Download the PDFĪrmies in Retreat Chaos, Cohesion, and Consequences Improvements in Third Army’s ability to generate information advantage resulted not from any technological advance or material factor but from a military culture that encouraged adaptation. Finally, it looks at how Patton leveraged diverse expertise to develop devastatingly effective solutions to complex problems.

It also analyzes how Patton’s coalition established robust feedback loops and a culture of self-criticism and experimentation. Specifically, it explores how Patton’s visionary leadership created a sense of organizational urgency, reducing change resistance.

This study examines how Patton successfully embedded a unique military culture that encouraged rapid adaptation within Third Army’s information forces. Yet when Third Army activated in England in the Spring of 1944, it possessed neither the information forces nor the staff processes to generate information advantage effectively. Information advantage enabled Third Army to gain and maintain the initiative, anticipate decisions, and extend operational reach. Third Army’s success was substantially due to its effectiveness at generating operational level information advantage. In August 1944, Patton’s Third Army smashed through German defenses in Normandy and broke out in a rapid pursuit across France.

Not Just Lucky How Patton’s Third Army Adapted to Generate Information Advantage, 1944

The Second World War download