vantages of each.

You must, of course, in every case know what you're up against before
you can decide intelligently what you're going to do.

In making your plan always bear in mind not only your own MISSION, but
also the general mission of the command of which you form a part, and
this is what nine men out of ten forget to do.

=951. The Decision.= It is important that you should come to a clear
and correct decision--that you do so promptly and then execute it
vigorously.

The new Japanese Field Service Regulations tell us that there are two
things above all that should be avoided--inaction and hesitation. "To
act resolutely even in an erroneous manner is better than to remain
inactive and irresolute"--that is to say do something.

You are now ready to come to a decision, which is nothing more or less
than a clear, concise determination of what you're going to do and how
you're going to do it. Frederick the Great, expressed the same idea
in fewer words: "Don't haggle."

Having settled on a plan, push it through--don't vacillate, don't
waver. Make your plan simple. No other has much show. Complicated
plans look well on paper, but in war they seldom work out. They
require several people to do the right thing at the right time and
this under conditions of excitement, danger and confusion, and, as a
result, they generally fail.

=952. The Order.= Having completed your estimate of the situation and
formed your plan, you are now ready to give the orders necessary to
carry it out.

You must first give your subordinates sufficient information of the
situation and your plan, so that they may clearly understand their
mission.

The better everyone understands the whole situation the better he can
play his part. Unexpected things are always happening in war--a
subordinate can act intelligently only if he knows and understands
what his superior wants to do.

Always make your instructions definite and positive--vague
instructions are sometimes worse than none.

Your order, your instructions, must be clear, concise and
definite--everyone should know just exactly what he is to do.

A Few General Principles

=953.= The man who hunts deer, moose, tigers and lions, is hunting big
game, but the soldier operating in the enemy's territory is hunting
bigger game--he's hunting for human beings--but you want to remember
that the other fellow is out hunting for you, too; he's out "gunning"
for you. So, don't fail to be on