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Aviation History
1933
1933 - 0139.PDF
FLIGHT, JULY 20, 1933 THE COMMON ROOM : All officers at Andover mess together. but the Staff College has its own common room. (FLIGHT Photo.) While it is not necessary for young officers to be instructed in the higher art of war, it is still necessary that they should think on correct lines. For the higher ranks it is of the utmost import ance that they should be able to think correctly and believe in a common doctrine. And the func tion of the Staff College is to teach this common doctrine of war. The objects of the course at the Staff College are (a) to teach the pupils to teach themselves ; ifc i to impress on them the im portance of staff duties ; (c) to teach co-operation with the other two Services—not what is com monly meant by the work of Army co-operation squadrons, but the ways in which the Air Force as a whole can work with the Army and the Navy ; (d) to inculcate the importance of finance in the Service ; and (e) to give instruction in the higher direction of war. It will be generally admitted that this is an impressive list of objects. How many of us would be better men in the world if at some time while still young, but mature, we had been trained to teach ourselves! At Cranwell efiorts are made to lead the cadets along the path of self-instruction, and doubtless in many cases the results of those efforts are seen in the pupils at the Staff College. It can also be said that the best Honours Schools at the Universities, such as " Greats " (Litterae Httmaniores) and the School of Modern History at Oxford, are calcu lated to teach men to help themselves towards knowledge and wisdom—and it must be remembered that Oxford and Cambridge send men into the commissioned ranks of the R.A.F. and presumably sometimes to Andover. Andover stands for higher education in Service matters, and no higher education can make much progress unless the pupils can, and will, teach themselves. Staff duties call for an analytical mind and a very " tidy " mind. It has been said that Fortune favours good organisation, and in war good organisation implies good staff officers. In the Army here have been critics who, rightly or wrongly, say that staff training produces a rather aloof type of mind, fonder °i theories than of realities, and inclined to "red tape." Certainly, in the first year of the war, staff work was not always good, and it was sometimes believed that French staff officers were better than ours ; but, however that may Dl v it is certain that a fighting force will achieve victory V I a smaller casualty list if the staff work is good than i that work is indifferent. It would still be too soon to judge the quality of the Andover training by its results, "t it inspires confidence to see the course laid down on OTnrnon-sense lines. The importance of finance in the e is a subject which rather surprises. The fighting _ vices on the whole have the reputation of a tendency ahv S ®xtravagance, holding to the theory that it is ver^t aPer to win a war than to lose one—which is tlle y e- . In the present days, when the Treasury turns brici-treV^lght' the Service which is most skilful at making most Jfi • the minimum of straw is likely to remain the The v£nt m its PreParation for war. iect w> k 6r dlrecti°n of war is the most imposing sub- does not •* -^E ColleSe has„t° teach. _ The College the graduates of the College that the Service 'iff-, for its future leaders. The higher direc- it i' t !PSt on]y to turn out efficient staff officers, but natural , , ^aduate t nor,of I kf for its future leaders. e . the- force T °k f°r abihty to Plan sound strategy whether or on thp employed moves in the air, on the ground, ing m I water. In small ways the Air Officer Command- tions bv th1S TSUally asked to approve the plans for opera- find himself • q Army- Some daY an Air Officer may mor f than m commarid °f a combined body drawn from one Service, and his plan of campaign must be based on true principles of strategy, combined with know ledge of the capabilities of both or all Services. A point which has been much debated of late is the possible bombing of civilians by aircraft. Mr. Churchill, in a masterly speech recently, showed that such a practice would be waste of effort, and at the St. George's Day banquet Sir Robert Brooke-Popham, a late Con mandant of the Air Staff College, and also of the Imperial Defence College, also poured ridicule on the idea that the Royal Air Force exists to slaughter women and children. The doctrine taught at Andover is the pure doctrine of the military objective. It is just possible that a Government, blind and deaf to all dictates of humanity and decency, may order a direct attack on civilians by aircraft. Such a policy does not come within the purview of the fighting services. Each course starts at the beginning of a calendar year. The permanent staff consists of the Commandant and a directing staff of six. In each course there are 20 officer students of the General Duties branch of the R.A.F. and two of the Stores Branch, two officers from the Navy, one from the Home Army, one from the Indian Army, two from the Royal Australian Air Force, and two from the Royal Canadian Air Force. At the same time, R.A.F. officers are attending the Naval and Army Staff Colleges, and so a body of officers is being built up with intimate knowledge of the workings of Services other than their own. This excellent work is carried still further at the Imperial Defence College. Officers who have graduated at an Army Staff College have the initials p.s.c. after their names, and those who have passed through Andover have p.s.a. The three terms are very busy times, for there is much ground to be covered in a year. There are not too many lectures, but the students have many exercises and essays to compile. During the winter term debates are held in the library, largely to encourage the students to express themselves fluently in words, as they are also taught to express themselves on paper. During the summer term combined exercises with Greenwich and Cam- berley Staff Colleges are carried out. These exercises in volve visits between the three Colleges and work both indoors and out of doors. Some of the Andover students go on attachment during the vacations to Army units and on board ships of the Royal Navy. During the summer vacation the Andover students are encouraged to travel abroad and study foreign countries. In normal times part of their expenses is allowed by the State, but during the present financial stringency this practice is in abeyance. Each course is divided up into groups, each group of some three officers taking up the study of one or two foreign countries. Obviously there is plenty to occupy the time of the students. At Andover there is one common mess for all the officers. The Staff College men, however, have their own common 725 c
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