You need to read this. PM if you want to speak to the author and few other folks in this field, plus I have done some work on it as well.Originally Posted by Jobu
You need to read this. PM if you want to speak to the author and few other folks in this field, plus I have done some work on it as well.
Infinity Journal "I don't care if this works in practice. I want to see it work in theory!"
- The job of the British Army out here is to kill or capture Communist Terrorists in Malaya.
- If we can double the ratio of kills per contact, we will soon put an end to the shooting in Malaya.
Sir Gerald Templer, foreword to the "Conduct of Anti-Terrorist Operations in Malaya," 1958 Edition
Manstein wrote in his memoir "Verlorene Siege" about an army group commander (I think v. Rundstedt) that he did sometimes leave the HQ for a walk to distance himself from the daily activities there and to clear the mind. I assume that certain general's preference for physical workout serves a similar purpose.
The Reichswehr/Wehrmacht leadership style which included the presence of high-ranking officers at the scene of an anticipated Schwerpunkt battle certainly helped as well. There were sometimes army commander, corps commander, division commander and battalion commander at a forward battalion commander's observation post to observe a critical attack (such as a river crossing).
This did - unlike watching a drone footage in a theatre HQ - remove them from their own staffs. Their chief of staff would usually have full competence to run the army/corps/division in their absence, save for the units who were in the commander's reach.
No question in my mind. There are too many people wasting space at the larger bases. Many of them are there to feed the "battle rhythm" (a great oxymoronic term)...which turns out to be a series of briefings and meetings intended to cope with the vast amounts of information. There are tons of worker bees counting the beans...developing data-dependent processes that require subordinate units to feed the beast. The worker bees settle into a routine and turn their brains off for 6 months to a year. It quickly becomes ineffective and inefficient just like any other bureaucracy. Organizational seams increase in number and severity.Most combat echelons now have Staff numbers virtually double their WW II -pre 1975 numbers. I very strongly doubt efficiency or effectiveness have doubled. Staff size should be reduced.
So maybe it's time to do what most organizations find useful in times like these...cut out middle management. That may force better collaboration between staff functions...and force the commanders to get their head out of the battle rhythm every now and then.
Regarding five-paragraph operations orders and the First World War -- Google books has a history of the 33rd U.S. Infantry Division during that war. The book has an appendix with division and corps field orders, many of which are written in the five-paragraph format. There is circumstantial evidence that the British taught us that format but I have't been able to nail that down yet.
Gold dust mate. Got a link?
Infinity Journal "I don't care if this works in practice. I want to see it work in theory!"
- The job of the British Army out here is to kill or capture Communist Terrorists in Malaya.
- If we can double the ratio of kills per contact, we will soon put an end to the shooting in Malaya.
Sir Gerald Templer, foreword to the "Conduct of Anti-Terrorist Operations in Malaya," 1958 Edition
The 33rd ID history is somewhere on Google books. You'll have to set up a Google account, which is free. Sign up for a free gmail email account, that's all it takes. Occasionally people outside of the U.S. have trouble viewing Google books -- it may be due to different countries' versions of copyright law.
The French taught us the G1, G2, G3 and G4 form of staff organization during WW I. Guys may recall that French army intelligence is called the Deuxieme Bureau.
Your wishee is my command, Wilfie;
but don't gnaw at the hand that feeds you - gnawing at little red riding hoods is OK.
Illinois in the World War: an illustrated history of the thirty ..., Volume 1 By States Publications Society (pp. i-396, 30mb pdf)
Illinois in the World War: an illustrated history of the thirty ..., Volume 2 By States Publications Society (pp. 397 et seq, 30mb pdf)
Illinois in the World War: This history of the 33rd division, A.E.F., by Frederick Louis Huidekoper (12mb pdf) (Appendices I-XVII).
The history of the 33rd division, A.E.F., by Frederick Louis Huidekoper (10mb pdf) (Appendices XIX-XLIII).
and a bonus (32 ID in WWI - our Mich-Wis division)
The 32nd Division in the World War, 1917-1919 By Wisconsin War History Commission, Michigan War History Commission (17mb pdf) (our local Upper Mich 107th Engineers, still active including our local sapper company, is rostered in the 32ID at p.30 pdf)
Co. C, 127th Infantry, in the World War: a story of the 32nd Division and a complete history of the part taken by Co. C., Paul W. Schmidt (12mb pdf)
Cheers
Mike
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