The officer who studies military history along the lines of recreational reading and analytical research will benefit in three ways:First, he will develop a mind rich in the experience of war in all its aspects. The climate of war will become an integral part of his subconscious being. Without consciously thinking about it he will have a cultivated awareness of the pitfalls which strew the path of the commander and the staff officer, and he will be able to see the possibilities and the dangers of any situation or any course of action.
Secondly, he will develop the power of analysis—the power of breaking up the problem into its component parts, balancing one against the other, and arriving at a sound solution.
Thirdly, it will fill his mind with knowledge of human beings in combat, and that is essential knowledge for the soldier.
Finally, remember that unless your critical analysis of fact is not tempered with sympathy and compassion you will never learn anything about humanity.
From: The Australian Chief of Army Reading List
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