Most wars start by accident, for the wrong reasons and in the wrong places with results no way near what was expected. So how does one raise and fight the forces to win when winning is usually defined late in or after the war? Perhaps bending the enemy’s will to resist should go to the states of mind and processes of thinking as much as we do with Order of Battle and Courses of Action.

Fig. 01

 Winning battles is a process of building up your forces to be able to tear the enemy’s down. Winning wars, however, is like 52 Pickup. You have to grab the right cards at the right time. It helps to have a good hand.

Broken Arrow:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctnK7wdJmAo

Coach Carter & Tuckman’s Group Dynamics

From “Remember the Titans”, the movie:

The story of the Tigers trip from last to state championship as shown in the movie is identical to that which the new commander must go through. It is also a guide for what the opposing side must do, which points the way to messing up his game.

 

Fig. 02

It’s called Tuckman’s Five Stages of Group Development. Bruce Wayne Tuckman (born 1938) has carried out research into the theory of group dynamics. In 1965, he published one of his theories called "Tuckman's stages of group development".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QvGUjJrRLQ

In addition to these taxonomies of behavior, one more is needed to spot the game in the bush, that which is described in Transactional Analysis developed by Dr. Eric Berne in the Fifties. While it has been used in individual (clinical) treatment, it is better suited to group dynamics. Dr. Berne’s book on group dynamics: The Structure and Dynamics of Organizations and Groups is a classic and ought to be rigorously examined in Political Science, Military Science, and Sociology more than Psychology.

https://www.amazon.com/Structure‐Dynamics‐Organizations‐Groups‐Berne/dp/0345320255

Before there were the Titans, there was the Continental Army. The same sequence of Tuckman’s four stages shown in “Remember the Titans” is what Von Steuben did in Valley Forge.

Fixing a Broken Army (Von Steuben)

“Baron” von Steuben remains one of the best exemplar of how to take an army that just had its ass kicked from Manhattan, Philadelphia to Valley Forge. Von Steuben joined on February 5, 1778, three years after fighting had started. What he found presented a number of problems, a lack of common doctrine, poor unit cohesion, and poor performance. He was then appointed with the temporary rank of Inspector General with the additional caveat to fix things.

 

Fig.03

 He addressed the problem by selecting a hundred men as a model company and trained them who then the cadre, the doctrinal exemplar of doctrine became. He then created a “Washington’s Guard” of 120 from each of several regiments, who were trained by the cadre to become exemplars in their parent regiment.

 

Fig.04

 The problem of no common doctrine was due to no common manual of arms and battle drill between the colonies. His book, “Regulations for the order and discipline of the troops of the United States” also known as the Blue Book became the basis for US Army doctrine until after the War of 1812. The problem of inconsistent doctrine is the fundamental reason for the Second Amendment in addition to the Specified Power of the Congress in providing for the regulation of the armies.

 Fig. 05

 

(IMHO) The Blue Book represents the totality of doctrine that today would take a C‐5 to haul.

As it was difficult to train a mixed mess of trained and untrained in the same formation, he establish a graduated set of “schools” from individual to regimental before returning the soldier to the parent unit, whose commander was responsible for. Thus a balance between centralized individual and unit cohesion was maintained. This dual approach between individual and collective training has some very sharp edges.

 

That which makes the Blue Book so valuable is that it is a snapshot of close order battle which was the norm from Kadesh to the Eve of WW 1. That is that soldiers in the main force fought shoulder to shoulder, which required the same movements and actions for all the soldiers in the same rank and file. The very concept of rank and file was a the core of close order battle until the machine gun, barbed wire, and shell fire shredded the ordered and close.

 

 Fig. 06

 Von Steuben went on in the Southern Campaign that led to Yorktown, and the battles of Cowpens and Guilford Courthouse show the combat effectiveness he instilled in the Continental Army

https://templarmilitaris.blogspot.com/2012/05/principles-of-close-order-combat-before.html

Dress Right, Cover Down, or Die

 

 Fig. 07

The absolute necessity of uniformity of individual training with the collective before guns was that the cohesion of the front ranks required that everyone knew and did exactly as expected. If one shield gave way, and not replaced the chances of a tipping point into retreat was not far behind. The Anglo‐Saxon Army under Harold Godwinson held Senlac Hill for 12 hours, and was defeated only because one part of the shield wall broke ranks to pursue Normans they thought were fleeing.

 

Fig. 08

 Once guns were introduced, the original intent for uniformity to keep the shields on line became keeping those in the line from being shot or bayonetted by others lagging behind.

 

Fig. 09

What is called “dismounted drill” in the Services today is what remains of battle drill. This was considerably more complicated before WW 2 than it is today.

 PANIC AND ROUT

 

 

Fig. 10

Close order fighting had the advantage of cohesion due to Mirror Neurons which cause an animal and humans to copy or emulate the behaviors of the group. This extends to mimicking the speech patterns of the crowd you are with. Leveraging this factor is essential in accustoming the soldier to the collective patters in operations of the unit. Working on any team effort benefits any other. The olfactory (smell) of the group bypasses all other sensory inputs and can reinforce or demolish the desired behavioral

The downside of “mirror neurons” when added with the smell of fear cause panic. When I was a Sergeant in the Infantry, my Company Commander had a “panic drill”. He would have the First Sergeant attack the company, which triggered one soldier to toss his rifle and run yelling. Another soldier suddenly leaped to his feet and ran. As did the rest of the company like popcorn in the wind.

