Allied Air Power Doctrine: Royal Air Force War Manual; Volume I - Appendix I: Appriciations

General Considerations

1. An appreciation of the situation, whether written or unwritten, is simply a logical process of reasoning, the object of which is to determine from factors known or surmised the best course to adopt in any given circumstances. To this end all relevant considerations must be methodically, progressively and logically reasoned out and a definite solution derived therefrom.

2. The elemental form of an appreciation is, therefore :

(i) The aim to be attained.

(ii) The factors that affect the attainment of the aim.

(iii) The best course of action to adopt in order to attain the aim.

This form is the basis of every appreciation and should be rigidly followed.

3. Although the elemental form of an appreciation should be followed, the arrangement of the subsidiary details of an appreciation will vary with the situation. It is undesirable, therefore, to adhere strictly to any formal arrangement outside the elemental form. On the other hand experience has shown that the employment of some formal method is of assistance for training purposes ; all the points that generally require consideration in an appreciation are, therefore, set out in the following paragraphs in the order in which it will usually be convenient to arrange them.

4. Additional paragraphs also have been linked to the elemental form to facilitate interpretation. These are :

(i) An introductory paragraph, to put the reader into the picture, in the form of a review of the situation as it exists at the time at which the appreciation is being written.

(ii) Separate paragraphs for the consideration of the courses open to the enemy and to one's own side, to enable these important factors to be examined in their correct aspect.

(iii) A final paragraph, to provide data upon which to write operation orders, in the form of a plan by which to give effect to the selected course of action.

It must be clearly understood that these paragraphs are supplementary to the argument of the appreciation and are only necessary when required for the sake of clearness.

5. The arrangement outlined may not always be suitable and an officer must, therefore, acquire sufficient experience in the writing of appreciations to enable him to set out the details in the way best suited to the particular needs of any situation.

6. Appreciations must be of a general nature and not over-burdened with details. The lengths will vary with the subject and the person for whom the appreciation is being written, but the wording must always be simple, clear and as concise as is compatible with accuracy; every word must bear only one construction and sentences must be kept short and tested for ambiguity. These requirements demand ability to marshal all the relevant facts in a methodical manner ; ability to eliminate all unnecessary detail, and ability to present the reasoning in a progressive and logical order. This ability can be acquired only by constant practice in the writing of appreciations.

7. It may happen that in the absence of a definite immediate aim, for example, when no definite orders have been issued, a subordinate will have to start his appreciation with a more comprehensive aim, usually that of his superior. Such a situation involves, in reality, two appreciations ; the first to arrive at an immediate aim, the second to select a course for its attainment, but the two processes can best be combined in one form with only one review and one plan. The elemental form of such a double appreciation is

(i) The higher aim.

(ii) The factors governing the choice of the immediate aim.

(iii) The immediate aim.

(iv) The factors that affect the attainment of the immediate aim.

(v) The best course of action to adopt in order to attain the immediate aim.

The application of this combined form is discussed in detail in the following paragraphs, to provide officers with a basis upon which to practise the writing of double appreciations.

Simple Appreciation

8. Every written appreciation must have a heading which should indicate the subject of the appreciation, by whom and for whom it Is being considered, the place, time and date. The heading should be followed by particulars of any appendices and reference maps.

9. Review of the situation. A written appreciation will usually open with a review of the situation as it exists at the time at which the appreciation is being written. The review is merely an introduction to give the reader a picture of the situation that has led to the choice of the particular aim. It should be a statement of facts, giving a clear and concise indication of the situation so far as it concerns the problem under consideration. In a simple appreciation it is usually desirable to include the intention of the higher command or government as well as a brief summary of the essential political and military facts. The review must be confined to essentials, and, therefore, the information must be given in broad terms ; tabular statements and details of the location, relative strength, equipment, efficiency, mobility and morale of the enemy forces and similar matters should be put into appendices.

10. The aim to be attained. This is the crux of the whole problem. One, and only one, aim must be set down as the aim to be attained. When the aim has not been defined by the higher command or when two or more aims present themselves, a subordinate must select his own immediate aim. To do this he must make a double appreciation, the details of which are given in paragraph 23.

11. The aim to be attained must be defined in a clear, vigorous and concise form, which must be as broad as possible and not qualified by conditions. It must be kept in view throughout the appreciation, all else being subordinated to its attainment. The method by which it is to be attained must not be considered at this stage and " aim " must not be confused with " objective."

