John Keegan 's The Face Of Battle

William Manchester, author of “The Bloodiest Battle”, utilizes personal war-stories throughout the essay to portray not only the challenging hardships of war but the vivid descriptions of human-to-human annihilation, and how that affected him emotionally. Manchester’s purpose was to show the audience that two countries (America and Japan) could make peace, but the individuals who fought it still struggle, including himself. He portrays the idea that there is more behind the victory of the war.

The concept of physical war is universally understood while many do not recognize internal struggles as a war within. The wife of bath, Beowulf, Lanval, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight all share a common theme of internal struggle. From a mental war over the kingdoms precedent, to an altering decision on whether knightly virtues are more important than his own life, these characters are battling the ideology of their roles during their time periods, as well as themselves.

The rise of World War I caused millions of casualties and was yet another demonstration of how supposedly civilized nations could be led into a chaotic war of power over lands and people. Since the beginning of civilization, war has been the way of the world. However, with major advances in technology, this idea of war has since become mechanized and deadlier. There is no doubt that the powerful men who lead wars often don’t care to think of nitty gritty of war, to them, rather, it’s a matter of power and legacy. In Remarque’s novel, the particular story of Paul and his comrades is a perfect example of how a generation can be used and manipulated to drive the agenda of power- hungry men. Through Remarque’s own personal experience and unparalleled writing ability, this novel presents many first-hand experiences into the living conditions of soldiers and peoples.

In the study of military history, historians at times use what is known as the “fog of war” technique with expectations of keeping away from the historians’ fallacy. In this approach, the actions and choices of the historical subject are assessed primarily on the premise of what that individual knew at that time and not on future developments that the individual could not have known. Fischer’s approach is a scientific-like “what and how” only approach and rarely fields the question of “why.” Fischer states that the “why” deals with the metaphysical issues that bring no definitive results. Fischer’s work shows that historiography can only be taken seriously if it is practiced according to strictly empirical procedures and can only be done by asking the correct questions and answering them according to the strict methodology of “historical logic.” The historian’s task is to solve problems, to ask appropriate questions and to seek answers by researching the information based on archival and other methods of research. Interpretation is inevitable, but the interpretation should conform to the

Memoirs of war often reflect the positive or negative experiences endured throughout battle. Considered by many to be one of the best memoirs of World War I, Hervey Allen’s “Toward the Flame”, recalls his own experiences of battle. His recollection of events shows that he had a negative image of war and that there was nothing glorious about it. What started out looking like a man’s greatest adventure turned into a shell-shocking reality that war is actually horrible and trying. Allen’s experiences with consistent hunger, mustard gas, and artillery shellings led to his disillusionment with war, and left him with a permanent hatred of battle.

A true war story is rather difficult, if not impossible, to share when it goes beyond one’s imagination. Regarding such a story, one morally sound aspect about it is that it lacks morality or meaning to it. Extracting facts from a true war story is a daunting task because what seems to happen is what actually occurs. In what is to follow, I will tell one awful true war story.

In “The Face of Battle,” John Keegan analyzed the experiences of the individuals involved in the battles of the Somme and Waterloo; he thoroughly examined the advancements of industrialization in warfare and battle strategy between 1815 and 1916. The industrialization of modern warfare during the battle of the Somme, while progressive, was very much still in its experimental stages. While the inventions during this time period were later evolved into much more useful products, it seems as though the organized warfare in Waterloo was much more effective; the soldier’s mediocre training for the Somme was obvious in the chaotic events that occurred. While each battle was disastrous in their own ways, industrialization certainly improved means of warfare and the experience that the soldiers had.

reveals the truth of the war as the author remembers the war after twenty one years and

Here Hanson is advocating a “history from below” approach to scholarship, focusing not just on the famous generals of the age, but also with the common soldiers

While Remarque conveys the disparity between present and past to underscore the human destruction of war, the binary must be dismantled in order to expose the unknowns contained within the text. Indeed, the soldiers feel disconnected from their previous lives; however, they are, in fact, defined by their pasts. Remarque stresses the horrors of war in the present and implies that the past is subordinate to the current action, yet the truths of the present lie rooted in the past. The soldiers' lives in the war do not exist independently of their former existences but as part of a continuum (Leitch 171).

Dennis Showalter delivers a highly factual and almost comical biography on Patton and Rommel, two of history’s most decisive and inspirational military leaders of World War I and World War II in a manner that not only intrigues the reader but also tells the tale of these two historical generals. Showalter conducted extensive research into the lives and tales of both Patton and Rommel which becomes evident through his comfort in telling each generals story. Showalter’s ease in telling their stories is a testament to his abounding knowledge of the two and his almost supernatural presence in their timelines. Showalter strategically emplaces humor as a tool to break up the monotony of the constant stream of information that bashes the reader concerning

Having proposed that military history has been failing in its duty, Keegan then continues to demonstrate how it should be done. The battles of Agincourt, Waterloo, and the Somme are the main interests of the book; these battles took place centuries apart and all involved British armies. He examines, in detail, which aspects of war changed or remain constant between the three battles. Keegan brilliantly and

Military Affairs* (87-95) -Attitude towards war and why they go to war (87-9), how they wage war (89-95) and their use of Zapoletans (90-2), why wives and children fight (92-3), amazing armor and weapons (94), “truces…observed religiously” (94, vs. 86), victors live abroad “in great style” (95).

Political, economic and social realities of a society can significantly shape its perceptions and ability to make war. At his death, King Louis XIV’s final words were, “I have loved war too much.” In this reflection, King Louis XIV no doubt considered his many conquests as the longest reigning monarch in France, but more importantly, his words gives rise to the systemic political and social changes that revolutionized warfare in seventeenth-century France. Generally, revolutions in military affairs (RMA) convey technological and organizational developments and advancements in military tactics. According to Rogers, “military revolutions comprise four elements: technological

The First World War witnessed an appalling number of casualties. Due partly to this fact, some historians, developed the perception that commanders on both sides dependence on only one disastrous approach to breaking the stalemate. These historians attributed the loss of life to the reliance on soldiers charging across no-man’s land only to be mowed down by enemy machineguns. The accuracy of this, however, is fallacious since a variety of tactics existed on both sides. The main reason for battlefield success and eventual victory came from the transformation of battlefield tactics; nevertheless, moral played a major role by greatly affecting the development of new tactics and the final outcome of the war.