FM Slim was one of the most respected and effective allied commanders in WW2 as a result of his efforts in Burma and India. He served as GG of Australia through the 1950s and died in 1970. In 2007 allegations were made in Australia that he had abused several boys at an educational institution. These allegations were never proven. Its sad that his reputation was besmirched by this so many years after his death.
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FM Slim was one of the most respected and effective allied commanders in WW2 as a result of his efforts in Burma and India. He served as GG of Australia through the 1950s and died in 1970. In 2007 allegations were made in Australia that he had abused several boys at an educational institution. These allegations were never proven. Its sad that his reputation was besmirched by this so many years after his death.
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
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For the record, here's 1st Viscount Slim:
Do yourself a favour and buy this book:
Do yourself a favour and buy this book:
I've often wondered about the prevalence of PTSD amongst returning soldiers from Iraq/Afghanistan. Whatever the cause, vets are acting out their issues by committing violence against themselves and others. LtCol Jim Calvin spent 10 years trying to get recognition and support for the troops he commanded in Jugoslavia and when he did, many had fallen through the cracks, gone off the rails and/or wanted nothing to do with the recognition.
These people were mostly young Reservists with minimal training before being deployed. They fought the largest battle the Canadian Army had been in since Korea at the Medak Pocket. Their last duty before being repatriated was exhuming bodies from mass graves with minimal resources like gloves and body bags.
I'm currently reading "Tested Mettle" and "Tarnished Brass" by Scott Taylor & Brian Nolan. These books give an insight to the level of crime and corruption within the ranks of the military hierarchy while neglecting the needs of the rank & file soldiers. If only a fraction of what the authors discuss is factual, then it is truly shameful. In the meantime, vets continue to destroy their lives and those of their families.
TriggerTime
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[h=3]On Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs - Dave Grossman
[/h] By LTC (RET) Dave Grossman, author of "On Killing."
My takeaway = Sheepdogs make the most resilient soldiers.
Moving forward, can a screening process be brought to bear that will wash out the sheep, for their own good?
It could work with an all-volunteer service that is only a tiny fraction of the population.
Presumably we already try to screen out the wolves as a (war) crime prevention measure...
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Scott Taylor is not well though of in the military Sharpes. He is seen as a self aggrandizing guy who spent about 5 minutes in the Army.
Another useful book on FM Slim is one of the Ballantine military history series that we used to buy for a buck back in the late 60s/early 70s. This one was written by Michael Calvert, one of Slim's brigadiers in Burma. You can still find these books in used book stores.
Slim was a "frontier soldier" who never served on the big European battlefields in WW1 and WW2. In WW1 he served at Gallipoli and later in Mesoptamia/Iraq. In WW2 he was in Abysinia against the Italians, then in Syria against the Vichy French. He then moved to India/ Burma where he led the campaign against the Japanese.
Slim always fought on a shoestring, often with a majority of native troops sprinkled with Brit troops and limited air, artillery, armor and logistics. He was noted for his dogged determination and his good relationships with his troops.Slim spent the interwar years in the Indian Army and, somewhat surprisingly, became Chief of the Imperial General Staff after the war.
Slim was a "frontier soldier" who never served on the big European battlefields in WW1 and WW2. In WW1 he served at Gallipoli and later in Mesoptamia/Iraq. In WW2 he was in Abysinia against the Italians, then in Syria against the Vichy French. He then moved to India/ Burma where he led the campaign against the Japanese.
Slim always fought on a shoestring, often with a majority of native troops sprinkled with Brit troops and limited air, artillery, armor and logistics. He was noted for his dogged determination and his good relationships with his troops.Slim spent the interwar years in the Indian Army and, somewhat surprisingly, became Chief of the Imperial General Staff after the war.
http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a263934.pdf
The abstract on page 2 of this link is a terrific summary of Slim....only to add that he shared every hardship with his troops!
