Assessment
Quinan is now one of the "forgotten generals" of the Second World War. There are probably several reasons for this. He never commanded in a campaign against major Axis forces and so did not come to the public's notice. His style of command involved detailed planning and staff work for campaigns, as befitted his past as a successful staff officer on the North West Frontier. While this was effective on the Frontier and in Iraq and Iran, in the fast moving style of warfare that developed during the Second World War, this attention to detail was not always considered appropriate by political leaders such as Churchill.
His renowned attention to detail was noted in his Times obituary, which recorded that he “astonished, and sometimes appalled his subordinates by his meticulous attention to the duties of the smallest units under his command.”
Read more about this topic: Edward Quinan
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