forces get hopelessly tangled up, the reserve can snatch survival from the jaws of disaster.
During World War II the German Army maintained a reserve no matter how desperate the situation. This habit alone may have prolonged the war by at least a year, possibly more.
Economy of force also allows you to amass sufficient combat power where it will do the most good.
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