--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In any form of attack it is essential to…" description: "\"In any form of attack it is essential to assail your opponent from behind.\" — Oswald Boelcke" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/oswald-boelcke-43310_attack_in-any-form-of-attack-it-is-essential-to_214355.jpg" --- # In any form of attack it is essential to assail your… ![“In any form of attack it is essential to assail your opponent from behind.” quote by Oswald Boelcke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/oswald-boelcke-43310_attack_in-any-form-of-attack-it-is-essential-to_214355.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/oswald-boelcke-43310_attack_in-any-form-of-attack-it-is-essential-to_214355.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/oswald-boelcke-43310_attack_in-any-form-of-attack-it-is-essential-to_214355.jpg) > “In any form of attack it is essential to assail your opponent from behind.” [Oswald Boelcke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-boelcke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective attacks require striking the enemy from an unexpected direction, exploiting surprise to gain advantage. **In simple terms:** Attack from behind to gain advantage. Key Takeaway Use surprise attacks for advantage. Themes strategy surprise tactics Mood strategic analytical Type tactical inspirational When to use this quote - business competition - sports - cybersecurity - personal negotiations Key Concepts military theory combat psychology flanking Questions to Reflect On - When is a surprise attack appropriate? - How can you prepare for unexpected moves? A Different Perspective Surprise may fail if the opponent anticipates it. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aviation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aviation/) [Combat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/combat/) ## Related quotes > [Fire only at close range, and only when your opponent is properly in your sights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-boelcke/fire-only-at-close-range-and-only-when-your-opponent-is-properly-in/) [Oswald Boelcke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-boelcke/) > [I fly close to my man, aim well and then of course he falls down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-boelcke/i-fly-close-to-my-man-aim-well-and-then-of-course-he-falls-down/) [Oswald Boelcke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-boelcke/) > [When over the enemy's lines never forget your own line of retreat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-boelcke/when-over-the-enemy-s-lines-never-forget-your-own-line-of-retreat/) [Oswald Boelcke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-boelcke/) > [Try to secure advantages before attacking. If possible, keep the sun behind you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-boelcke/try-to-secure-advantages-before-attacking-if-possible-keep-the-sun/) [Oswald Boelcke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-boelcke/) > [Always carry through an attack when you have started it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-boelcke/always-carry-through-an-attack-when-you-have-started-it/) [Oswald Boelcke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-boelcke/) > [To be a good fighter pilot, there is one prime requisite think fast, and act faster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-trevor-godfrey/to-be-a-good-fighter-pilot-there-is-one-prime-requisite-think-fast/) John Trevor Godfrey > [As we went through mach one, the nose started dropping, so we just cranked that horizontal stabilizer down to keep the nose up. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-yeager/as-we-went-through-mach-one-the-nose-started-dropping-so-we-just/) [Chuck Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-yeager/) > [The more mechanical becomes the weapons with which we fight, the less mechanical must be the spirit which controls them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-wavell-1st-earl-wavell/the-more-mechanical-becomes-the-weapons-with-which-we-fight-the-less/) Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell > [Every day kill just one, rather than today five, tomorrow ten . . . that is enough for you. Then your nerves are calm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-hartmann/every-day-kill-just-one-rather-than-today-five-tomorrow-ten-that-is/) [Erich Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-hartmann/) > [As a fighter pilot I know from my own experiences how decisive surprise and luck can be for success, which in the long run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-galland/as-a-fighter-pilot-i-know-from-my-own-experiences-how-decisive/) [Adolf Galland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-galland/) > [Always keep a sharp lookout. "Keep your finger out"!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolph-malan/always-keep-a-sharp-lookout-keep-your-finger-out/) [Adolph Malan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolph-malan/) > [No guts, no glory. If you are going to shoot him down, you have to get in there and mix it up with him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-c-blesse/no-guts-no-glory-if-you-are-going-to-shoot-him-down-you-have-to-get/) Frederick C. Blesse > [I opened fire when the whole windshield was black with the enemy . . . at minimum range . . . it doesn't matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-hartmann/i-opened-fire-when-the-whole-windshield-was-black-with-the-enemy-at/) [Erich Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-hartmann/) > [Today it is even more important to dominate the . . . highly sophisticated weapon systems, perhaps even more important than being a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-galland/today-it-is-even-more-important-to-dominate-the-highly-sophisticated/) [Adolf Galland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-galland/) > [The smallest amount of vanity is fatal in aeroplane fighting. Selfdistrust rather is the quality to which many a pilot owes his protracted existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-rickenbacker/the-smallest-amount-of-vanity-is-fatal-in-aeroplane-fighting/) [Eddie Rickenbacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-rickenbacker/) ## More by Oswald Boelcke > [Fire only at close range, and only when your opponent is properly in your sights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-boelcke/fire-only-at-close-range-and-only-when-your-opponent-is-properly-in/) [Oswald Boelcke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-boelcke/) > [When over the enemy's lines never forget your own line of retreat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-boelcke/when-over-the-enemy-s-lines-never-forget-your-own-line-of-retreat/) [Oswald Boelcke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-boelcke/) > [I fly close to my man, aim well and then of course he falls down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-boelcke/i-fly-close-to-my-man-aim-well-and-then-of-course-he-falls-down/) [Oswald Boelcke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-boelcke/) > [Always carry through an attack when you have started it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-boelcke/always-carry-through-an-attack-when-you-have-started-it/) [Oswald