If you are a naval officer, you should know some of the stories of General Nelson, who will tell you what is the valuable qualities of a soldier, what are the duties and honors of a soldier; he is an immortal statue of a world naval officer, he interprets the full connotation of a naval officer with his life of battle, and he is a well-deserved model for the world's naval servicemen. If you want to be a great admiral, you should read the life of General Nelson, which will show you the art of a naval commander and his strength and passion at sea.
Soldiers are born for the motherland, the value of soldiers lies in defending the motherland, and the soul of soldiers lies in loyalty to the motherland. The interests of the motherland are above all else. In order to safeguard the interests of the motherland, it is necessary to come when called upon, to be able to fight when it comes, and to sacrifice everything oneself at the expense of oneself, which is not only the minimum requirement for military personnel, but also the valuable quality of military personnel. Nelson was infinitely loyal to his country, dutiful and conscientious for his country, and interpreted this with his life of fighting.
General Nelson was hailed as a model for naval servicemen around the world
Horatio Nelson is by far the world's greatest British naval commander, born on 29 September 1758. The important period of his growth, that is, the less than 12 years from 1793 to 1805, was a period of great competition, smoke and war in Europe, a period of revolutionary France from internal revolutionary reform to external aggression and expansion, and the consolidation and expansion of the revolutionary gains through conquest. In the spring of 1792, the frenzy of war was at an all-time high in Paris, and the Legislative Assembly decided to wage war. In order to dominate Europe, in February 1793 France declared war on Britain and the Netherlands, thus provoking a European war that lasted almost 22 years. Nelson was appointed captain of the 64-gun Agamemnon and began his career at sea. During his lifetime, he fought 124 battles, large and small, and made immortal contributions to maintaining Britain's maritime trade and crushing Napoleon's dream of invading Britain and dominating Europe, until he died on his victorious flagship. He was simply the nemesis of France and Napoleon, the Nile Victory in August 1798 shattered Napoleon's dream of ruling Egypt and invading India; the victory of the Naval Battle of Copenhagen commanded by him in 1801 completely disintegrated Napoleon's northern armed neutral alliance with Russia, Denmark, Sweden and other countries; in the Battle of Cape Trafalgar in 1805, the British Mediterranean Fleet led by him destroyed the main force of the French-Spanish Combined Fleet and drove Napoleon out of the sea forever, thus laying the foundation for Britain's century-old hegemony of the sea. He was wounded many times in battle, and in fact he had many opportunities to leave the battlefield, leave the battleship, and return to his hometown to reunite with his wife, daughters, and relatives. But he loved his country and turned this strong feeling into his actions; he made fighting for his country his glorious duty and the meaning of his life, and resolutely chose to stay on the battlefield. How sad and painful it seems to ordinary people to lose his arm in battle and become a one-eyed one-armed general, but Nelson said: "Although it is I who is disabled, my loyalty to the country is not diminished." This is Nelson's understanding of loyalty, which is unforgettable and meaningful!
The honor of a soldier has a rich connotation, but victory and indomitable will are its essence and core. Victory and all the efforts and efforts made to win it are the supreme honor of the soldier. Nelson cherished honor, regarded honor as life, and pushed his understanding of honor to a new height, and gave full play to the pursuit of honor.
Naval Battle of Cape Saint Vincent
Nelson believed that the pursuit of honor was duty, and the responsibility of soldiers was war. War requires pay and sacrifice, and not being afraid of paying and sacrificing is the greatest honor. In 1781 he was appointed captain of the 28-gun fast ship Albimar, tasked with escorting the Mediterranean, and later receiving orders to escort quebec. The damp and cold place was not conducive to his health, but he resolutely crossed the Atlantic Ocean in pursuit of honor. A year later his convoy arrived in New York, and he was told that it was a good season for New York to hunt down and get bonuses and that he should stay. But Nelson valued honor, was not moved by money, and resolutely chose to follow Lord Hood's fleet to the Indies to participate in the real naval battle, arguing that the duty of a soldier was war, not wealth. Responsibility is honor, and honor and responsibility are inseparable. The pursuit of honor is the fulfillment of responsibility. Nelson embodied this in his first match against the French. In October 1793, Hood sent Nelson with a secret letter to General Lynch, who was fighting off the coast of Sardinia, and on the way found 5 warships in the northwest, Nelson immediately ordered a chase, catching up with the last frigate, and immediately bombarded, leaving the French ship Malpoges severely damaged and almost completely incapacitated, and the other ships fled the battlefield with the turning wind. In the case of obvious weakness of 1:5, taking the initiative to throw themselves into battle, without a strong drive of honor and responsibility, where is there such a huge belief and courage to win? Another thing that most directly reflects nelson's strong desire for honor is that during the Battle of Cape Trafalgar, people around him advised him to change his coat to avoid being sniped by enemy ships in a ceremonial and medal-wearing target, which Nelson firmly refused. He said, "I have received it honorably, and I will die with it with honor." Ignoring life and death for honor and treating honor as life, Nelson pushed the true value of soldiers to the peak of life.
