Training for the complexities of war: an interview with Sir David Osborne Hay CBE, DSO, MBE (Mil). (In retrospect)

The subject selected for this Oral history is Sir David Hay CBE, DSO, MBE (Mil) whose career spanned the full period of the Second World War. As such he is well qualified to comment on the subject of training for and in war. His experiences provide the medium for identifying the key points in relation to training and the lessons that can be applied today. The video commences with a short introduction that highlights the importance of military history and its application in training today. The lessons that can be gained by the ADF from the study of military history are reinforced by examining the involvement of Australian forces in past conflicts. The emphasis of the interview is on the training methods and development of the 2/6th Battalion as it participated in operations during the course of the Second World War. The theme of "Training for the complexities of war" serves to highlight the complex and difficult nature of training a unit for a vast array of operational tasks in diverse geographic locations.