RAOC Gazette - page 143
Image details
| Corps | RAOC |
|---|---|
| Material type | Journals |
| Book page | |
| Chapter head | |
| Chapter key | |
| Chapter number | |
| Full title | RAOC Gazette |
| Page number | |
| Publication date | 1980 |
| Real page | |
| Colour | Yes |
| Grey | No |
| Early date | 1980 |
| Late date | 1980 |
| Transcription |
A CHEVAL REFLECTIONS ON THE COURS SUPERIEUR DE FORMATION LOGISTIQUE By LIEUTENANT COLONEL D. C. WATT ATTENDANCE on courses is an important feature of an Officer's career—or so we are told. Without casting aspersions on our worthy School of Ordnance and other such establish- ments, I have found that the most interesting and rewarding courses tend to be those which have little to do with ones normal daily struggle towards perfection. Snow Queen springs to mind as one of the more memorable courses which improves with repetition. It was thus in a spirit of keen anticipation that I found myself in Paris last September about to embark on No. 5401 Cours Superieur de Formation Logistique sponsored by the Logistic Division of the French MOD. Three weeks in Paris at the end of the tourist season seemed an eminently sensible idea. Discovering by chance on the third day that the course actually lasted five weeks did not seriously affect my well- being. How did he get on this jaunt, you may ask? How indeed. The qualifications are fairly minimal. One must be a major RAOC or thereabouts, be registered as a French speaker—a subtle difference from actually being a French speaker—and one should not have completed the course previously. Some- how I surfaced to the top of AG9s list of one and there I was. The main purpose of this article is not to describe the course in detail, this being covered in an appropriately classified report retained (one hopes) by the Defence Attache. Nor is it an administrative brief which is freely available from AG9 or ATI, based on the experiences of several officers. It covers travel and accommodation and suffice it to say, if you find yourself in a small hotel where the clientele book rooms by the hour you should consider your position very carefully. It is rather an attempt to describe the general ambiance of the course and, in so doing, perhaps allay the fears of the next Officer to be nominated. France is different from England, sometimes one could say indifferent and it behoves the British Officer to recognise the differences which are nowhere more apparent than in the French Army. Firstly, the question of rank. This is of the greatest im- portance to the French Military and a source of total confusion to the foreign officer. Provided that you are neither colour blind nor short sighted you will be able to differentiate between officers of various rank when they are in uniform. The problem arises when they are introduced in civilian clothes, an ad- mittedly rare occasion since they appear to wear uniform to bed. They are often addressed by their appointment eg Monsieur the Chief Doctor, Monsieur the Squadron Commander, Monsieur the General. This latter officer is usually easy to recognise as he is surrounded by other officers who are all saying " Oui, mon general." (If you have difficulty with this phrase you may not be the best choice for the course). Etiquette is a related subject. The average Brit does not speak at breakfast and will only chat with chaps he has known since Sandhurst. It is difficult to get into the habit of shaking hands with thirty fellow students each morning at 7, particularly when there are no set rules for this performance apart from dropping a social clanger if you do not. Talking to soldiers required some forethought since neither of you will understand what the other is saying, and you may well be the first officer who has ever spoken to him in any language! On the subject of language, it will be a great advantage if you have been to Manchester on the management course. The French are fond of words such as polyvalant, infrastructure, imputation and homogeneity. They are used more or less at random and give you time to hear the more significant words such as left, right, one or two. After a couple of weeks you will have built up enough confidence to ask questions and by the end of the course you may well understand some of the answers. Be wary of criticising their systems. In general they are constructed against a background of immense detailed planning and considerable resources of men, money and equipment. Flexibility, that old British cry in place of forethought, is not rated a major attribute. If something different might happen, an alternative plan is made in advance. Further, they know a good deal more about their own Army than the average British Officer (the one who gets GOOD in his CR) knows about his. Nevertheless, you should not be afraid of participating in the attacks on lecturers of a rank junior to you. This will be regarded as right and proper. Do not attempt to take too many notes. You will fall behind the lecturer who is often capable of speaking for fifty minutes at speeds in excess of five hundred words per minute. There is no French equivalent of ' um—er—well—let me see, where were we?" At the end of the lecture you will receive a vast precis and will be astonished at what you have heard. You need not pay too much attention to the vu-foils as there is an informal competition among lecturers to see how much informa- tion can be crammed on one sheet. The current winner is an officer of the Budget Division who managed the entire equip- ment forecast for 79-89 by vehicle code. Food and drink are important elements of the course. The French Army is largely composed of conscripts and a trainee chef from Maxim's is unlikely to find himself in the Pay Corps as was our wont in the days of National Service. You should avoid being loo effusive about the meals since your fellow students take their excellence for granted. Contrary to popular opinion they do not drink huge quantities of wine, but you are likely to be a little glazed in the afternoons until about week three. Although flexibility is not given much priority, the pro- gramme is liable to change without notice leaving you the only one in uniform or civvies as the case may be. This does not worry the French who are prepared for everything nor should it embarrass you. When you arrive at the destination you will find that you are the only one correctly dressed. You will have to visit the Embassy from time to time to collect railway warrants, allowances, briefs from the Defence Attache, allowances, invitations to cocktail parties and allow- ances. These visits must be made during class time as the Embassy works fairly generous hours. Choose the period to be missed with care, taking advice from your colleagues. An afternoon on the administrative laws of 1882 seemed appropriate in my case. You will find that the traditional formality of the French disappears quite quickly and the other students will be friendly and co-operative, provided you do not ramble on about the common agricultural policy, Iamb or New Zealand butter. They will be frankly curious about foreign systems but curiosity is as far as it will go. You may well excite their sympathy but it will be rare indeed if you score a point. Perhaps a good line to adopt is that chosen by a visiting American lecturer when asked a particularly knotty and leading question in regard to USAREUR combat readiness. " Uh—gentlemen—an answer to that hypothesis—uh—at this time—uh—would, per se, be of a sensitive nature, classification-wise. Lemme check it out and get back to you through channels? (Please)." "A cheval" cried the President, or senior member, of our course at the start of day one and the pace was certainly fast However, all work and no play makes Jacques a dull boy and the British student should manage to occupy himself agreeably during the spare time at his disposal. There are worse places to be in September than Paris. Well, back to the desk. More DCIs to wade through. What's this? The Joint Service School of Sub Aqua, Naples . . . . J(C ^c POSTAL, + + # PROBLEMS Office of Ordnance Royal Laboratory Tipnor Magazine Woolwich 21st April 1802. Portsmouth Sir,—I am to desire that you will have the goodness in future to confine your monthly Returns of Small Arms Ammunition to a single sheet of paper and if the paper should be large, to write upon the outside single—in order to prevent paying double postage as have been heretofore, charged. I am Sir, Your most obedient servant, — 344 — HENRY FORMAN. |
| Book number | R0403a |