"Soldiers know it takes war to make a general." - source unknown.
My thoughts on this profound quote; It takes conflict and opposition to raise a true a leader. To lead any group of men well into harsh conditions it takes a man who :
* has been blooded by the battle himself and stood firm.
* has risen naturally into leadership & not by appointment or politics.
* has the trust, loyalty and confidence of the men who he leads.
"It had long been known that the Third Australian Brigade, consisting of Queenslanders, South Australians, Western Australians, and Tasmanians, had been chosen to make the landing...
During the whole of this trying time if one thing cheered the men more than another it was the behaviour of their officers. I saw one officer in charge of a machine gun who one knew for certain must be killed if the fight lasted...
Australia has lost many of her best officers in this way. The toll has been really heavy...
It would be absurd to pretend that the life of an officer like that one was wasted. No-one knows how long his example will live on amongst men. There were others, whom I will mention later on when the casualties have all reached Australia, who died fighting like tigers, some who fully knew they would die. One was sometimes inclined to think this sort of leading useless, but none who heard the men talking next day could doubt its value. "By God! Our officers were splendid," one Australian told me. Where I went I heard the same opinion expressed."
Charles Bean - The First Report (ANZAC landing)
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