“steam-tactics saga illustrates that (4) Rationalism, unlike empiricism, tends to assume an accretion of vested interests.” — Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon Vested interest Copy Share Image
“The one lesson to be learned is the necessity for every officer to cultivate belief in his own judgment, so as not… — Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon Faith Copy Share Image
“Many of the more ghastly and idiotic aspects of the Great War were made possible by the coincidence of mass-production and the… — Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon Religion Copy Share Image
“The literal meaning of ‘doctrine’ is “what is taught within a group as its corporate beliefs, principles or faith”52 – although “what… — Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon Education Copy Share Image
“(20) There is an inverse law between robust doctrine and the need for signalling.” — Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon Copy Share Image
“that (11) Purveyors of technical systems will seek to define performance criteria and trials conditions.” — Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon Copy Share Image
“By the close of the Victorian age Britain’s officer classes were increasingly the inheritors, rather than the winners, of empire.” — Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon Victorian age Copy Share Image
“can therefore attribute the many reporting failures at Jutland to a cocktail of factors, including: (a) lack of initiative, and ‘seniority knows… — Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon Failure Copy Share Image
“Some of them are blinding glimpses of the obvious (BGOs), several overlap, and I make no claims of discovery. The fundamental proposition… — Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon Peace Copy Share Image
“My comments are directed at the system which was responsible for their poor performance, not at the officers concerned. I do not… — Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon Poor performance Copy Share Image
“(19) Signalling promotes the centralisation of authority.” — Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon Power Copy Share Image
“Signals’ prioritising mechanisms become dislocated in times of overload.” — Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon Time Copy Share Image
“(21) Heavy signalling, like copious orders, is symptomatic of doctrinal deficiency,” — Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon Copy Share Image
“(24) Properly disseminated doctrine offers both the cheapest and the most secure command-and-control method yet devised by man.” — Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon Copy Share Image
“(10) Innovations adopted in accordance with peacetime doctrine, may lock the Fleet into both systems and doctrine which will fail the empirical… — Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon Technology Copy Share Image
“Fisher said, “to be a good admiral, a man does not need to be a good sailor. That’s a common mistake. He… — Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon Failure Copy Share Image
“(5) The training establishment may try to ignore short bouts of empirical experience to preserve its ‘rationalist’ authority.” — Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon Fitness Copy Share Image
“Some of the most highly trained and successful military forces – Nelson’s fleet, Montgomery’s 8th Army, Wingate’s Chindits – were worked up… — Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon Life Copy Share Image
“Whether or not his remarks are fully warranted, they are a reminder that the “canker of a long peace” is a creeping… — Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon Peace Copy Share Image
“Vice-Admiral Scheer’s own confidential report to Wilhelm II. Here he made the tendentious, and highly questionable, assertion that “even the most successful… — Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon Life Copy Share Image
“Uniformity distinguishes men by rank rather than character; and “as ships became divided [in departure from central batteries] and gun positions more… — Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon Individual responsibility Copy Share Image
“(23) War-fighting commanders may find themselves bereft of communications faculties on which they have become reliant in peacetime training. Most forms of… — Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon Communication Copy Share Image
“(26) Peacetime highlights basic ‘primary’ skills to the neglect of more advanced, more lateral ‘secondary’ abilities, the former being easier to teach,… — Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon Copy Share Image
“The way Jellicoe fought Jutland had to be consistent with the action-principles with which he had imbued his forces, and with the… — Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon Copy Share Image