Fighting is a special and sacred duty of a soldier, and victory is the only pursuit of battle. And bravery is the premise of battle, the darling of victory, and the necessary quality of soldiers. Nelson is a natural warrior, he is eager to fight, never afraid of the enemy, never give up any opportunity to kill the enemy, always has a courage and belief that overwhelms all enemies, often bravely attacks and is invincible in the case of the enemy's strength and weakness, creating many records with less victory, with his brave combat actions, writing the legend of the victor in the rough sea.
The battles commanded by Nelson are not so much triumphs of his strategy and wisdom as the triumph of bravery, in which bravery is unique and vital. Bravery permeated the entire course of combat and action under his command and was reflected throughout his military career. In May 1794, Nelson led a force of just over 1,200 men to seize the French stronghold of San Fiorentina in Corsica, where the defenders numbered more than 5,000. But Nelson braved the enemy and commanded his troops to attack bravely, creating a record of nearly 5,000 defenders being completely disarmed by more than a thousand British troops; in March 1795, a French fleet set out from Toulon to approach Corsica, and under the condition of the impermanent direction of the wind and the unfavorable command of the fleet commander Hortham, only Nelson's Agamemnon quickly arrived and threw them into battle, knocking the French 84-gun Trinidad into a pile of wreckage; the next day, a fierce battle was waged against the Inspector, forcing them to surrender to the Agamemnon. The other enemy fleets retreated to Toulon; on 6 July, Agamemnon and four British ships met 17 French ships, severely damaging their tail ships. In February 1797, when 15 warships led by General Jervis and 27 warships under the command of Spanish Cordoba were in a fierce battle in Cape Saint Vincent, Nelson saw the opportunity and risked being punished for "violating military orders", rotated his warships 180 degrees, intercepted the enemy's vanguard ships and launched an artillery battle, and carried out the "most terrible and fierce" attack on the enemy ships, preventing the enemy's retreat. Nelson led his officers and men to force the boarding of the St. Nicholas from the Captain and from the St. Nicholas to the St. Joseph, which ended with the capture of four Spanish warships, the largest naval battle between the British after the Battle of all Saints Islands in the West Indies in 1782, and a much-needed victory for the British at that time, which delayed the French plan to invade the English Islands. Nelson's bravery was most evident in the fact that he had lost his right eye and right arm, and after becoming a one-eyed one-armed general, he was still fighting, and he had lost his eyes before he folded his arm, and General Hood had asked him if he wanted to replace his command. He replied firmly: "I can command the battle completely" and "I can see more clearly with one eye". On April 2, 1801, during the famous Battle of Copenhagen, the fighting began at 10:05 a.m. and lasted until 1:00 p.m. Commander Hyde Parker in the rear did not expect the battle to be so fierce, and fearing that Nelson would bear the shame of defeat, he signaled Nelson to retreat. But Nelson was so passionate that he said to his subordinates, "If I quit the fight, I'm not human!" "The fighting continued until 2 p.m. when the Danish resistance finally ceased, the British won an absolute victory, and 17 of the 18 warships in the Danish fleet were captured, burned or sunk... This is Nelson, a warrior whose blood is always flowing with the desire for victory! A true soldier who injects victory into the bone marrow and inscribes it in his heart!
In the famous Battle of Copenhagen, Nelson led LinkedIn army to an absolute victory
An excellent military commander is not only good at commanding and strategizing, but also good at leading troops and familiar with the way of leading troops. There are nothing more than two principles in leading troops: one is to strictly manage and set strict requirements, so that the troops are uniform, vigorous, act in accordance with orders, and prohibit orders; the other is to lead the troops with affection, to gather people with affection, to enhance the cohesion, appeal, and execution, combat effectiveness, and morale of the troops, so that the troops are united as one, all actions are subject to command, and the highest realm is to achieve the perfect combination of the two, to blend leniency with severity, and to blend strict love. This is the way to lead the troops, and it is also the key to the commander-in-chief. Nelson became a great admiral, the soul of the British Royal Navy, because he practiced this well and embodied it.
