J.F.C.

This is coolbert:

Here is a quote from J.F.C. Fuller that is correct, but somewhat misleading:

"In the World War [WW1] nothing was more dreadful to witness than a chain of men starting with a battalion commander and ending with an army commander sitting in telephone boxes, improvised or actual, talking, talking, talking, in place of leading, leading, leading." - - J. F. C. Fuller

Yes, what Fuller says is true. The generals of the First World War "lead" their troops from far to the rear of the combat. They were not exposed to shellfire, machine gun fire, lice in a trench, or mud up to your knees that would suck your boots off. Most of the time, the commanders were ensconced in French chateaus that had been commandeered. With cooks, valets, maid, and of course the prerequisite staff to do the paperwork so essential to military life. When not "conducting" a battle, the general and his staff would dine on chateaubriand and fine wine and such, and go to bed with fresh linens and hot bath each day.

So what is misleading with the quote of Fuller? Well, most, if not all of the major combatant powers of the First World War had laws prohibiting general officers from exposing themselves to combat and danger at the front. They could not be where the fighting was, and this by law! The reasoning of the major powers was something like this, "We have such an investment in these senior officers, the generals, and they possess such unique talents and knowledge, that they cannot be spared. Their lives are very valuable to the war effort. We cannot have them be killed. They are not replaceable and cannot endanger themselves".

Now, the men who were junior officers in the First World War and became commanders [generals] themselves in the following Second World War, as a result of the resentment toward the commanders of the previous war, adopted a hands-on form of leadership.

Up front where the battle was being fought was the rule for such generals as Montgomery, Rommel and Patton.

This had advantages besides the leadership motivation. Being close to the combat allowed these commanders to properly gauge how things were going and take appropriate measures as necessary. This type of leadership has been maintained to this day as the correct approach. Current U.S. Army doctrine calls for a division commander to command his troops from the forward command post, located within line-of-site [FM radio range], of the forward troops. A good policy.


coolbert.