The panicked one with the rifle was in on it, the second was told to do what the first did. I have used this drill with the same results several times in my career. This “panic drill” accustomed the soldier to that eventuality and was taught how to deal with it, one of which was not to run after the first one.

The Continentals again

The Battle of Camden 1780 shows the results of a highly drilled British Army defeating the unready American Army which included large numbers of untrained farmers as militia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFpFHj4XfFg

 The Battle of Cowpens 17 January 1781 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW05_NXno_c

 

Fig.11

 The importance of tight formations and precise drill are still with us in formal parades. In older times before Flanders and Passchendaele, what we see on a parade ground was in fact, battle drill. Having marched in the University of California ROTC Drill Team and commanded the UCLA ROTC drill time, I have a keen appreciation of the time and effort it takes to drill even a dozen, let alone several thousand.

 

 Fig.12

Parade Group for Parades, not drills anymore, but they are still spiffy. Once upon a time a century ago, how a unit drilled on the parade ground was a reflection of how good their battle drill was. Not anymore. It is a good sign to watch the North Korean and Chinese marching drills as energy taken away from combat training:

Chinese military precision drill, precision personified. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDs9_RpdROk

The “Hell March” series has the same soundtrack but highlight the precision of marching carried over from the battle necessities prior to WW 1. Stirring as they are, they add about zip to combat formations. The principle influences affecting many armies today come from the British model or the German model “goose step”.

Indian Army Hell March (British style) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9DsvAFDxcE

Pakistani Army Hell March (British style) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4N1zfVlOmA

The German Goose step was passed on by military advisors exported by Imperial, Republican and Nazi German armies. This is particularly true of South America

Taiwan Hell March (Goose Step)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WchuD_vH0zA

Chilean Army Parade (Goose Step) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmZGuPfGNrY

Cuban Hell March (Goose Step) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoyOFNV1Wxc

The French style is more relaxed and the basis for US Army drill. Foreign Legion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m03mu-IYrs

Then there is the Italian Bersaglieri: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNHOLMRoMK4

 

Fig.13

 Since Libya was an Italian colony, the running tradition may have been passed by way of Gadhafi’s support to terrorists, this tradition may have been passed to Jihadist formations.

 

 Fig. 14

 Precision drill is good for instilling discipline, coordination with others, and good physical exercise. It has some not so good side effects: It has little to do with combat skills, individual or collective. It instills an obsession with appearance and neatness, and it absorbs huge amounts of time. Natural selection over the thousands of years that close order battle was effective also naturally selected the neat freak (anal retentive).

Nevertheless, the retention of the marching styles of old is visible evidence of a state of discipline as tradition reflects hard training standards of old.

The New Open War Standards

World War I, the Paradigm Shifts from Close Order to Open Order Battle. 

The Eastern Front in WW1 in 7 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDlSzMiolJs

World War I started out with formations still trained to fight in close order. The butchery that came from the trench, barbed wire, grazing machine gun fire, and plunging high explosive artillery rounds, utterly wiped out armies on all sides. The telegraph allowed the generals the illusion of control over forces miles away, and away from the gore. Since the default way of war was more, and more men in columns of units on line. One following the one before. This was why the battles of Antietam, Spotsylvania, and the Wilderness bled America dry. One General Emory Upton tried to change to a more flexible way of fighting with success when he was in charge. Upton later wrote on the subject of improving the odds in the battles to come. Then he committed suicide

 

The problem that plagues modern militaries is that close order prettiness is deeply engrained in the top down neatness at a time when the eclectic and effective wins. The neat (anal retentive) will not disappear, so they must learn that messy is normal. Or be outed, like the warriors (hunters) are today.

Open Order Battle:

 

A mark of high training and experience is shown by trigger control of fully automatic weapons. The expert taps singles, and very short bursts. Long burst toss the rounds up and to the right.

https://www.liveleak.com/view?i=22e_1429274155

 Modern, as in as of now, is messy, confusing, and you only know what is going on a stones’ throw away.

 

 Fig. 15

 US in Iraq: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS28568DPZU

 

 Fig, 16

 

 Fig. 17

 The Mind Shaft

 Hunter vs Farmer

The close order combat formations came largely from those civilizations based on agriculture, particularly those whose survival depended upon irrigation systems requiring considerable organization talent and neatness. The additional advantage of the Farmer Soldier is that the farms produced more calories per acre than did hunting grounds.

By way of contrast the Warrior who brought the hunter sets of skills in which neatness is counterproductive. The conflict between Hunter and Farmer is a constant dissembler of cohesive action. Hunters ramble in a geometrically precise culture, they don’t fit on farms for long.

 

 Fig. 18

 Recent work on the origins of ADHD have included the concept of a conflict between hunter and farmer mental modalities.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_vs._farmer_hypothesis

Some in India hold that the hunter’s mind is an older mind, that the farmer’s mind became the expected default. The hunter must be ever on the alert for food and to avoid being food, which when emerges energizes an intense focus and drive on the object of catching the food or evading the threat. This constant shifting of attention in a world where sticking to the task at hand without distraction, has outlawed the hunter as a sick person in need of imprisonment, execution or medication.

