How Has Von Shell Influenced His Men Essay
How did Cpt. Von Schell Influence his Men?
The mental state of a soldier can be influenced by many variables. One of the more controllable variables is the commanding officer. In Battle Leadership, Von Schell outlined two ways he influenced his men. He instilled a sense of security, whether it was a false sense did not matter. He also gave them opportunities to be active, and in a way, let them control their actions. A third influence on his men’s mental state was not his doing, but random well placed jokes that lightened the mood.
There are times it is not a controllable action that helps influence a person’s mental state, but a randomly placed joke. Von Schell remembers a battalion commander riding up with his orderly, and stating …show more content…
In Battle Leadership, Von Schell remembers the times of when he learned and proved this idea. One instance happens when he and his men are in a small stone house, with artillery being fired at them. Seeing he and his men are anxious waiting for a shell to hit them, he comes with a idea that if he sat in the doorway he could tell if a shell was going to hit them or not. Von Schell even said that looking back this idea of his was ridiculous, how could a person tell if they were going to be hit by a shell or not? However, at the time Von Schell felt secure enough to fall asleep. His men noticing his actions followed suit. While Von Schell put his men’s mind at ease, the anxiety was produced by not being able to do something about the situation they were in.
In conclusion, Von Schell learned through his years at war, not all way to influence men in a positive way is under his control. Being active and having a feeling of controlling your own fate can influence your fear, and a sense of security from something being done about the situation. These are all factors of a person’s mentality at war. Von Schell says however that while battefield psycology is important it cannot be taught, it must be
The mental state of a soldier can be influenced by many variables. One of the more controllable variables is the commanding officer. In Battle Leadership, Von Schell outlined two ways he influenced his men. He instilled a sense of security, whether it was a false sense did not matter. He also gave them opportunities to be active, and in a way, let them control their actions. A third influence on his men’s mental state was not his doing, but random well placed jokes that lightened the mood.
There are times it is not a controllable action that helps influence a person’s mental state, but a randomly placed joke. Von Schell remembers a battalion commander riding up with his orderly, and stating …show more content…
In Battle Leadership, Von Schell remembers the times of when he learned and proved this idea. One instance happens when he and his men are in a small stone house, with artillery being fired at them. Seeing he and his men are anxious waiting for a shell to hit them, he comes with a idea that if he sat in the doorway he could tell if a shell was going to hit them or not. Von Schell even said that looking back this idea of his was ridiculous, how could a person tell if they were going to be hit by a shell or not? However, at the time Von Schell felt secure enough to fall asleep. His men noticing his actions followed suit. While Von Schell put his men’s mind at ease, the anxiety was produced by not being able to do something about the situation they were in.
In conclusion, Von Schell learned through his years at war, not all way to influence men in a positive way is under his control. Being active and having a feeling of controlling your own fate can influence your fear, and a sense of security from something being done about the situation. These are all factors of a person’s mentality at war. Von Schell says however that while battefield psycology is important it cannot be taught, it must be