Apparently he was an excellent CIGS, stood up to the politicians who wanted to gut all the military!
Yes, that is his reputation. Would it make any difference had he not served at all? I suspect that the criticism then would be that he, as a civilian could not have a valid point of view. You don't have to be a chicken to detect a rotten egg.
I challenge anyone to refute the claims he makes in the two books I mentioned. He does tend to be dramatic at times, but his a$$ would be sued from here to Kandahar for libel if he was not telling the truth.
Our peacetime Army has more Major Generals and Lt. Generals for a pitifully small army, moreso than we had at any time in a major war. They learned how to play the game of "entitlement" to their advantage, as did the senior bureaucrats of the same era. Nothing has changed to date and the problem continues.
I was serving before and during the unification of the CAF and well remember the periods of "austerity". As a Signal Corps lineman/cable splicer, I had to turn in the paper core of a roll of tape before I could be issued another. Bic pens likewise had to be turned in dry before another was issued. In the meantime, the top brass was rolling in bucks as they made all these heavy duty decisions.
Taylor once reported in his "Esprit de Corps' magazine that several high ranking officers spent close to $50,000 to develop a "combat bra". In the end, they recommended that female soldiers be authorized to buy the sports bras of their choosing and be reimbursed.
Read the books and get back to me.
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I have read the books. I read them long before I even joined the CAF. While there is a truthful basis it is as you said overly dramatized. I also think he might be taken more seriously had he NOT served. As a "Vet" he should know better than some of the crap that comes from him.
As to the bra? There are a ton of women in the CAF, and each gets $140 a year for bras. That's a large investment yearly and if it cost $50,000 to try to avoid that then why not? 50K is small change in the budget. We have wasted much more on Tac vests and chest rigs, and issuing out 6 pairs of underwear to each soldier each year (and most get tossed in a closet or straight to the garbage as nobody likes them.)
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You suggest that R&D is wasteful? Thats ridiculous logic.
You pointed out one article from a man almost nobody in the military really trusts or respects, in a magazine that military pers dont really read.
There is a reason Esprit De Corps is no longer found on bases.
Walnut ridge Arkansas, Nov 1945
Post war collection and disposal of aircraft and vehicles, some aircraft where flown in new from the factory for chopping up and destruction, then there are the combat veterans that survive umpteen missions only to return to the USA to be destroyed. Heartbreaking.
gewehr76
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Lots of aluminum on the ground out there
Walnut ridge Arkansas, Nov 1945
Post war collection and disposal of aircraft and vehicles, some aircraft where flown in new from the factory for chopping up and destruction, then there are the combat veterans that survive umpteen missions only to return to the USA to be destroyed. Heartbreaking.
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Walnut ridge Arkansas, Nov 1945
Post war collection and disposal of aircraft and vehicles, some aircraft where flown in new from the factory for chopping up and destruction, then there are the combat veterans that survive umpteen missions only to return to the USA to be destroyed. Heartbreaking.
I always hate looking at the boneyards in the US. All those still usable fighters and ground attack airframes sitting collecting dust.
Those planes in the pic are long gone. Turned into cooking pots and other things. They were useless and expensive instruments of war that were obsolete and no longer needed or wanted at the time. Today, they are nostalgic. I can still remember seeing them abandoned on fields or in farm backyards after being stripped for parts. They were later picked up by scrap metal dealers.
Where did I say that R&D was "wasteful"? It was just an example of military idiocy like that which affixes outrageous prices for simple items.
You are surprised that the military establishment panned "Esprit de Corps" and banned it from CFB's? Gee, I wonder why .... ?
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I was referring to the current yards (Full of A-10s, F15s..etc)
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Well the $50,000 on the combat bra was R&D. There is tons of stuff studied and tested as proof of concept that never see service.
It's not on bases because he's a clown and a blowhard...lol
If you are a fan then great I'm happy for you. I just have little use for the guy or his writing.
Cheers
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