Since the Hunter and the Farmer have such different agendas, they do not mix well or at all. The US Army rejects those with ADHD for that reason despite their superiority in open and mobile battle. The military profession attracts, promotes and retains the Anal Retentive which is why obsolescence in appearance is so prevalent

 

 Fig 19

 In assessing and assigning key people in your organization, the personality types identified by Dr. Sigmund Freud (sort of) come up as blabber mouth, asshole, and prick, and everyone is partly one or another. The Blabber Mouth (like myself) talks incessantly and is a very messy person. The Asshole or anal retentive (or opposite) Anal Explosive is obsessively neat, and concerned with appearances and form. The Prick (Phallic) is shifty, nervous, and tricky. His “tell” is constant hand fidgets, and a perfect spy on everyone else. Also known as a gossip.

 

 Fig. 20

The book by Dr. Norman Dixon “On the Psychology of Military Incompetence”, Dr. Norman’s thesis is that in Britain the potty training in British Public Schools create the Anal Retentive whose behavior while otherwise stellar, cannot make a decision in muddy waters, or who sticks to the wrong one.

 https://gordonswar.blogspot.com/2013/12/too-uptight-to-fight-to-win.html

 Consequently in the process of raising or fixing an army it is important to know that both, even in the extreme are equally valuable to combat effectiveness. Since the Hunter and the Farmer have such different agendas, they do not mix well or at all. The US Army rejects those with ADHD for that reason despite their superiority in open and mobile battle. The military profession attracts, promotes and retains the Anal Retentive which is why obsolescence in appearance is so prevalent

I commanded an MI Battalion in the Army Reserves that included Electronic Warfare (Radio Intercept and finding) and Military Intelligence elements (order of battle, interrogation, counter intelligence, and imagery interpretation). MI differs from the default other soldiery in that the soldiery can be trained like a dog, or horse, while leading MI soldiers is like herding cats. It therefore is important for the Commander to provide the cats with a challenge and good “food”.

 

 Fig. 21

 As such the commander of any given unit must be able to spot the cats from dogs, hunters from warriors, and the Oral, Anal, and Phallic personalities in the Unit. , Each has strengths and weaknesses different from others, so getting the strengths of one to over the weaknesses of the others, is both management and leadership. You don’t put a farmer in a hunter’s war. Absent clear order and in a chaotic circumstance, they are either unable to make a decision or stick to a doomed course of action as did McClellan at Antietam..

Consider the states of mind of the Japanese admirals at Midway:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzFr-uNTXxc

And then there was the Charge of the Light Brigade

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPTvqNuqiPY

Brain Waves and Child’s Play

Some recent work on the neurologic effect on behavior can be applied significantly upon why proven training and fighting methodologies worked. Even for animals, without MOSQ.

Survival in nature is closely tied to how close the one can read the signals of the rest, this is sometimes called teamwork, or conformity, or mob psychology. Or all of them. Humans naturally have a more complex neurological need for company, as do many animals. Isolation is devastating. Many facial expressions and body language differ between cultures or even cliques in school.

 

 Fig. 22

Hence the uniform and the School of the Soldier (salutes, marching, posture, war fighting face, etc.).

Facial expressions, tone of voice and body language are key to communication within or between groups. Some say over 90% of communication is nonverbal. This is at the core of Coach Carter’s segregation on the basis of defense/offensive teams while effecting inter‐racial cohesion. Carter also trained his team as a team, unlike some who like rotating building blocks.

Mirror Neurons

Fig. 23

The mechanism that enhances cohesion is from what are called “mirror neurons” which are found throughout the nervous system. This applies to any group effort, even though the specific tasks of the individuals differ from each other, the mind takes in how the rest worked. Later, these deep seated memories activate when the individual several years later has a different job (like a Bn CO) knows what to do.

 

 Fig. 24

Children play in order to learn the basic survival skills of their own species and group. Play is in effect battle drill including actions upon meeting the enemy. That includes climbing into trees or diving into holes to get away from the predator. Combat skills are played with the inborn caveat that the claws and teeth to not tear the other.  

 

GUTS

In addition, the process of leading and fighting goes to the workings of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) which affects the body with a chemical juggling act. The ANS is divided into the Sympathetic Nervous System and the Parasympathetic System. As it pertains to combat, the default reaction of fight, flight or freeze is the exact opposite of what is needed. The default is Parasympathetic, which must be countered by the Sympathetic System.

 

 Fig. 25

The default is to narrow the field of view, draw the blood away from the extremities, and prepare to repair damage with cholesterol. The methods of calming the mind include drill until the motion is automatic and requires no conscious thought. Thinking out loud in the head interferes with the relaxation process and the effective use of trained responses. The key is to quiet the brain and let the body to fight. The key is deep breathing. Belly breathing, not with the upper chest.

 Fig. 26

 For those in leadership positions, the clarity of the relaxed mind is far more efficient that one consumed with doubts and fear. Thus the image of the true warrior is both serene and deadly. Let the body do the fighting. Some sing as they go to battle.

Zatoichi, the Blind https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYaXwv1peeQ

In this duel, one sees the games people play which are as deadly as can be.

 

 Fig. 27

 Transactional Analysis (TA

 GAMES PEOPLE PLAY

 A fire fight is a transaction betwixt two or more. So are conversations and other transactions. The field of Psychology called Transactional Analysis (TA) is the study of the psychology behind those transactions. TA is best used in “normal psychology” applied to normal people, but: Only one in six of everybody is free of dents and we call them saints. The one sixth on the other end of the scale cause 80% of all the problems. That leaves two thirds in the middle. That equates to two Standard Deviations, one above and one below the mean. That’s the normal.