12. Factors affecting the attainment of the aim.—Before considering the courses by which to attain the aim it is necessary to examine those factors in the situation that have a bearing on the attainment of the aim. Nothing should be written down that is not essential to the particular problem under consideration and that has not a definite bearing on it. It may be necessary to consider in the light of the aim, points that have already been mentioned in the review of the situation. The factors should be considered in relation to both sides and they should be arranged in a logical sequence suited to the situation, each factor or group of factors leading up to one or more definite deductions.

13. The following are some of the more important points that may have to be considered :

Time and space. (Important considerations in practically every appreciation.)

Politics and finance.

Strength of forces, which might include relative numbers and equipment, including reserves, morale, training and national characteristics.

Character of the enemy commander.

Bases, aerodromes, landing grounds, seaplane anchorages (including distances).

Vulnerable points (both sides).

Topography.

Weather.

Supplies, stores, fuel.

Transportation.

Communications.

These points are not intended to be exhaustive nor are they set down in the order of their importance, which must differ with each appreciation. Should it be desirable to give detailed particulars of any factor, they should be put into an appendix so that the body of the appreciation may be confined to essentials.

14. Enemy courses of action that affect the attainment of the aim.—In order to decide the best course of action by which to achieve the aim it is necessary first to examine the different courses open to both sides and to weigh and consider the situation from all angles. It is usually more convenient to deal with the courses of action open to the enemy before dealing with those open to one's own side, but should one have the initiative due care must be taken not to surrender it to the enemy by giving too much weight to his probable action.

15. The courses of action open to the enemy should be considered from his point of view and he should be credited with acting wisely unless he has shown in the past that he is likely to act otherwise.

16. All the enemy's probable courses of action should be embraced in a few broad courses, which must be mutually exclusive, and the effect, good or bad, of each on the attainment of the aim should be stated.

17. If the attainment of the aim is entirely dependent upon what the enemy may do it is better to argue out which of the courses he is more likely to adopt and to provide for that one with all resources rather than try to meet every contingency in a half-hearted manner. It is necessary, however, to avoid laying down the law for the enemy and, therefore, it is better to leave this question open whenever possible.

18. Courses of action open to one's own side to attain the aim. The courses open to one's own side should be stated in the broadest possible terms and each course should be capable of attaining the aim defined. The advantages and disadvantages of each course and the relative ease or difficulty of execution should be stated bearing in mind what has already been written about the enemy's courses.

19. In an appreciation on the employment of aircraft it may be necessary to consider the courses in groups according to the functions of the aircraft employed, a combined course of action being finally selected. It should be noted as a general principle that the courses in any one group must be mutually exclusive.

20. Selection of the best course to attain the aim.  The selection of the best course to adopt necessitates the most careful consideration. The points for and against the various courses should be judiciously weighed and the best course selected. It must be clearly and concisely defined in as broad terms as possible, together with the main considerations that have governed the selection.

21. The plan of action. The plan to give effect to the selected course of action should be confined to such general directions as may be necessary to enable a trained staff officer to draft, without further elucidation, the orders required to carry it out. It must be definite, clear and practical and should, where necessary, be illustrated by means of a diagram in order that its salient points may be grasped more quickly. For example, a time and distance table is an important adjunct to any plan dealing with the employment of aircraft.

22. It should be noted that simplicity is a valuable asset in any plan and that the soundness of a plan depends upon the correct application of the principles of war.

Double Appreciation

23. A double appreciation is used when the immediate aim is obscure. It merely consists of introducing at the beginning of a simple appreciation an additional process of reasoning to enable one to arrive at a sound immediate aim. These notes are confined to the additional paragraphs required to cover the extra argument. These follow the review of the situation, which becomes very general in a double appreciation, and are as follows :

(i) The higher aim. Every appreciation must start with a definite aim. In a double appreciation, therefore, the paragraph that immediately follows the introduction must be a clear definition of the aim of the Government or higher command, whichever is appropriate.

(ii) Factors governing the choice of the immediate aim.—

(a) In this paragraph one must consider all the factors that affect the attainment of the higher aim. The immediate aim that will best further the intention of the Government or higher command must be deduced from these factors.

(b) Where the deductions lead definitely to one immediate aim the process will be simple, but where two or more immediate aims present themselves it will usually be desirable, for the sake of clearness, to introduce a further paragraph in which to weigh up the conflicting courses. A suitable heading is :

(iii) Consideration of the immediate aim.

(a) The considerations in this paragraph must lead to the selection of one, and only one, aim as the immediate object to be attained and it must be both a necessary and a practicable means of furthering the higher aim.

(b) Once the immediate aim has been selected the double appreciation proceeds on exactly the same lines as the simple appreciation (see paras. 8-22).