A general not studied widely?
JMA you asked:
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...von Lettow-Vorbeck....Have you read his My reminiscences of East Africa? He certainly gave the Brits and South Africans the run around in East Africa 1914-18. A guerilla war genius. I wonder why he is not studied more widely?
The WW1 German General von Lettow-Vorbeck has appeared before on SWC IIRC, although not sure whether in any depth. Added:http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...read.php?t=651
My response to why is he not studied more widely: the campaign however skilled was a faraway sideshow and he was a mere nuisance to the Allied effort (mainly British Empire) on the main front. Secondly he lost and in the inter-war years any information gathering and writing outside Germany was focussed on the main front(s). I also wonder if his reliance on African soldiers (Askari's) had an impact, especially in South Africa. Perhaps his prowess as a guerilla has outweighed his skill as a leader?
Just to prove once again the yanks are not asleep behind the wheel...
Moving right along to officer development...
The paper Officer Development : A Contemporary Roadmap by Maj William D Linn, II is an intelligent contribution to this matter. In the paper Maj Linn provides a comparison with the systems used by US allies.
FWIW I agree with much of what he writes... but obviously not all.
One example of an area of agreement is:
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Officers should select degrees that have applicability to their profession, but not all will lie within the traditional confines of military-related fields. The Army should recognize that both the degree and the environment in which the officer earns his degree are of equal importance.
Is unthinking obedience a harmful anachronism?
On another thread, not on this theme, Ken W. posted this valuable observation:
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The need for immediate, unthinking obedience served a valid military purpose for many centuries but it has become a harmful anachronism in the last 100 or so years.
Link in Post 15:http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ad.php?t=15109
I have assumed this is a valid point. Has this been recognised in contemporary officer selection? Or should it?