Clergyman's

“You will never win a war at the command post. It is just as safe and more inspiring for your men to see the commanding officer around whatever your rank may be.”
— Edson Raff

“Let members of your staff know what's going on. Otherwise give them rifles. They would rather fight.”
— Edson Raff

“Airborne operations must be preceded by subterfuges in terms of diversions, ruses, rumors, and decoys. The enemy observer must cry ""Wolf!"" so often that when the real operation takes place no one listens to his cries.”
— Edson Raff

“Rumors in military organizations are rampant at all times. They spread rapidly.”
— Edson Raff

“Be simple in your every act, word, and deed. Your men will like it and you'll get results, not excuses.”
— Edson Raff

“One day in August, 1940, an article in the New York Times caught my eye. It was the announcement that a test platoon of American parachutists had been formed at Fort Benning, Georgia, and had gone into training there. The possibility struck me that our army might be developing parachute troops similar to those known to be in the Russian and German armies. Not being sure if a First Lieutenant of Infantry having a C.A.A. commercial pilot's license and a yen for adventure possessed the necessary qualifications, I, nevertheless, decided then and there to be a parachutist.”
— Edson Raff

“Improvise to be sure, but remember, though a wrench may be used to drive nails, it will not drive them as efficiently as a hammer.”
— Edson Raff

“Italians- good fighters with Germans calling the signals; otherwise, bush-leaguers.”
— Edson Raff

“If the enemies facing you are Germans, they are just as nervous as you are. If they are Italians, they are twice as nervous.”
— Edson Raff

“The Douglas C-47 flown by these pilots is a worthy workhorse, far better than any other plane in its class, Allied or Axis. Even with relatively new pilots flying it, the craft behaves as any faithful workhorse should- perfectly. In a couple of cases unheard-of overloads have been placed aboard the plane with the only obvious change being the increased distance of take-off and landing. We paratroopers get to love the brutes because they can be slowed down and their tails are out of the way when we jump. Their pilots and crew chiefs have a deep, far less mercenary fondness for them which increases with the passage of time.”
— Edson Raff

“Germans- businessmen who know their business. They have the finesse of experience. Watch out for deception when fighting them. To try the same ruse twice against them is fooling yourself. A possum game they love to play will cause you to underestimate their strength. Their equipment is excellent. Tanks and 88-mm guns are part of a team. When you meet them separately, consider yourself lucky, as a rule, you won't. Forget the words ""air superiority"" as long as there is one Nazi plane around. It will smack you night and day when you think you're safe. Mines and booby traps are the nastiest type of Nazi specialties.”
— Edson Raff

“American troops- with more battle experience and basic instruction in laying and lifting mines, booby traps, night combat, Americans will be the superior soldiers they have been in every war. There are too few junior leaders who are sufficiently tough to lead the men. It seems that only through the useless spilling of blood will American soldiers realize that good discipline saves lives on the battlefield.”
— Edson Raff