A lost battle is a battle one thinks one has lost. Surprise is an event that takes place in the mind of a commander. All warfare is based on deception. A little caution outflanks a large cavalry. If you take more than your fair share of objectives, you will have more than your fair share to take.
Professional soldiers are predictable, but the world is full of amateurs.
Parade ground inspections are to combat readiness as mess hall food is to cuisine. Cold and snow are not neutral. The tank is a monument to the inaccuracy of indirect fire. Diplomacy has rarely been able to gain at the conference table what cannot be gained and held on a battlefield. War is the unfolding of miscalculations.