Some people don’t grow up, save to fake it. They often display behaviors more appropriate to a child. The inconsistency between adult reason, parental injunction, and childlike behavior in a given behavior can be sensed by those looking for it. This provides a sight picture of strengths and weaknesses.

In trying to psyche out an opponent or defuse a problem in the ranks the TA structure of Parent (P), Adult (A) and Child (C) or PAC becomes useful in determining where they are “coming from”. And where they want to go:

“Are you OK?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y4rnBqG_iQ

  

Fig. 28

 Effective communication leverages all three, leaving one out weakens the message. In another lifetime, I was a PSYOP officer charged with recruiting for my own unit, the 5th PSYOP Group (Strategic), Army Reserve in DC. I recruited a team of lopsided and creative people who could analyze a target audience, determine the motivating factors (PAC), develop the message and media, and put it into effect. This included TV and Radio spots, displays at local malls using a PSYOP truck (loudspeakers, printers, and movie and TV screens) and follow up on the feedback.

We filled our own unit in short order, then were asked to recruit for the 2290th USAR General Hospital in Rockville, MD. My analysis showed that the RULE (P) that worked was nurture and protection, the Child (C) reacted to the appeal of being a rescuer, and the ADULT facts was the telephone number of the 2290th. The video we produced later won the Keith L Ware Army wide award for television production.

The Theme of the operation was “From Birth to the Battlefield, the Fight for Life goes on”.

Further analysis of PAC for military purposes goes to a second and third order of refinement. The Parent Ego state has two basic sides reflecting the Mother/Father dichotomy, that of Nurture and that of Protect. The impact of culture on the Parent produces multi‐generation sets of RULEs, in F4F this is the FATE rule book. This includes the dark side of the Child being a victim lashing out as a villain which carries across generations and nations.

 

 Fig. 29

 The Child Ego State is the most complex as it is where the fun and adventure of life is. Or as a bummer. The Child “plays” at being an Adult or a Parent. And it is in play, that the young learn the Rules. It is the fun and joy part that makes life worth living for, or dying for.

The Dark Side of TA occurs when the Young are abused verbally and/or physically, and adapts to a dysfunctional world as a Villain (Murderous, Manipulative, Mad; Vicious, Vindictive, Vain)

 

 Fig 30

Understanding drama is that in drama, no one is using the Adult, that of dealing with facts. It’s the Buzz of Parental (Mother‐Father; Nurture‐Protect) ego states that rule the roost, and all below. I have called it “Buzziology”

https://gordonswar.blogspot.com/2006/12/narrative-analysis-terror-and.html

 

 Fig. 31

 Additional work by TA specialists have developed a hierarchy of role switching starting with Games and going to Rackets and Life Scripts. A great deal of leadership is the identification of what games and rackets are being played. The Dark Side (Villainous) often is carried on indefinitely from God only knows when ‘til now.

 

Fig 32

HABITS & CULTURES

BIOLOGICAL – FOOD AND FAMILY PSYCHOLOGICAL – ROLES SOCIOLOGICAL – RULES TECHNOLOGICAL – TOOLS.

If one was to hunt deer or ducks, one would find out the habits of the aforesaid deer or ducks. Where they eat, where they sleep, and … move about. These habits that are intended to raise the odds of survival as in getting laid and paid. They may be individual or collective, and when collective they constitute the “survival culture” of the group. Thus the group (most likely to be a primary group – those that hang around or work together). This is referred to in my other posts as “F4F”.

https://gordonswar.blogspot.com/2013/08/tea-leaves-goat-entrails-or-f4f-it.html

F4F has four levels: Biological (Food and Family), Psychological (Roles), Sociological (Rules) and Technological (Tools). F4F is neither grid nor check list, it is more like a key board tied to an enigma. Hit any key and follow the tangle until a picture tied to survival is clear. All behavior related to survival has the greatest impact on performance, including suicide.

 

 Fig. 33

Actually, the roles that “They” play are the offense while those of “Y’all” are defensive. Switching from Blue to Red describes daily interface. Each time a Role is switch vis a vis someone else’s Role, there is a “Pay Off” or Reward closely related to the Gotcha Game. The central mechanism is the rotation of the central Drama of Victim, Rescuer or Prosecutor. Sometimes all Six Roles can be played by a single party. We call that Propaganda, Public Relations, and/or Politics.

 

Fig 34

 Stamp collecting is central to the understanding of supportive, seductive, and/or seditious behavior of groups and individuals. Nazi propaganda is the purest of examples of a full use of all six roles the hero plays plus the six attributed to the bad guys. Central to the complete package is the switch of the Victim to that of Prosecutor because of said villainy.

 

Fig. 35

 

Rules for the use of the Role switches and Role supporting include two broad sets, that of Social Status and that relative to the Physical World.

These Rules can be remembered not by any new acronym, but by one’s own body language in which the lineage and connections of the Roles as in a keyboard, to play out the story line. This is the cartoon version:

 

Fig 36

And this is the Family version:

 

 Fig 37

 In the assessment of your people and any your will deal with as friends or enemies can be analyzed to determine the vulnerabilities and strengths of each.

The current use of Suicide Bombers can be explained using F4F. The key question is “just how does a Suicide Bomber get Laid and Paid, or Dinner and a Date”?

The Fate (Source of Authority) comes from a dogma that places the bomber on a mission to rescue Islam (Women and Children) from Villainy by the “Crusaders” by prosecuting them with death, manipulation and faith (mad). For this the Suicide bomber is rewarded by a number of virgins in Heaven, and the family is rewarded by those in charge. And the family gains Face and Fame for having sacrificed for the cause. We call them Blue Star Mothers.

