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Elaboration 32

The set up of both these institutions, the League and the U. N. , could have been workable to some degree though, by the aid of proper pooling of forces, armed forces. Had there been a 'really' integrated army instead of a united one, i.e. consisting of donated soldiers from all countries 'BUT' properly mixed, this 'superpower' had been able to enforce peace in the case of Mantshuria, Abbesynia, Germany, (and today, Lebanon, Iracque, Shri-Lanka, Ireland, Punjab &c,). A single such integrated company of say 150 soldiers, could have consisted of e.g. 20 Americans, 10 British, 10 Germans, 10 French, 1 Dutch, 20 Indian, 20 Chinese, etc. all mixed in sergeants and captains and so on. Naturally this would have lead to a necessity for world-headquarters, although the chances are that this would have been a diplomatic one, a debating club. After all, the illegality of the national governments would soon bring them to clash with this world army, this world-police-force. What if the forces of, say, Operation 'Overlord', the invasion on the Normandy coast, had been by a cleverly organized army, as fully 'integrated' as all that? Poles, Canadians, British, Irish, French, etc. fully mixed up, thoroughly integrated, using the 'same' weapons, tools, transport, ammunition, uniforms, distinctives, signals, codes, etc., etc. would certainly have not suffered half of the casualty lists. Organisation always must start with standardization. This, of course, introduces the element of inflexibility, inelasticity, rigidity, but this is only where rigidity is of no consequence. Standardisation, making a habit of-, a custom-, relieves one of thinking and deliberating efforts, of searching for an answer to a problem. Once you have made it a habit to have your keys always in the same pocket (standard), you never have to think or search, in fact, reaching for them follows fully automatic. When all rifles are the same calibre, and so is the ammo, the cartridges fit all, no searching for 'good' uns. This is only a first step. The next would have been, 'only one type rifle for Overlord, only one type a rifle ammo', and so through the whole gamut. A war or invasion, of necessity, needs very, very much flexibility of course. But a flexibility based upon a rigid-, strong-, standardization in ALL tools for it, humans as well as cannon, and preferably the best (the German Panzer faust for instance), gives the optimal scope for utter flexibility. When you have to put so many costly lives, against superior soldiers, who are in the advantageous position of defence (and on dry land), the organization of your army should not stop at one step over random. On the contrary, as many steps in standardization as possible, should diminish the waste of lives. The first intelligent act of man 'in socio', in co-operation, was standardization (sounds for ideas), why not intelligize it further when so much is at stake? See also, Hastings, Churchill, Ryan, etc.
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Next: Elaboration 33 Up: Elaborations Previous: Elaboration 31
Ven 2007-09-11