Re: Leading from the front, reprise

At 05:44  29/05/01 +0200, Bob DeAngelis wrote:
>BTW when talking about the qualities and the desirability of
>leading from the front , there are many modern examples. In recent
history,
>one of the most striking examples was of Col H of the UK royal marines
whose
>battalion had bogged down during the attack on Goose Green in the
>Falklands/Malvinas.
>Col  H. (a wargamer to boot) decide that a spot of leadership was
required
>and led his men frontally on an attack on the bunker complex that was
>slowing them down. He managed to motivate his troops but unfortunately
was
>mortally wounded in the process. This highlights the problems . Yes a
leader
>can make a vital difference at the front but the command structure had
>better be good enough to replace him if he goes down in the process.
The
>marines structure was and they went on to take Goose Green in a frontal
>assault despite being outnumbered by the defenders by 3 to 1. Col H
jones
>was posthumously awarded his countries highest honour in respect of his
>actions. Many military men at the time respected his courage but
questioned
>his decision on a command integrity basis!!

Some more cynical minded referred to Col. Jones's (a Para) action as
little 
more than 'gong hunting'.

Derek

Derek Fulton
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