Christopher Vokes Born : April 13, 1904 Died : March 27, 1985 Browse All Authors Top 10 quotes by Christopher Vokes The most important thing, my father told me, which I have never forgotten, and which I have often put unto practice was: If you get into a quarrel with anybody, hit him first. "If you hit first, the battle is half-won," my father always said "Don't let him hit first. You hit him first." "What's more," he never forgot to say, too "Usually one blow is all you need." I found this to be true. Christopher Vokes practice blow father No one's reputation is quite what he himself perceives it ought to be. Christopher Vokes reputation ought perceive Command is often not what you do but the way you do it. Christopher Vokes command yawning way I believe that one can't command sitting on one's ass in the rear. One has to up among the forward brigade commanders, even as far as battalion commanders, especially if one is fighting a defensive action. One simply has to know what is going on. Christopher Vokes fighting sitting believe Perhaps if Hitler had had the wisdom to withdraw his troops and prepare for the defense of his own country, Germany, despite the loss of face this would entail in the losing of all Italy, then the course of the war, if not the outcome, would have been quite different. Christopher Vokes loss war country Generals do not always run wars the way they would like to, nor the troops under them. Christopher Vokes troops running war I wanted people who wouldn't become too worried about casualties. One always should be concerned about casualties, but the risk of incurring casualties can't be allowed to affect decisions, unless it's evident casualties will be prohibitively heavy. There may be no safe way to write this. Christopher Vokes decision writing people I looked for certain attributes in a soldier. I know the modern method is to put the attributes into a computer and see what comes out. But as far as I am concerned, the computer is the worst damn instrument devised by man to screw up man-management. Christopher Vokes screw-ups soldier men I reckon that the Bailey Bridge and the bulldozer were the greatest advances in military engineering in the years between World War I and World War II. Christopher Vokes engineering military war But now I salute you who follow me, Christopher Vokes follow-me salute ease