This is called “Rewards and Punishments” in your basic behavioral modification algorithm (fines, spanking, candy or bonuses). In addition to the analyses of Farmer‐Warrior, and of Freudian taxonomy (blabbermouth, asshole, prick) their interplay in Game Playing in Drama can be doped out to identify those in the way or the way ahead. Taken as a whole, F4F can be placed on a business card.

 

 Fig. 38

 Martyrdom is the reward for the Hero, and a curse on the Villain(s). Killing the enemy often makes them stronger. Thus Martyrdom is a White Stamp for purity and essence of vital bodily fluids.

 

 Fig. 39

 The Law of the Inverse Attribution Reflex (LIAR)

As a vital analytical aid to identify the most destructive of persons is the Law of the Inverse Attribution Reflex (LIAR). Game Playing can be done consciously, Inverse Attribution is from the edge of the sub‐conscious in charge of Covering One’s Ass which in reality, blows the cover story. The Braggart brags of his weakest virtues, and Blames others with his worst vice.

This is of great value during an election by the amount of passion exerted by a candidate’s platform expressed as what he/she is for (actually against) and what he/she is against (actually for). This dichotomy is strongest when most emotional. The True Liar lies to himself more than others.

The importance of LIAR in intelligence is that an enemy (or friend) reveals their own weakness by what they brag about, and their worst by what they blame you for. Works four times out of five. It also can be used in internal management in determining the disruptive behaviors and complaints from within.

 

 Fig. 40

 Tribal Structure

Competing Groups (Formal and Informal)

1. Warriors – War Chief – Firepower
2. Priests – Chief Priest – Information
3. Good Old Boys – Council of Elders - Permission
4. Money Makers – Guilds, corporations, unions
5. The Rest – Don’t care or don’t matter

 

Fig. 41

Agents of change or not (Mess with the above)

1. General Contractors – the power to alter the earth
2. Scribes – the power to define and regulate the world
3. Bare & Bar - the power to grease the squeaking wheel.
4. Court Jester – Ass kisser.
5. Secretary – the power to control access.
6. Hen House – Where the power really resides (parallel dimension)
7. Trickster, Charlatan, Consultant - tailors the emperor’s new clothes.

 

Fig 42

The Force (The medium)

1. Blood – DNA - His or Theirs.
2. Money – Convertible blood or power.
3. Power – The offer that cannot be refused.
4. Untouchable, Invincible, Invisible.

Internal Structure (Org and Flow Charts)

1. Palace Court – Authority
2. Markets & Ports - Commerce
3. City Walls - Defense
4. Estates - Ostentation
5. Temples – Heaven or Hell
6. Mines and Fields – Raw Materials
7. Arts & Crafts – Production of Wealth

 

Fig 43

 

Those above are capable of infinite combination and alteration.  

 

The Hunter and Farmer study the Tribal Structure and the interplay between its Centers of Gravity to exploit or protect the bottom card(s) in the Village house of cards.

 

 

Fig 44

KICK ASS!

Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima, 1561 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3j1iWJiI_c

 

Fig 45

 Being an old soldier with mishaps, adventures, reverses and an occasional miracle, I’ll stick with what worked for me in military, political, economic, and every once in a while personally. That’s what I got from the US Army:

The Principles of leadership

 

 Fig 46

Fury, Leadership at its best.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7qm4jgqDxE

Fig. 47

 The Principles of War

 

Fig 48

 Leadership Traits

 

Fig 49

On the short list, Management is the allocation of resources through processes to outputs/results. Leadership occurs when the troops own the process and proud of the results. Sometimes one must kick ass and hope not to have to kiss ass to get what you need.

 

Fig 50

 ASS KICKING

Battle of Tsushima

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCU_BZycM7g

 

 Fig 51

 THE FACTORS BEARING ON WAR ‐ METT‐TH

*This is based on the combat proven “METT” (Mission, Enemy, Terrain, Troops available) Time and Civilian considerations –TC) have been added, which unfortunately is at root of poor performance in the current unpleasantness. METT‐TH gives a better high with Technology & Habits (TH)

TERRAIN (plus Weather & Time)

In short, it is impossible to change an acronym except in order to clutter the mind and get some REMF an MSM. Such was the case with Terrain Analysis which had the acronym COCOA which is easier to pronounce than the new but has the exact same characters as does OCOKA* except that the word Critical Terrain was changed to Key Terrain with no substantial difference.

*OCOKA is the acronym most suitable Search term on the net. Doctrine:

https://www.armystudyguide.com/content/army_board_study_guide_topics/survival/ocoka.shtml

 Terrain analysis can get quite involved, I was a “squint” (Imagery Interpreter –II) in a previous life and terrain analysis was one of the major skill sets we had to get good at. Absent imagery, a pair of hands does well to analyze and discuss the tactical aspects of the ground you are on.

 

 Fig 52

 Everyone on the battlefield or close to one, should be constantly analyzing the terrain in view, with the possible courses of action that will demand actions and orders. Being ready for everything must be done at the subconscious or habitual levels. Otherwise the brain will have to undergo a refit.

Terrain affects who can see or shoot at or not, how well the terrain affects movement. Movement is the primary factor in deciding what can be done where, otherwise the terrain is scenery. There are five handy terrain features using the hand as a tool: ridges, valleys, passes, hills and holes. The holes are usually filled with water, which either sits still (lakes) or moves like a river.

