Quote of the day: Wavell on the days back when the infantry was dissed bigtime

The ascendance of
infantry in the ranks of Army general officers was recently discussed on this
blog by Lt.
Gen. Barno. Nowadays, everyone seems to want to be a groundpounder. This quotation,
written by Field Marshall Archibald Wavell in April 1945, reminded me that infantry
has not always been so favored:

Let us be clear about three facts. First, all
battles and all wars are won in the end by the infantryman. Secondly, the
infantryman always bears the brunt. His casualties are heavier, he suffers
greater extremes of discomfort and fatigue than the other arms. Thirdly, the
art of the infantryman is less stereotyped and far harder to acquire in modern
war than that of any other arm. The role of the average artilleryman, for
instance, is largely routine; the setting of a fuse, the loading of a gun, even
the laying of it are processes which, once learnt, are mechanical. The
infantryman has to use initiative and intelligence in almost every step he
moves, every action he takes on the battle-field. We ought therefore to put our
men of best intelligence and endurance into the Infantry.

Yet the Infantry in peace or war receives the
lowest rates of pay, the drabbest uniforms, sometimes even the least promising
of recruits; most important of all, it ranks lowest in the public estimation
and prestige.