Nelson led the army well, was strict and strict with his subordinates, and trusted and cared for him. When it is concentrated, when it is democratic, when it is democratic, when it is discussed. Before each battle, he held seminars with the captains to discuss various possible situations and countermeasures, both strict uniform requirements and orders, while allowing the ships to play an independent combat ability in battle; in the event of an opportunity to seriously damage the enemy ships, the captain could launch an attack on his own without waiting for the signal of the flagship; but in such a seminar he never consulted the opinion of war or no war. He believes that if others are asked whether they should fight at this time, most of their opinions are against going to war, and fighting and preparing for battle are beyond doubt and cannot be discussed. He trusted and loved his subordinates, regarded them as brothers, and he believed that the fate of the country was in the hands of these people. He attached great importance to the lives and health of officers and men, and even on the eve of the great war, he was still very concerned about the issue of subsistence. On October 3, 1805, the Battle of Trafalgar was about to begin, Nelson still sent 5 warships to Gibraltar to transport fresh water and supplies, before the war, it was better to reduce the number of ships to transport supplies, which shows how much Nelson attaches great importance to the health and nutrition of his subordinates! He cared for his soldiers and took great care of them, and once Nelson found the sergeant in a small boat on the Victory, busy bagging the mail back to England, and forgot to send his own letter to it, he immediately instructed to "raise the signal and call the return ship". "He may die in tomorrow's battle," he said. He also did his best to help his fallen comrades, and after the death of Captain Edward Parker, Nelson, as his protector, not only settled his debts, but also paid for his funeral; after the death of Captain Ralph Miller, he went around calling for a monument to him, and so on. In this way, he acted with sincerity and love, "capturing the hearts of the people, who loved him and willingly obeyed his commands." After the Nile Victory, Nelson's reputation grew so great that many people came to him to ask him the secret of the leader's victory, and he replied, "I don't have any magical secrets." For me to command a group of brothers, it is a happy life", treating subordinates as brothers, maybe this is the secret of his leading troops, the secret of victory.
At the above rate, leading by example, taking the lead in times of danger, and requiring subordinates to do it first, this is not only the quality that a good commander should have, but also the basis for improving leadership, influence, credibility and authority. Nelson did it, and it was brilliant, and it has become a major feature of his distinctive conducting and leadership style.
Naval Battle of Trafalgar
Nelson knew that fighting meant death, but he was still always on the front. On 8 April 1777, when he had just passed the lieutenant exam to become second mate on the Loewsdorf, he commanded for the first time the schooner Lucy The Younger on a mission, and during one voyage they captured an American privateer. Captain Locke sent the first officer to take control of the ship, but came back because the wind was too strong. Locke shouted, "Isn't there anybody going?" "I'm going to take the lead in boarding the boat." Nelson said, "It's my turn this time, and when I can't go up, it's your turn." Then he turned to the boat, broke through the wind and waves several times, and finally boarded the boat. Due to the fierce winds and waves, he lost contact with the Loduf, but he did his best to return the booty to Port Royal. This was the first time he had stood alone, but he showed extraordinary bravery; in February 1797, at the Battle of Cape Saint Vincent with Spain, when Nelson saw two Spanish ships that had been violently attacked by the British ships colliding together, he immediately ordered his warships to collide with the enemy ships, and ordered Berry to lead people to jump into hand-to-hand combat, and he also led his officers and men to rush to the enemy ships, occupy the deck, tear down the enemy flag, and then shouted "Glorious death, glorious victory!" The slogan, rushing from this ship to another, accepting the surrender of the Spanish officers, created "Nelson's invention of the world's first bridge to capture the enemy ship"; in the Battle of Copenhagen on April 2, 1801, after 4 hours of fierce fighting with the Danish defenders, the Danish Crown Prince agreed to an armistice, Nelson took the lead in landing directly into the palace to negotiate with the Crown Prince, his courage was impressed by Denmark, and fully agreed to his negotiating conditions. Nelson had a credo: Whether dead or alive, I will fulfill my duty, this is my soul. That's what he said, and he did even more. From his attitude of facing death directly, we may be able to see his principle of leading the army and the way of leading the army.
Nelson was man, not God. Throughout his short life, there are also places that make people criticize. But the flaws are not hidden. As a sailor, a naval soldier, and an admiral, his life was full of glory. His will to fight, fighting spirit, fighting style, and combat action can be called a model of military personnel, and he is an immortal monument to the world's naval soldiers!
Copyright Notice: This article was published in Military Digest Magazine, No. 5, 2018, by Zhao Guoan. If you need to reprint, please be sure to indicate "Transferred from Military Digest".