“Whoever can surprise well must conquer.” John Paul Jones (1747 to 1792) in a letter to the American commissioners to France, 10 February 1778. Papers of Benjamin Franklin, American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This appears as “Who can surprise well must conquer” in John Paul Jones, Fighter for Freedom and Glory by Lincoln Lorenz, p.… Read More
“When no one is an expert, anyone can be.” (Unknown) Expert (Cambridge, 2016) : A person with a high level of knowledge or skill relating to a particular subject or activity: A gardening/medical expert My mother is an expert at dress-making (= she does it very well). Expert (Business Dictionary, 2016): Professional who has acquired knowledge… Read More
“Any general who needs to rely on his opponent being an idiot is in sore trouble.” (Gemmell, 2014, p.214). Reference Gemmell, D. (2014) The Hawk Eternal. London: Orbit.
“Now Hart knew enough about war to know that there are few more dangerous places to send men on a battlefield than into a salient – the open end of a loop. To march into a well-defended salient is like putting your head into a noose. There were many other choices open to him. […]… Read More
“Still, war is, in the last resort, a contest of blunders…“ (Pakenham, 2004, p.169). Reference Pakenham, T. (2004) The Boer War. London: Abacus.
“‘First weigh the considerations, then take the risks.’ is a German adage first coined by Field-Marshal Moltke.” (Guderian, 1990, 439). Heinz Guderian, a World War I junior officer and World War II General. Creator, trainer and leader of Germany’s armoured forces during the Second World War. Reference Guderian, H. & Fitzgibbon, C. (trans) (1990) Panzer Leader.… Read More
“They did not base their plans on the real possibilities of the situation, but allowed the wish to father the thought.” (Rommel, 1953, p.409). A contemporary version: “To call it a fad would be unfair; at the moment it’s a fashionable policy in search of persuasive evidence that it really works.” (Hawkes, 2013, p.25). Field-Marshal Erwin… Read More
Boot Camp & Military Fitness Institute 