“For these reasons, the ‘principle of the object’ will come to have many times its former importance in instruction to all ranks. The need for a clearer concept of it, however, is not greater than the need for junior commanders who will take a keen interest in the larger affairs of war and for higher… Read More
“The intelligent leadership of troops, and the ability to appreciate and predict the way operations develop call for firm and precise direction of forces. Any suggestion of the exercise of independent command by junior commanders is unacceptable. Not knowing the general situation, junior commanders are likely to take decisions incompatible with it; and this may… Read More
“In an word, a good officer realizes that his men will follow his judgment if they are convinced that he too is prepared to risk his life in their defense.” Richard A. Gabriel and Paul L. Savage. (1978) Crisis in Command: Mismanagement in the Army.
“Certainly a main factor in the cohesion of the primary group in the German Army, namely the company, was the sense of responsibility, performance of duty, and willingness to take combat risks demonstrated by German officers. The data on the readiness of the officers and upper classes to die in battle support this assertion. The… Read More
“Effective, professional military leadership requires that certain standards of officer behaviour be met. Officers’ attitudes, actions, and abilities contribute to the formation of unit integrity. At a very minimum, these standards do not permit soldiers to be ‘used’ in pursuit of an officer’s career.” Richard A. Gabriel and Paul L. Savage. (1978) Crisis in Command:Mismanagement… Read More
“An Army leader, more than a leader anywhere else, must be a leader in every sense. And for such a leader to help his men in everything but in their thinking is for him to avoid one of this chief responsibilities and to neglect one of the chief methods in which he can serve his… Read More
“[The platoon commander] must have in a supreme degree …the will to win. The thirty men whom he leads take their inspiration from him; they will be lions or lizards in harmony with the tune he pipes.” Colonel W.N. Nicholson, C.M.G., D.S.O. (1939) Behind the Lines. London: Jonathan Cape.
Boot Camp & Military Fitness Institute 