Quote of the day: Wavell on the days back when the infantry was dissed bigtime

The ascendance of infantry in the ranks of Army general officers was recently discussed on this blog by Lt. Gen. Barno. Nowadays, everyone seems to want to be a groundpounder. This quotation, written by Field Marshall Archibald Wavell in April 1945, reminded me that infantry has not always been so favored:

Let us be clear about three facts. First, all battles and all wars are won in the end by the infantryman. Secondly, the infantryman always bears the brunt. His casualties are heavier, he suffers greater extremes of discomfort and fatigue than the other arms. Thirdly, the art of the infantryman is less stereotyped and far harder to acquire in modern war than that of any other arm. The role of the average artilleryman, for instance, is largely routine; the setting of a fuse, the loading of a gun, even the laying of it are processes which, once learnt, are mechanical. The infantryman has to use initiative and intelligence in almost every step he moves, every action he takes on the battle-field. We ought therefore to put our men of best intelligence and endurance into the Infantry.

Yet the Infantry in peace or war receives the lowest rates of pay, the drabbest uniforms, sometimes even the least promising of recruits; most important of all, it ranks lowest in the public estimation and prestige.