The water that moves, like rivers, move downhill until evaporated, absorbed or reach the oceans. So long as it moves, it provides the equivalent structure we call forks (passes), fingers, rivers, and deltas which in turn look like a splayed out hand.

 

 Fig 53

One can move with the grain (rivers or rivers) with greater ease than cross corridor or fording. Consequently the control of movement goes to who controls forks and passes. This however is inherently low ground, so the terrain that provides observation and fields of fire. That means high ground (most of the time) which goes to the slogan “TAKE THE HIGH GROUND”

Ridges and Rivers that run perpendicular to where YOU and/or THEY wish to move, can act as OBSTACLES as well as COVER and CONCEALMENT. National boundaries often run along rivers and/or ridges. In the case of navigable rivers and the associated drainage patterns define the life of nations, such as the US:

The shape of the drainage patters is normally shown on most maps. It’s knowing what pattern produces what ridges are where. The conjunction of rivers and ridges produces passes and fords where history likes to fight battles, that over who gets to move where.

Maneuver

 

 Fig 54

 The Geometry of the Geography

 

Fig 55

The drainage patterns of rivers and their associated ridges define the easiest way to move goods, supplies, troops and/or people. We call these Lines of Communication. LOC for short. The lowest gradient (the least steep) gets the movement. Sharp variations of gradient produce bypasses and switchbacks.

 

 Fig 56

 Animals on the move follow these rules, and it is the trails of goats, cattle, deer and the antelope that humans have followed, then upgraded by moving the earth that’s in the way. Hiking, biking, and camping trails usually follow pre‐existing animal trails, because the way follows the least steep, and around obstacles. These are natures’ Lines of Communication.

  

Fig 57

 

The scale of the trail doesn’t matter whether in range of grenade or incoming rocket. The slopes are relevant to the distance observed. That which are ridges on large scale maps dissolve into other ridges, larger and smaller... Matching the trajectory and range of your weapons to the slope and  shape of the ground in range, is the fine are of staying alive. Consequently the professional student of war and economics studies the usages of the past.

CRTICAL or KEY TERRAIN:

The Cookie Jars and Lines of Communication

The Cookie Jar is that which retention or control of is seriously important. It may be something of value itself such as a seat of government, manufacturing, and supplies. It may be terrain that controls movement on roads or rivers by sitting on it or looking down on it (Lines of Communication). Where the mode of transportation changes such as airfields, ports, and yards is a choke point. They are located at passes, harbors, forks, and places where goods must change mode of transportation.

Collecting Cookie Jars and the routes between is at the core of the operational art of war.

 

 

Fig 58

The High Ground

Cookie jars and the lines of communication (LOC) between them are controlled by whomever controls the high ground (observation, field of fire, etc.).

The Railroad and paved roads changed all that to where the movement now included the High Ground as avenues of approach which increased the importance of passes at higher altitudeGas, Ammo, Spare Arrows, and Hard Tack

From a view from the top, the logistical structure of a force looks like a tree which has a trunk with both roots and branches following the path of least resistance. A river system has the same look as in drainage and delta patterns at the sea.                                             Sometimes getting at the root of things is often done from top down, when the trunk is the heart of the matter.

Fig 59

In Vietnam, the default Field Artillery Ammunition Supply Rate (ASR) was ten tons of ammo per gun per day. At that time that meant one truck on the road per gun per day. And, the ASR was adjusted to support the weight of the battle. Artillery Ammunition was two thirds of the operating costs of an Army Division in Vietnam. The bulk of the remainder was fuel. The 1st Air Cavalry Division used ten tons of aviation spare parts per day.

 

Fig 60

QL 13 (Saigon‐Phnom Penh) was the main supply route for the 1st Infantry Division, and later the 1st Cavalry. Fire bases were established with overlapping range fans one of to protect the “Whiplash” convoys of gas, ammo, and supplies.

JOMINI

That part of an army (or fleet) which from where the supplies come from is called the Base of Operations, and the routes of both supply and maneuver are called Lines of Communication. This basic language of the military art and science is the product of Jomini Antoine‐Henri Jomini whose work on maneuver was the bible for Civil War general on both sides, which maneuvers remain classic.

https://levigilant.com/Bulfinch_Mythology/bulfinch.englishatheist.org/war/ArtOfWar.html

 

(IMHO‐RC only) Jomini’s Art of War is that which be put to memory as the first of its kind that has lasting impact to this day.

Jomini, Clausewitz & US Doctrine. A MUST WATCH!     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82_lNcKwToo

 

The preferred object of maneuver is cut the lines of communication and the supply bases behind an enemy, the further back the better. The panic potential is greater the farther back. US and ISIS operations in Iraq produced panics wherein the forward forces over ran the rear.

This is what happened in Korea when the Chinese entered the war, in Virginia after Bull Run, in Italy after Cannae. In 1940 Fall Gelb (Plan Yellow) was the OPLAN where Guderian and Rommel drove the British, Belgians, French and Dutch to Dunkirk and forced the evacuation of survivors to England.

Fall Gelb

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6f8tefpkYY

 

61

Fig 61

SNATCHING VICTORY FROM DEFEAT

Faced with a staggering defeat, Winston Churchill showed a superb mastery of levering the full array of Feed and Breed, Psychological Roles, Sociological Rules and whatever tools he had. The best being the Royal Navy and the RAF. Defiance done with the certainty of Victory;

We Will Fight on the Beaches

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkTw3_PmKtc

 

And FDR, in a similar vein:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFhY6IaUJ40

 

Note reference to the themes and symbols of victim vs villain, to save the children.

