William Slim: command built around strengths

Slim's account of the advance toward Imphal shows a commander assigning a British division, an Indian division, and a long-range brigade according to their different capabilities. Instead of treating one formation as the universal answer, he combines armour and artillery on the road with movement through difficult jungle country and air-supplied mobility. The advance also depends on engineers who carry original bridge plans forward so destroyed spans can be replaced quickly. This is practical, adaptive leadership grounded in the strengths of real units.