Fatigue Management

The factor of tiredness of unseasoned troops was a very
pressing one and it was found that most reinforcements
were, after 48 hours without sleep, completely exhausted,
though a number of the officers and more experienced men
were still comparatively fresh after four or five days with
only three or four hours' rest in the whole period. In other
words, untrained troops must be nursed until they are
used to the demands being made on them, and to the noise
and uncertainty of warfare ...
LTCOL S. Pond, CO 2/29 Bn
cited in Lionel Wigmore's
The Japanese Thrust, 1957
e. Similarly, check performance levels during SusOps; for example, use
the ‘Plus 7’ test to confirm mental alertness.
f. Aim to allow each soldier at least four to five hours of unbroken sleep
each 24 hour period, preferably at about the same time each day.
g. When appropriate, adopt a more relaxed leadership style. Tired
soldiers normally respond better to this approach. Reassure rather
than pressure. Be sensitive to mood changes in your soldiers and don't
overreact to uncharacteristic outbursts that are a likely reaction to
stress and fatigue.
h. You may need to modify your leadership behaviours as fatigue
increases, for example, give simple directions, deliver orders and
directions slowly, ensure orders are complete and unambiguous,
repeat all orders and directions and confirm they are understood, and
be tolerant of errors.
i. Know the effects of sleep loss. Such awareness should enable you to
accurately gauge the limits of human endurance, predict when units
and personnel will need rest or replacement, identify and anticipate
behaviours, such as sleep inertia, distinguish between fatigue and
combat stress reaction, anticipate and avoid accidents, and so on.
Figure 5 provides an example of the Performance, Signs and
Management of fatigue for a three day SusOp.
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