Klotzen Panzer Battles

There's a 1930's Guderian catchphrase, "Klotzen, nicht kleckern". "Klotzen" is hammering the door with your fist. "Kleckern" is a one-finger, rather timid, knock. In armored warfare I think the meaning is, "Pound, don't tap". I understand the closest English idiom is "If you do it, do it right."

So, I would guess "Klotzen Panzer Battles" suggests "Decisive (Pounding) Panzer (Tank) battles". Where are our German friends when we need them! :shocknaz:
 
Good explanation, Badger73! Even though I would think it more the way KLOTZEN = smashing the door with whatever tool is at hand - to stay in Your pictures. In other words one could say "Do what You do with all Your strength, in the shortest possible time to the best result "ever made".

Greetings
 
Google translater says this: German: "nicht kleckern, sondern klotzen" English: "do not mess, but clop" Don't know if this makes sense to an original English speaker? :oops:

LEO Dictionary says this (like @Badger73 already pointed out):

Klotzen, nicht Kleckern
Clobber them, don't pick at them.
Kommentar
LTG Heinz Guderian used this phrase to delineate how to conduct military operations. In essence, he meant one should mass forces and hit an opponent with everything he has to shatter the enemy.

LEO:
Maybe the following phrases help, depending on the context:
"We should be making broad strokes, not fiddle about the edges"
"Think prime time" (similar to "Think big")
"Fist, not fingers"
"Smash, don't tickle"
"Boot'em, don't spatter'em"
"Smash zem with your fist, girlie-boy, don't tickle them with your little pinky!" (attributed to Arnold Schwarzenegger)
 
Shorker said:
Google translater says this: German: "nicht kleckern, sondern klotzen" English: "do not mess, but clop"
Don't know if this makes sense to an original English speaker? :oops:
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@Shorker - this is a good example where Google Translate falls short. The English makes no sense (at least to this American). I think the German phrase is an idiom and idioms don't translate very well literally. In Guderian's case, he's teaching armored doctrine that tank forces should concentrate and strike decisively using mobility, firepower, and shock. (As opposed to then-current British / French / American doctrine of spreading tanks out and relegating them primarily to infantry support). Arnold gets it but he's not a native English speaker . . . :cool:

(That leads to a whole different discussion about how differently is Hochdeutsch spoken in Germany and Austria but I won't make you go there . . . :shocknaz:)
 
OK, thank you for the reply - I assumed that the Google translation was nonsense. :D
 
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