The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1918-01-02
STAFF OFFICER
IMPORTANT COG
IN WAR MACHINE
Helps Win Battles, But Never
Signs His Name.
PART OF GENERALS BRAINS
Good Artillery and Good Staff Officers
Are Two Most Important Elements
Of Success In Modern Fighting
General Public Knows Little About
the staff and Its Prominent Place
In Army.


the staff and Its Prominent Place
In Army.
1t Is important that America should
understand from the beginning the
role of the staff officer In the present
war. This role, though pre-eminent,
has been, and Is, obscure to the gen.
eral public. Yet, given u sufficient in
fantry, the two most important ele-
ments of success In modern fighting
are good artillery and good staff Of
f1cers. France lost many brave lead
ers In the first months of the war,
and 1t was consequently only af-
ter great effort that the various
units were able to develop In certain
individuals that combination of cool.
ness, intelligence and experience
which must animate the personnel of
every efficient staff. The excessive
British losses during the second year
of the war were due as much to the
lack of experienced staff officers as
to any other one reason, writes Paul
Scott Mourer in Chicago Daily News
/ have heard much talk in our owl
army about artillery, engineers, avia-
ton and infantry, but nothing about
staff officers. l hope this Is merely
coincidence and not an oversight, for
we are certainly going to be short of
this class of men unless we are TAX
ing immediate measures to choose and
to train them.
Behind the fist that strikes are the
eye that sees, the will that directs and
the nerves that coordinate. Behind
every army there Is quaint building
somewhere, in which all reports are
classified, all decisions taken, all Or
ders drawn UP in detail, all efforts of
whatever nature organized. The men
who do this are the general and his
staff.
Now every military operation may
be said to consist of five factors: %
the study and preparation of the ele-
ments which must be considered be-
fore making a decision; (2) the deci-
sion itself; (3) the transmission of
this decision to the units charged with
executing it; (4) the execution; 60
the overseeing of this execution. The
decision rests with the commanding
general, the execution rests with the
troops; all else is the work of the
staff.
What the Staff Does.
Every staff has its chief, who d.
reefs and cO-Ordinates its labOrs.
When the staff is important, there is
also an assistant chief Of staff. These
men should be absolutely impregnated
with their generals mentality. They
should be able to replace him In an
emergency without disconcerting re-
suits. To the chief Of staff Is perma-
nently delegated the generals own
signature, to be affixed by him at dis
erection to all rapers containing
neither praise nor blame, decisions nor
principles.
The work Of the staff is divided be-
tween four departments:
One charged with keeping for the
general an up-tO-date account of all
means in men. guns, ETC., at his dispo-
sitiOn, and with seeing to the various
needs OF the troops.
One charged with gathering infor-
nation concerning the enemy.
A third charged with everything
which concerns the training, move
ments and operations of troops.
A nf
supply, transport and communication.
There Is also courier section,
charged with recording all papers
which enter or leave the staff, and
with their transmission by motorcycle,
automobile, runners, etc.
The part played in large stats by
department is relegated In small staffs
to a single officer provided with a
number of secretaries.
Everything In Writing.
It is the general, then, who takes
the decision, but 1t Is the staff which
presents to him, after careful exam
inatiOn and study, the facts Of the sit
uation, and 1t Is the staff which at
tends to the carrying out of the gen.
erals orders. There are certain axi-
oms to be followed by staff officers In
this work. which are the result of
painful experience. Always put ev-
erything In writing. Verbal orders
given In haste should be confirmed
as quickly as possible by written or
ders. Make 1t clear to each officer ex-
actly what he is to do. Avoid all
double employ which may give rise to
hesitation or to doubt. Leave as
much initiative to subordinates as pos
sIble. Handwriting should be large
and clear; the important words should
be underlined. Transmission should
be rapid. 1t Is often well to send first
a very brief written order, followed
later by the full order, thus giving
the line officer time to take his initia-
tive measures even while waiting to
learn the details.
Where General Gets Facts.
Although different generals have