0 - The Principles of War and You

We look at how the Principles of War podcast is going to work, what we want to do and how we are going to do it.

We discuss how terrain plays a part in the outcomes of battles and we will be looking at leadership.

What role does leadership play in battle? What about Post H-Hour Execution and leadership? We look at some examples from General Grant's experiences that lead him to be the Commander of the Army of the Potomac.

We discuss each of the principles and give a brief example of why each is important.

Selection and the Maintenance of the Aim. Probably the most important of the principles.

Concentration of Force - My strategy is 1 against 10 - my tactics 10 against 1. The

Economy of effort - if you aren't the main effort, you will be short of everything except the enemy.

Co-operation - why is this so difficult to achieve. We briefly looked at the problems with co-operation for the D-Day landings.

Security - Truth is so precious it should be attended by a bodyguard of lies.

Surprise - To surprise the enemy is to defeat them. The Germans driving through the Ardennes forest in 1940. We talk briefly about technical surprise.

Flexibility - Auftragtaktik and Mission Command. We look at Yom Kippur.

Offensive Action - Britzkrieg.

Sustainment - Supplies set the left and right of arc of what is possible. Sherman's march to the sea and the Atlantic Conveyor in the Falklands.

Morale - The Army of the Potomac after the Battle of the Wilderness.

Sun Tzu said -The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.

This is why we need to understand the principles of war.