The people with the controls in their hand aren't the people deciding what to put the controls at. They're told where to set them, and they do it or report that

The people with the controls in their hand aren't the people deciding what to put the controls at. They're told where to set them, and they do it or report that the mechanisms have failed. The reason for this is that the people making the decisions have more important shit to worry about. Things are different when your primary concerns are getting shot at and shooting back. In war time it's not atypical to get your engine or rudder shot out, and if you have someone who has one job - to set the rudder - he'll notice and diagnose it a lot faster than someone who's tasked with avoiding incoming fire, bearing weapons on the enemy, etc. Distribution of responsibilities is incredibly important in war. Combat tends to break down careful, considered decision making. Also keep in mind most of these people aren't seasoned. This dude was just out of high school. Information overload is a thing.