“He either fears his fate too much, or his deserts are small. That dares not put it to the touch, To gain or lose it all.”-MARQUISOF MONTROSE
These lines from the seventeenth-centuryMarquis of Montrose have special meaning for me because of the way in whichfirst heard them.
The greatest military operation of historywas the Allied invasion of Normandyin June 1944.Probably no other operation ever received such careful planningand meticulous attention to its smallest requirements. For months the trainingareas, airfields and ports of Great Britain hummed with the activity ofsoldiers, sailors and airmen. Important phases of the invasion plan wererehearsed in great maneuvers which reproduced with all possible realism theconditions anticipated in combat.
As D Day approached, the senior commandersassembled their principal subordinates for a final review of the plans. Thelargest conference of this kind was held in St. Paul’sScholl in Londonunder the monitorship of Field Marshal Montgomery. Here the Allied commandersof all the services consulted together and verified the readiness of theirpreparations.
After a long day of earnest discussions, asthe meeting was about to adjourn, Marshal Montgomery arose and gave a finaladdress in which he expressed his confidence in the success of this greatenterprise. In closing, he commended to us the words of Montrose I have quoted.They were with me on D Day in Normandyand have been with me ever since as a spur to decisive action when the cardsare down.
I stress the importance of the context,because in themselves these words might be taken simply as poetic counsel to arash willingness to “shoot the works,” But with the background of our carefulpreparations for Normandy,they become a rejection of fear of failure after every preparation has been
I stress the importance of the context,because in themselves these words might be taken simply as poetic counsel to arash willingness to “shoot the works.” But with the background of our carefulpreparations for Normanday, they become a rejection of fear of failure afterevery preparation has been made and every contingency anticipated.
Assuming such preparations, these words saythat there are times in the lives of both men and nations when we must bewilling to risk much in order to win much. They are a counsel against timidityand for the bold recognition of those great moments when we must be prepared to“let the chips fall where they may.” In these troubled times we can exerteffective leadership only if it is apparent to the whole world that there arecertain things so important that, regardless of hazard, we dare to put all tothe test, as becomes a people whose deserts are large.
BY GENERAL MAXWELL D. TAYLOR
CHIEF OF STAFF, U. S. ARMY
敢於挺身一試
一個人既太畏懼他的命運，又或認為希望太渺茫，就不敢放膽一試，接受勝利或失敗的考驗。－蒙特羅斯
這些十七世紀蘇格蘭蒙特羅斯侯爵所說的話，對我有特殊的意義，因為它使我回憶起第一次聽到這種說法的情景。
歷史上最大的一次軍事行動，要推同盟國軍隊在一九四四年六月登陸諾曼第這一戰役了，因為從來沒有像這次那樣對計畫深思熟慮，甚至連細微末節都一絲不苟地加以注意的。接連數月，英國的訓練基地、機場和港口都有三軍在操練。登陸計畫的最重要部分都訂出了龐大手冊，通過演習，再推測將來在作戰中可能發生的情況，予以修正。
登陸日的前數日，高級將領們召集了他們的屬下軍官，對登陸計畫作一次最後總檢討。這次盛大的檢討會議是在倫敦聖保羅學校由蒙哥馬利元帥主持召開的。擔任各種任務的聯軍最高指揮官們互相諮詢，檢討這次的準備是否已確實完成了。
經過一整天熱烈的討論，會議將結束時，蒙哥馬利元帥站起來，說了最後一段話，他表示對這次任務的成功具有信心，結束時，他以蒙特羅斯侯爵的那段話來勉勵我們，他所說的就是我上面提示的那一段話。就從諾曼第登陸那天開始。一直到現在，每當一件事到了需要決定的時刻，這句話總會在我心中激勵我。
我強調這句話的關係，是因為人家會認為這句話只是取自詩人的忠告，叫人輕率地企圖去「攻擊敵方陣地」。可是對登陸諾曼第那樣準備妥善的計畫而言，卻說明在萬事齊備的情形下，我們該如何消除得失心理的作祟。
假定有了這樣的準備，無論是個人也好、國家也好，總會有一個時刻，我們為了要求更多的收穫而冒極大的危險。我們是一種抵抗畏懼的忠告和勇敢地認識這樣偉大的時刻，我們必須準備「任讓那些廢物退縮」。在這樣的多事之秋，如果我們要充分發揮領導作用，只有認清楚世上有些事非常重要，不論如何危險，我們都要敢於挺身一試，作為一個國家的國民，他才有大希望。
泰勒將軍（美國前陸軍參謀長）
