Combat Effectiveness: Leadership & Troop Quality

Research Paper Title Soldier Capability – Army Combat Effectiveness (SCACE): Volume III, Historical Combat Data and Analysis. Abstract This study included: A survey of historical literature related to troop quality and capability; A survey of psychological literature dealing with the relationship of individual aptitude to group performance, with special attention to the group performance of low-aptitude individuals; A… Read More

Qualities of an Ideal Staff Officer…

“An ideal General Staff Corps officer might be described as possessing the following qualities: sincerity of conviction, cleverness, modesty, self-effacement in favour of the common cause, and strong personal convictions combined with the ability tactfully to present these convictions to his commanding general. If his opinions were not accepted he must be sufficiently master of… Read More

Military Commanders: Building a Legend or Sitting in HQ?

“There are always moments when the commander’s place is not back with his staff but up with the troops. It is sheer nonsense to say that maintenance of the men’s morale is the job of the battalion commander alone. The higher the rank, the greater the effect of the example. The men tend to feel no kind of… Read More

Military Leadership: Give Up or Keep Going?

“Once again it had been shown that, however desperate the situation, there is always something that can be done by a resolute commander who is not just prepared to throw in his hand.” (Rommel, 1953, p.220). Field-Marshal Erwin Rommel (the Desert Fox), World War I junior officer and World War II General, considered a brilliant… Read More

Military Operations: Pursuing Utopia!

“Normally, there is no ideal solution to military problems; every course has its advantages and disadvantages. One must select that which seems best from the most varied aspects and then pursue it resolutely and accept the consequences. Any compromise is bad.” (Rommel, 1953, p.201). Field-Marshal Erwin Rommel (the Desert Fox), World War I junior officer… Read More

Stay on Target!

“Unfortunately, a few forts and strong points continued to hold out all night, and our attacking force foolishly allowed itself to be drawn into a fight for these points before pushing on with its main attack. It is a great mistake to allow oneself to be diverted from the main line of one’s plan by… Read More

A Commander’s Battlefield Knowledge: Leading from the Front or In the Rear with the Gear?

“It is of the utmost importance to the commander to have a good knowledge of the battlefield and of his own and his enemy’s positions on the ground. It is often not a question of which of the opposing commanders is the higher qualified mentally, or which has the greater experience, but which of them… Read More