Tag Archives: General George S. Patton

WARRIOR IDEOLOGY – PART 2 OF 2

27 Mar

In this second part of “Warrior Ideology”, I present to you the command guidelines General George S. Patton, Jr. issued to his commanders during World War II. These guidelines will benefit any and every one who occupies a leadership position.

The following list of dictates is from General George S. Patton’s instructions to his commanders presented in the same outline format used by the General himself. (See Endnote # 1):

Generals Brady, Eisenhower & Patton

I. GENERAL

1. This letter stresses those tactical and administrative usages which combat experience has taught myself and the officers who have served under me to consider vital.

2. You will not simply mimeograph this and call it a day. You are responsible that these usages become habitual in your command.

II. DISCIPLINE

1. There is only one sort of discipline – PERFECT DISCIPLINE. Men cannot have good battle discipline and poor administrative discipline.

2. Discipline is based on the pride in the profession of arms, on meticulous attention to details, and on mutual respect and confidence. Discipline must be a habit so ingrained that it is stronger than the excitement of battle or the fear of death.

III. TACTICAL USAGES

1. General

a. Combat Principles.

  1. There is no approved solution to any tactical situation

(2) There is only one tactical principle which is not subject to change. It is “To so use the means at hand to inflict the maximum amount of wounds, death and destruction on the enemy in the minimum time”.

(3) In battle, casualties vary directly with the time you are exposed to effective fire. Your own fire reduces the effectiveness and volume of the enemies fire, while rapidity of attack shortens the time of exposure. A pint of sweat will save a gallon of blood!

(4) Battles are won by frightening the enemy. Fear is induced by inflicting death and wounds on him. Death and wounds are produced by fire. …

(5) “Catch the enemy by the nose with fire and kick him in the pants with fire emplaced through movement.”

(6) Hit hard soon; … the idea being to develop your maximum force at once before the enemy can develop his.

(7) You can never be too strong. Get every man and gun you can secure, provided it does not unduly delay your attack.

(8) The larger the force and the more violence you use in the attack, whether it be men, tanks, or ammunition, the smaller will be your proportional losses.

(9) Never yield ground. It is cheaper to hold what you have than to retake what you have lost.

(10) Our mortars and our artillery are superb weapons when they are firing. When silent, they are junk – see that they keep firing!

VI. CARE OF MEN.

  1. Officers are responsible, not only for the conduct of their men in battle, but also for their health and contentment when not fighting. An Officer must be the last man to take shelter from fire and the first to move forward. Similarly, he must be the last man to look after his own comfort at the close of a march. He must see to that his men are cared for. He should know his men so well that any sign of sickness or nervous strain will be apparent to him, and he can take such action as may be necessary.

I hope the twenty percepts of Funakoshi-Sensei and the command dictates of General Patton have given you a basis for contemplation; in other words, “something to think about.” More to follow.

In closing, I remain,

Sensei John Szmitkowski, Soke, Jiriki Kata-Do

ENDNOTES:

1. These instructions are contained in Patton’s 2nd letter of instruction to the Third Army Corps, Division and Separate Unit Commanders dated 3 April, 1944. The letter may be found in, Patton, George, S, Jr., War As I Knew It: The Battle Memoirs of “Blood ‘N Guts”,Bantan Books (1980).

You may wish to peruse an article and video about the ancient Ryukyu “Fisherman As Warriors” on my Fly Fishing weblog, simply click this link http://flyfishingdojo.com/2011/03/20/fisherman-as-warriors/

You may wish to view my blog dedicated to martial protocol and ideology applied to fly-fishing by clicking the following link: WWW.FlyFishingDojo.Com

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General Patton, Horse Gyrations & Kata

18 Jan
I am often asked by those who either attend my seminars or read my newest book on Sanchin, how I evolved my ideology and methodology of Jiriki Kata-Do from within the confines of the Karate Dojo. Karate-Ka (those who study Karate) and particularly those that enjoy Kata are the most curious. While I offer a series of seminars that methodically and ideologically guide attendees through the evolutionary process, I will post a few concepts herein for your consideration and experimentation. These submissions will all be filed under the category – Dojo Experiments.

My approach as a Sensei is to lead a student through a process of self-discovery. Sensei Thomas DeFelice was often fond of saying “A technique taught will often be forgotten whereas a technique discovered will not”. With that in mind, the articles filed under “Dojo Experiments” will offer guidance for you in your practice. The articles will not offer answers. You are to discover your own answers after experimentation, consideration, reflection and sweat (the oil of the machinery of Karate according to Maestro Peter Urban).. For additional information on the contextual paradigm shift in Kata, please see the category below entitled “Kata as enlightened meditation”.

One of the first experiments you can conduct is based upon an observation made by United States General George S. Patton,. Jr. during World War II.

Many are familiar with the exploits of General George S. Patton, Jr. during World War II. Many are even familiar with the motion picture entitled “Patton” in which George C. Scott gave a remarkable and memorable portrayal of the General. What many of you may not know is that during World War II Patton kept a diary. After many years, the United States Army declassified the diary and it was subsequently published. Many, many years ago, I was very fortunate to have purchased a copy. There is a passage in the diary which inspired many of my experiments with Karate-Do in general and with Kata (and Bunkai) in particular. For the non-martial artist reader, Bunkai is the practical experiment conducted with a partner (who serves as an attacker) that tests the self-defense hypothesis set forth in the Kata. My experiments with Kata and Bunkai lead to my discovery of the heretofore metaphysical aspects of certain unique Kata codified in my system of Jiriki Kata-Do.

In May, 1945 when General George S. Patton, Jr. made the following observations which he contemporaneously recorded in his personal diary. General George S. Patton., Jr., War As I Knew It: The Battle Memoirs of “Blood ‘N Guts”, (Bantam Books, 1980), pp. 310-311).

On arrival at General Walker’s Headquarters, we found that XX Corps had captured intact, at an adjacent chateaux, the whole of the Imperial Spanish Riding Academy which had left Vienna on the approach of the Russians. This Academy had been running in Vienna since the time of Charles V of Spain.

Originally, the gyrations taught the horses were of military importance. That is, the “courbette”, or half-rear, was for the purpose of letting the horse come down at the same time the sword was swung, so as to give the latter more force; the “volte” or “demi-volte”, was for the purpose of avoiding attack; while the leap into the air, striking out fore and aft with the feet, was for the purpose of extricating the rider from too close contact with the enemy, and so on.

With the passing of years and changes in the art of war, the purposes of this form of equitation was forgotten, and the movements were taught as of value in and of themselves. In other words, people began, as in many other arts, to glorify the means rather than the end which the means were supposed to produce.

The first Dojo experiment that will guide you along an understanding of Karate-Do, Kata and the manner in which I evolved Jiriki Kata-Do is to consider Patton’s observations of the gyrating horses as you practice in your own Dojo. Consider whether the observation applies to Karate-Do, in general and to Kata (and Bunkai) in particular. If you feel that it does apply, then consider the manner in which it applies and whether the true essence of Kata is found within or without of the confines of the observation. This is the first step in understanding the evolution of my Jiriki Kata-Do. As Miyamoto Musashi said in Go Rin No Sho (The Book Of Five Rings), “You must consider this well.”

For additional information on my new book entitled: The Dynamic Meditation Rite Of Sanchin: Gateway To The Three Battles To The Plateau Of Human Serenity, please see the Sanchin Book page herein or feel free to visit my website WWW.Dynamic-Meditation.Com

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