Acts of War: Behavior of Men in
Battle by Richard Holmes
Very Good...
This ambitious, wide-ranging, exhaustively researched book is a
compelling attempt to grasp the very nature of war. It takes us through the
soldiers experience in its entirety - from the humiliation of basic training
and the intense comradeship of army life, to the terror, isolation and
exhaustion of battle. What does it feel like to be in the firing line? How
does killing change a man? And what do the extreme conditions of war
reveal about a mans basic instincts, his courage or his fear, his urge for
self-preservation or self-sacrifice? Covering several centuries of warfare,
and including the personal recollections of veterans from two World Wars,
from Korea, Vietnam, the Falklands and the Arab-Israeli conflicts, Richard
Holmes gives us a powerful picture of what motivates the soldier and
enables him to maintain the struggle in conditions of extreme degradation
and danger.
Personal Review: Acts of War: Behavior of Men in Battle by
Richard Holmes

"Acts of War" examines the behavior of men under fire by using a
combined historical/anthropological approach to the institution of
soldiering. "Acts of War" is a complementary prelude to similar works such
as "The Savage Mind", "On Aggression", and "On Killing". Holmes,
thankfully, doesn't propogate the "Marshall-myth" premise that most troops
will refuse to fire their weapons when engaged with the enemy. Archived
combat footage from the Second World War, Korea, and Vietnam
disproves that theory at a glance. It's unfortunate that S.L.A.M. has had
such a pervasive influence on the U.S. Army's marksmanship training
program for the last fifty years (if you disagree, I urge you to consult after
action reports on Marine marksmanship in France extolling the virtues of
the [known distance] course). Holmes goes on to provide ample evidence
supporting his argument that Man is naturally predisposed to warfare.
Holmes has been accused of defaming and minimizing the role of women
in combat. It's an unjustified accusation. Female combatants are the
exception to the rule, not the norm, and their historical contribution has
been sensationalized. "Acts of War" is reminiscent of Keegan's "The Face
of Battle" yet much more detailed when discussing the development and
maturation of a soldier's psyche.
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