 

TECHNOLOGY and THE TACTICAL IMPERATIVE

 

 

Fig 62

The “T” for technology can be parked anywhere in METT‐TC but I like to take the place T for Time under Terrain. Of all the attributes that affect the choices of courses of action, technology has taken the lead as the main differential that changes the Tactical Milieu.

Technology is defined herein as whatever extension of the capabilities of the being (human or otherwise). Star Wars Game Trailer

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2xp-qtUlsQ

 The Means on the Y‐axis are the parts of the human being that is being extended by technology, strategy, procedures, techniques and tactic. The x axis shows the imperative to employ in response to the stimuli based on what part of the body is involved. The x axis is not strictly horizontal but can bounce around in the whole array of outcomes.

  

Fig 63

 

The spear and the shield, a popular combo on battlefields since before the Battle of Tamalpais.

 

 

Fig 64

And the air battles of WW 2 were like the battles of the Seven Samurai.

 Battle of Rourke’s Drift:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1csr0dxalpI

 Waterloo, Charge of the   British Heavy Cavalry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vlcuvrM1po

 

 To blind the enemy’s eyes, one reaches and hits the platform or hides, conceals from being observed. Or any combination above. The technological changes between 1914 and 1919 created a vastly different array of ways and means of using the stimuli and response, based on the range, speed, and power of the weaponry of the day.

The same choices existed in older times except for the physical dimensions involved. The cavalry of olden times could survive if it stayed out of range of competing forces, by being faster, or better armed and armored. The infantry would survive if it could harden up (shield war) dig in, and/or spread out.

Where Crosses of Iron Grow. WW 2 film about the Eastern Front:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye9J4nQrz5s

 

Agile and light doesn’t always work. It depends upon what the other guy’s got.

 

 

Fig 65

Richard Bong, 40 kills in a P‐38

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-gERagos88

 

The P‐38 was faster than but less maneuverable than Japanese Zeros. The tactic used to combat the more maneuverable Zero was to dive through and away to preclude the Zero’s tighter turning radius and rate of climb. Bon’s specialty was a deflection shot from an angle. Those who are into computer war games know more than I concerning the intricacies of air to air combat.

Poland’s Winged Hussars against Swedish infantry with guns. Excellent portrayal of the wall and the charge, spear and the shield (Patton)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyJdeSslnys

 

The tactical milieu is what the balance of imperatives work out to be in a given instance or a short period of time. While Roman legions retained their basic structure and fighting styles for centuries from Republic to Empire, the changes come too fast to predict with any degree of certainty. What is certain is that it will change, often unexpectedly and suddenly.

That makes the skill sets of those involved from Grunt to General to Staff and Hill that change is the only certainty, and certainly requires a system to rapidly adapt from the battlefield to the manufacturer and back. A key decision that often determines the outcome of a war is the decision to switch from producing small numbers to adapt, or freeze design to produce in large numbers. The

present discussions about Russian and Chinese naval developments and deployments goes to the issue of funding that which takes the longest should go first. That means big ships, fast planes and smart brass.

Horse cavalry was used successfully in the thirties in China, Spain, Poland and many other wars. The mass produced truck by the US skipped around the effort to raise and train horses. The Soviets and the Germans were still heavily dependent on horses for transport and combat. The horse, however, still retains certain advantages over wheeled or tracked vehicles as in woods.

TIME

Time belongs under Terrain which also includes weather (WX), light data, and terrain. As in when does the sun come up, and when does it get dark.

Time as one of the Rules is not only the amount but what sense of time do the players have. New Yorkers talk fast, go fast, and get nowhere, while Texans take their time, deal behind closed doors, and get things done. In Kenya the time of the meeting or dinner give is the time you leave home. Time in some parts is the same day repeating, not sequential but rotational.

Thus when working with allies, like from New York to Houston, the assigned time of finishing tasks depends upon when it gets done. Soon. Very soon. Give or take.

About an hour before BMNT (Beginning Morning Nautical Time – the time when a man can be seen in at 100 meters) is everyone’s favorite time of attack. Raids about BMNT (Beginning…) gives the cover of night to exit the area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Principle of the Objective

The will to resist exists at all levels from the sniper on the roof to the Oval Office, Kremlin, or Fuhrer Bunker. The concept of “breaking the will of the enemy” conjures up images of blunt instruments and large explosions.                                        The fine art of war is winning without fighting. So said Sun Tsu. Picking the right objective that alters the enemy’s will to resist may depend on smash, grab or brag.

 

 

Fig 66

Planning goes to three levels: Tactical, Operational, and Strategic. Current US doctrine holds that these equate to levels of command. I find that all three are present at any level.

Tactical: What is in Range? Operational: Getting there Strategic: Mind Shaft

The Strategic Bombing Campaign on Germany in WW 2 was expected to destroy enough of Germany’s war making potential would break Hitler’s Triumphant Will. He shot himself as the Soviet Army pillaged, plundered and raped Berlin. The original phases of the late operations in Iraq started out with the same winning war fighting system but with the erroneous conclusion that taking the capitol of a nation was like capture the flag. The bloody shirt of ISIS hides the cohesion with which they fight, and distracts its enemies with their focus on the blood.

