What is meant by this phrase? Is it referring to Tom being advisor during World War Two, or the war the gang war between the Families? And why wasn't Tom a "good" one? I figure that it was because, in order to understand the importance of the war, he had to be fully Sicilian...?

mick

During a gang war (war time) they would switch up a couple of the positions. The main one being the war-time consiglieri, because often times they would bring somebody who had alot of past experience during gang wars. Tom Hagan didn't have any war time experience so that's why having somebody else (i forgot who) being the war-time consiglieri would be needed. Better advisement through experience, I suppose.

Another thing i noticed during war time is that the hammer usually get exhiled after a major offensive. In the Godfather they exiled Michael Corleone, In the Last Don they exiled Pippi De Lena after his offensive on the Santadio family, and in Omerta they exiled Astorre Viola for a little while.

The "war time" phrase refers to the war between the five families. And Tom wasn't a good one, because he wasn't cunning enough to forsee the way the other families came at Sonny. Tom was more of a business man, and would have preferred to settle the differences that caused the war, rather than fight it.

From the novel:
Tom: "The other families won't stand for an all-out war. It puts too much heat on everybody."
Sonny: "No more advice on how to patch it up, Tom....you're job is to help me win. Understand?"