Airplanes Are Interesting Toys But Of No

This Absence Of Similarity Among Military Questions Naturally Brings Out The Inability Of Memory To Solve Them; Also The Sterility Of Invariable Forms, Such As Figures, Geometrical Drawings ( épures ), Plans ( Schémas ), Etc. One Only Right Solution Imposes Itself:;: Namely, The Application, Varying According To Circumstances, Of Fixed Principles.

The Military Mind Always Imagines That The Next War Will Be On The Same Lines As The Last. That Has Never Been The Case And Never Will Be. One Of The Great Factors On The Next War Will Be Aircraft Obviously. The Potentialities Of Aircraft Attack On A Large Scale Are Almost Incalculable.

The Distribution Of Troops Devoted To The Defence Of A Place Includes A Garrison, An Occupying Force, Numerically As Weak As Possible; A Reserve As Strong As Possible, Designed For Counterattacking And For Providing Itself, At The Moment It Goes Into Action, With A Security Service Which Will Guard It From Any Possible Surprise.

To Be Disciplined Does Not Mean Being Silent, Abstaining, Or Doing Only What One Thinks One May Undertake Without Risk; It Is Not The Art Of Eluding Responsibility; It Means Acting In Compliance With Orders Received, And Therefore Finding In One's Own Mind, By Effort And Reflection, The Possibility To Carry Out Such Orders. It Also Means Finding In One's Own Will The Energy To Face The Risks Involved In Execution.

I Am Conscious Of Having Served England As I Served My Own Country.