The available selection of what array of tactical imperatives will do, depends upon what the objectives, if any, are of the war and of the battle. Likewise the tactical imperatives define what objectives can be attained. The German Navy in WW 1 had no effect on the war until the crews revolted and brought communism to Germany. The German Navy in WW 2 could never have beaten the Royal Navy on the surface, but the U‐Boats could have rendered the Royal Navy surface fleet irrelevant by cutting the life lines from the US to the UK. Admiral Raeder only had two dozen operational U‐Boats available for operations against the UK. Not enough ships? Odd.

Knowing how to end it more often than not is based also on accident, whim, and occasionally stubborn determination.

 

 

 Fig 67

Japanese resistance on Okinawa and Iwo Jima made the A‐bomb necessary. This was the excuse for the Emperor of Japan to stage a coup, and broadcast his unthinkable message that ended the war.

Centers of Gravity (COG)

https://gordonswar.blogspot.com/2007/10/there-are-more-wheels-than-cogs.html

 

COGs are supposed to be that which operations around which war is waged. That suggests more

wheel than axle or hub. If COGs were obvious, they would be obviously dealt with. By each and every side.

COGs may include a Drama Objective, that which leverages the Habits and Personality traits of all the players in the deadly game of war. It may include the right mix of tactical imperatives, the selection of the right geometry, the right scheme of maneuver, and the right selection of capabilities vs vulnerabilities. The right objectives may be those which fragment the enemy or may be those that corner the enemy or force to take stupid steps.

 

What Comes After

The carrot often works better than the stick. The trick is using a carrot that can’t be stuck in your rear. Something that allows the forces and key factions a way to save face. Winner and loser. That is why there have been formalities of surrender in the years after the Thirty Years War.

 

 

Fig 68

Then Came Reconstruction. In 1940, Hitler treated Marshal Petain with respect.

 

 

Fig 69

Then came the occupation.

CAMG

WW 2 in both theaters of war had extensive preparations for the occupation of Japan, Austria, and Germany by virtue of having Civil Affairs and Military Government (CAMG) units and personnel plus a core of experienced persons from government. That which we put down in the late Forties is still there, that which we put down last year is gone.

This is from a case book (index above) used in the AG school for Civil Affairs and Military Government published in 1958 when the lessons learned from a successful and exemplary occupation and rehabilitation of a nation. It’s long, best used for scanning here and there for maybe what we missed in Afghanistan and Iraq, and is playing out at this time in Syria.

 

 

Fig 70

On the other hand:

If Field Marshall von Rumsfeld had been a German:

 

 

Fig 71

Some speculated that it might have happened in Britain in the movie “It Happened Here”

 

 

Fig 72

The reality of the time now deemed so farfetched was how close a Nazi dominated UK could have happened. Edward VII of Great Britain was forced to renounce the crown, and thereafter as Duke of Windsor, was considered too close to Germany for comfort. Churchill had him isolated and his cronies in what was known as the “Cliveden Set” consisting of upper class politically influential aristocrats who favored closer relations with Germany. In part this is due to the way Hitler disposed of the Communist threat in Germany.

Churchill’s first task was to purge, remove and/or exile key members of the government who could and would have weakened Britain’s resolve and efforts. That this was done without bloodshed or incarceration is testimony on how this should be done. Less of a need to justify the unjustifiable afterward.

The odd ball flight of the number two Nazi, Rudolf Hess, in a Me‐110 to Britain on May 10, 1941 to negotiate a peace treaty with Britain by landing on the estate of Douglas Douglas‐Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton and through him to such as the Cliveden Set. It didn’t work. Hess was arrested, convicted at Nuremburg and died in prison.

 

What If?

Few today realize that if any accommodation between the UK and Germany would likely either neutralized the British Navy, or created a nightmare scenario that a Nazi dominated navy could have included the French and British navies in addition to Italy’s. That would have compromised the Middle East, Suez and India as well as the British possessions in the Pacific. Canada would be problematic. This all didn’t happen in part because the French fleet opted out and left the Med to Italians.

 

 

Fig 73

 

As it was, the SS attracted citizens of occupied, POWs and nations allied with the Axis into its ranks who fought with distinction against the Soviets. These included an entire Army, the “Russian Liberation Army” led by a former Soviet Field Marshal, Andre Vlasov. The Battle of Berlin was defended to the end by the French SS Division, Charlemagne, and a Polish Cossack Division.

The British returned those from the USSR who fought for Hitler to Stalin, who massacred them all, men, women and children. When the Soviet Union broke up, the families of those murdered dug them up from unmarked mass graves, and re‐buried them with honors. Putin’s propaganda about

Ukrainian Nazis refers to the large number of Ukrainians who fought until 1949 against the USSR, even after Germany surrendered. Similar stories are heard from the Baltic States.

 

 

Fig 74

As some may have discovered as of late, that killing the enemy just makes them get madder. And they never forget nor forgive it. That which both sides can live with, or upon surrender will enable their nation to legislate, magistrate, and sanction those behaviors that serve the victor’s agenda….assuming that there was one. .

The German General Staff approached the British before the Invasion of France to see if they would support a coup. The offer was ignored, Poland was invaded and the rest is history. After the Vietnam War had been over a while, some French and the Vietnamese victors were comparing notes, and found that there wasn’t as much of a difference that could not have been overcome.

But that’s wishful thinking.

 

 

Fig 75

The bottom line goes to the fact that while battle may be like Poker but war is 52 Pickup. It’s the difference between the quick and the dead.

 

 

Fig 76

 

 

Fig 77

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axV_XUTxySw