The Taste of Battle: Front Line Action 1914-1991

by Perrett, Bryan

• ISBN13: 9780304358632
• ISBN10: 0304358630
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-10-01
• Publisher: Octopus Pub Group

Summary

Today, even real soldiers rarely taste battle during their career. Yet, the fascination with combat persists: What is it like? How does the ordinary recruit find the inner strength to go on? A unique and brilliantly researched narrative follows 12 imaginary soldiers to answer these and other questions. From the trenches of Mons in 1918 and World War Two to the jungles of Vietnam and the sands of Kuwait, these landmark conflicts teach us about courage, loyalty, and duty under the most terrible circumstances.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION	7	(2)
OLD CONTEMPTIBLE	9	(18)
Sergeant John Brodrick, Platoon Sergeant, Royal Barset Rifles, Mons, August 1914
MAJOR ROBIN THORNE	27	(20)
Company Commander, Royal Barset Rifles, The Somme, November 1916
CORPORAL JACK HAYNES	47	(20)
Tank Corps, Cambrai, 20 November 1917
CAPTAIN EWALD BREIHAUPT	67	(22)
Storm Troop Company Commander, France, 21-28 March 1918
LIEUTENANT BRUNO VON RAVENSTHAL	89	(26)
25th Panzer Regiment, Belgium and France, May 1940
SECOND LIEUTENANT ANDREW BRODRICK	115	(22)
Royal Artillery, Cyrenaica, November 1941
PRIVATE AL HOGAN	137	(20)
US Marine Corps, Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll, 20-23 November 1943
LANCE-CORPORAL TOM WOOD	157	(22)
7th Royal Barset Rifles, Normandy, July 1944
CORPORAL KEN BURMAN	179	(24)
Armoured Car Commander, Cavalry Reconnaissance, The Ardennes, 15-17 December 1944
RIFLEMAN JAMES WOOD	203	(18)
Royal Barset Rifles, Malaya, 1956
PRIVATE JOE LUBNIK	221	(16)
US Artillery, Vietnam, 1968-1969
CORPORAL GARY SHANKLAND	237
Light Infantry attached Cumberland Fusiliers, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, February 1991