Boelcke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-boelcke/) > [Try to secure advantages before attacking. If possible, keep the sun behind you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-boelcke/try-to-secure-advantages-before-attacking-if-possible-keep-the-sun/) [Oswald Boelcke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-boelcke/) > [For the Staffel: attack on principle in groups of four or six. When the fight breaks up into a series of single combats, take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-boelcke/for-the-staffel-attack-on-principle-in-groups-of-four-or-six-when-the/) [Oswald Boelcke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-boelcke/) > [Always keep your eye on your opponent, and never let yourself be deceived by ruses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-boelcke/always-keep-your-eye-on-your-opponent-and-never-let-yourself-be/) [Oswald Boelcke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-boelcke/) > [If your opponent dives on you, do not try to evade his onslaught, but fly to meet it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-boelcke/if-your-opponent-dives-on-you-do-not-try-to-evade-his-onslaught-but/) [Oswald Boelcke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-boelcke/) [Explore all 9 Oswald Boelcke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-boelcke/) ## More Attack quotes > [British Forces should be in a position to give back in a ten fold measure any attack that the Germans may attempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-banting/british-forces-should-be-in-a-position-to-give-back-in-a-ten-fold/) [Frederick Banting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-banting/) > [“THE UNFORGIVEN Tell me if you've ever had to deal with these kinds of people: The kind who take and don't give. The kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/the-unforgiven-tell-me-if-you-ve-ever-had-to-deal-with-these-kinds-of/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [When I hit bottom, I can attack the problem and get to where I want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-rodman/when-i-hit-bottom-i-can-attack-the-problem-and-get-to-where-i-want-to/) [Dennis Rodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-rodman/) > [It was both necessary and desirable for us to be so strong at sea that no Sea Power could attack us without risk, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-von-bulow/it-was-both-necessary-and-desirable-for-us-to-be-so-strong-at-sea/) [Bernhard von Bulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-von-bulow/) > [The best way to counter-attack a hater is to make it blatantly obvious that their attack has had no impact on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/the-best-way-to-counter-attack-a-hater-is-to-make-it-blatantly/) [Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/) > [President Obama has never summarized the Obama Doctrine with such clarity, but here is what it would look like: 'I will undertake any military…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/president-obama-has-never-summarized-the-obama-doctrine-with-such/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [Everything has got a place in my house. If something is moved I get a panic attack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rylan-clark-neal/everything-has-got-a-place-in-my-house-if-something-is-moved-i-get-a/) [Rylan Clark-Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rylan-clark-neal/) > [I mean, it's not just the rappers, you know what i'm saying? People want to attack anybody that's a large figure, you know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-notorious-b-i-g/i-mean-it-s-not-just-the-rappers-you-know-what-i-m-saying-people-want/) [The Notorious B.I.G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-notorious-b-i-g/) > [Sometimes when you take a tough action against one side in the conflict, they see you as part of the conflict and they attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/sometimes-when-you-take-a-tough-action-against-one-side-in-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [“Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/hence-when-able-to-attack-we-must-seem-unable-when-using-our-forces/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [Free speech has a very small constituency on the modern campus, particularly if the speaker under attack is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-leo/free-speech-has-a-very-small-constituency-on-the-modern-campus/) [John Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-leo/) > [Daniil is a player who will not give you many chances to attack. If I have enough power and choose the right moment, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrey-rublev/daniil-is-a-player-who-will-not-give-you-many-chances-to-attack-if-i/) [Andrey Rublev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrey-rublev/) > [Distributed ledgers are inherently harder to attack because instead of a single database, there are multiple shared copies of the same database, so a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walport/distributed-ledgers-are-inherently-harder-to-attack-because-instead/) [Mark Walport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walport/) > [Attack life. It's going to kill you anyways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/attack-life-it-s-going-to-kill-you-anyways/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For those of us in the political business, generally, it's been pretty much an unwritten but understood rule that family and children are out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-nutter/for-those-of-us-in-the-political-business-generally-it-s-been-pretty/) [Michael Nutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-nutter/) Browse all 1,074 Attack quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In any form of attack it is essential to assail your opponent from behind.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oswald Boelcke" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-boelcke/in-any-form-of-attack-it-is-essential-to-assail-your-opponent-from/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attack" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-boelcke/in-any-form-of-attack-it-is-essential-to-assail-your-opponent-from/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/oswald-boelcke-43310_attack_in-any-form-of-attack-it-is-essential-to_214355.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/oswald-boelcke-43310_attack_in-any-form-of-attack-it-is-essential-to_214355.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/oswald-boelcke-43310_attack_in-any-form-of-attack-it-is-essential-to_214355.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In any form of attack it is essential to assail your opponent from behind.” — Oswald Boelcke", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Oswald Boelcke", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-boelcke/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In any form of attack it...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-boelcke/in-any-form-of-attack-it-is-essential-to-assail-your-opponent-from/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-boelcke/in-any-form-of-attack-it-is-essential-to-assail-your-opponent-from/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```