AW1Steve
Posts: 14507
Joined: 3/10/2007 From: Mordor Illlinois Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: gladiatt quote:
ORIGINAL: AW1Steve Oh , I think both the French political and military leaders HEARD De Gualle (one would have to be deaf not to) , but it didn't suit their situation , and De Gaulle did a poor job selling his position , while doing a great job alienating it. I've heard that De Gualle was the most "despised colonel" in the French army when he taught at staff colledge. Even peole sympathetic to his views were alienated by his words. Only after the start of the war, when he was appointed to a political position (while still serving) did people start to listen to him. i've got nothing more to add: at first i was trying to summarize, but you know much more than i thought.... Well, I've got to confess that I've always been facinated/confued by DeGualle. I'd always felt that he was a totally useless blowhard till I finally found and read his book. (It's hard as my French is pathetic, and translations of his writings can be hard to come by--and I am always dubious of translations). I now tend to feel that he was brilliant, but really should have read Dale Carnegie ("Winning Friends and Influencing People"). The Fact that he achived such high position and power in spite of having such a less then pleasant personality says a lot about him. Why is it that so many "disciples" of military strategy and doctrines manage to torpedo their own "crusades" by having lousey personalities? Arnold actually carried out many of Mitchell's plans by a warm smile and friendly personality. Moffet (till his death in Akron) did the same for the USN. Guderian did better then De Gualle in "selling" the "combined arms' and tank lead approach. And both did better in advancing armor then JFC Fuller (for the UK). Patton ,Esienhower, and Marshall all used charm to get their theories through (it was only in the field that Patton "went off his nut"). DeGualle, Fuller,Mitchell,John Towers,and Dohet all used the "foreign tourist approach" ("If they don't understand you, yell louder!") to convincing others. How would the military world have developed if the "great thinkers" had also been "great communicators"?
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