Military Question.

[Jan SobieskiParticipant 28791]

In Band of Brothers.

Is Lt Sobel an ass or a needed evil?

He rode the men hard but it was war.

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[AutoliteParticipant]

He was an asshole. An officer can be tough and still get the most out of his men without being a total dick about it. The respect afforded to that officer reflects this…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Sobel

[OldBillParticipant]

Jan Sobieski wrote:

Is Lt Sobel an ass or a needed evil?

Neither. He was merely an example of the Peter principle in that he rose to his level of incompetence.

Laurence Peter coined the term back in the 60s and it’s been in routine use ever since. The concept is a simple one. In nearly all organizations, you’re promoted according to how well you’re performing your current role not according to the abilities you have which are relevant to your intended role.

Do a job well, get promoted. Do that job well, get promoted. Do the next job well, get promoted. Do that job poorly and, not only are you not promoted, but you’re also not demoted out of the position you’re failing at.

Sobel was promoted to his level of incompetence. The fact that he got the training performance he did out of Easy Company had nothing to do with him and everything to do with the men involved. The morale, elan, esprit de corps, or whatever you want to cal it developed despite Sobel.

The men of Easy Company wanted to fight, they volunteered, they weren’t draftees like the majority of the armed froces in WW2, they wanted to be paratroopers, and they weren’t going to let Sobel’s inabilities detour them from those goals. It was only when the prospect of going into combat with Sobel – a man who routinely f~~~ed up field exercises – that the noncoms decided to “revolt” and at then at the cost of their own careers.

The fact that Sobel lasted in his position as long as he did was more damning of the regimental officers above him than Sobel himself.

I’ve seen good officers, mediocre officers, and bad officers. I’ve also seen good officers promoted into roles in which they became mediocre or bad. I served (mostly) in peacetime, so the unwritten “up or out” rule kept most incompetents from either advancing or remaining in uniform. I’ve also seen officers and enlisted whom I thought would cut it fail on varying levels when things got real.

The manpower requirements of wartime, however, mean that sometimes anyone with a pulse is good enough.

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