AAR 5

From: Cadet Jason Woodward

The Crete Conference was a Weekend Historical seminar and wargame utilizing miniatures and terrain tables to facilitate the professional development of the Cadet Candidates (CC’s) here at the United States Military Academy Preparatory School (USMAPS). Approximately 25 CC’s, and 30 HMGS wargamers, recreated the German 1941 airborne invasion of Crete. The conference used several classrooms of the USMAPS academic building from 5 to 7 FEB.

I "played" the role of the German Chief of Staff for the entire operation. I simulated flying over the entire battlefield in order to provide the overall commander of German forces with accurate and timely intelligence and tactical updates. This allowed the German Commander to allocate his resources in a more efficient and productive manner.

The most important lesson that I learned is the need for accurate and timely situation reports from subordinate commanders. Tactical Skills such as using the standard SALUTE Report format [Size, Activity, Location, Unit, Time, Equipment] make a drastic difference in the "portrait" of the battlefield conveyed to superiors. The reporting of information was the major weakness of the German role players. This forced the overall commander to rely on observations from an uninvolved aerial spectator (me), who did not necessarily grasp all the nuances of the current battle situation.

This directly relates to my future aspirations. This conference allowed me to gain the experience and view the battle from the perspective of a senior commander. This will allow me to be able to better recognize what information needs to be passed up the Chain of Command so that the tactical decisions will be made by my commanders will be based upon the most complete information available. This has been an invaluable experience to my professional development. I recommend that all aspiring leaders should conduct tactical war games in order to hone their battlefield skills.