Acts of War: Behavior of Men in Battle 1st Edition

by Richard Holmes (Author)

10 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0029148518

ISBN-10: 0029148510

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The reality of what it is to be a soldier, by Britain's foremost military historian. This ambitious, wide-ranging, exhaustively researched book is a compelling attempt to grasp the very nature of war. It takes us through the soldier's 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 man's 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.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Acts of War: Behavior of Men in Battle

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Product Details

Paperback: 464 pages
Publisher: Free Press; 1 edition (August 4, 1989)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0029148510
ISBN-13: 978-0029148518
Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.3 x 9.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #588,617 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #382 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Specific Topics > War & Peace
- #1397 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > History > Military
- #4579 in Books > Medical Books > Psychology > General

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Customer Reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars

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Top Customer Reviews

Beautifully written, thoughtful book filled with lots of insights ...

ByJohn M. Danielskion November 10, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Beautifully written, thoughtful book filled with lots of insights on men at war. Much of it is admittedly ancedotal, though the anecdotes are well chosen and from varied historical periods, but his information on soldiers returning from the Falkland War was based on detailed questionaires and dovetails nicely with other material in the book. If you seek to understand why men fight, why they sometimes show incredible bravery and sometimes unexpected cowardice, why they sometimes show mercy at odd moments and sometimes commit atrocities, this book is a must read. His information on the use of women, drugs, and alcohol as eternal palliatives for warriors is most interesting as is the unusual regard animals are held in war. Soldiers may have long since ceased to weep over dead comrades, but they will do so freely at the loss of a stray dog adopted as a mascot, or in World War, I over the mass deaths of horses. This book has great humanity, but it is still a fine work of serious scholarship.

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Psychology of Men in COMBAT

ByT.A.L. DozerVINE VOICEon April 2, 2012

Format: Paperback

This book's subtitle, "The Behavior of Men in Battle", is a misnomer, for it is really a wide-ranging and lengthy description of what happens to men from the time they are recruited until they are discharged as combat veterans. Holmes draws from interviews, written accounts, memoirs, psychological studies, and other varied sources to examine the experiences of the individual soldier. He discusses items as central to his subject as training, motivation, and casualties to those as remote as rituals, use of alcohol, and "Dear John" letters. The book is perhaps too focused on the Anglo-American experience, and ideas are often presented uncritically. Yet the scarcity of works covering war and military life from the individual perspective will make this one worthwhile for some time.

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Very revealing

ByA customeron June 19, 1999

Format: Paperback

This book is a very revealing look at why the military does things the way it does. For example, many civilians do not understand the mindless brutality of basic training or the ultra-masculine culture of the military. This book puts everything into a real psychological perspective and explains why things are the way they are in the military. May be hard for civilians to relate to, but veterans will find this book very revealing.

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very good

ByCharlie Runkle IIIon January 30, 2005

Format: Hardcover

I write this review because it seems that most reviews are written on the basis of the theories or ideas of the author confronted to others the reviewers prefer.
I am not an expert in militar books, I just bought this book because I picked it from a shelve and I thought I would like to read something about the subject of human behaviour in war.
I found it deep, well writen and fairly interesiting. I have recommended it to frequent business literature readers and they also loved it and found in it new views of human behaviour under maximum stress circumstances.
From an average man point of view, not expert in militar literature, I think it is a must read.

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Text Bookish

ByMurphdogon July 12, 2011

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

While it was a bit tedious at times, the book contains some great information on how soldiers have reacted in war just about since wars began. Seems while our weapons have changed over the years, how soldiers act and feel. when in cobat has remained the same, pretty much
Like the book jacket reads, it shoud be "must read" for all members of congress.
Thanks,
Tom Peters

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Good book in great condition

ByJessica Grimeson August 13, 2013

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

This was a gift for my hubs. He really enjoyed it. The book itself was used but was in great condition. Great Buy!

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It was amazing how much he enjoyed them and how much he ...

ByD. Davenporton July 18, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I bought two (2) books for my husband. It was amazing how much he enjoyed them and how much he learned.

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Flawed work of a historian with no sociological credibility

ByFotoPaton January 14, 2005

Format: Paperback

There is no doubt that much of what Holmes writes is true or solidly based in fact. However, there are glaring ommissions from this book that are quite damming.

Holmes quotes Col. S.L.A. Marshall at length throughout the book. And yet, despite this pattern, not once (that I could find anyway) did Holmes mention the massive WW II Marshall study which concluded that the *majority* of US combat troops did not fire in the heat of combat.

Marshall showed how many soldiers, in the heat of combat, exhibit "posturing" which is identical to behavior exhibited throughout the animal world. The idea is to look and sound aggressive without actually attacking to kill. In combat this might mean shooting wildly in various directions, shooting over the enemy's heads, etc. To the casual eye (e.g. watching archival combat footage) this looks like true combat, but it's not. Marshall discovered this behavior through interviews with countless US soldiers who admitted (with much guilt) what they had done.

The result of that study was the overhaul of basic training and boot camp so that soldiers not only experienced the sights and sounds of combat, but that they also simulate killing as much as possible - which in turn has resulted in a huge majority of US soldiers (since Vietnam) actually shooting to kill.

Essentially, the Marshall study negates much of Holme's central thesis that warfare is "natural" for men and that most men seek it out willingly.

Holmes also gives lip service to women and combat and uses convenient examples to discredit. For example, many people use Israel as an example of a sexually intregated force. This is despite the fact, as Holmes points out, that women really don't handle weapons much in the Israeli military. However, there is at least one force that Holmes failed to mention -- the Viet Cong which consisted of over 75 percent women! Because he doesn't mention that example, he can easily sweep the issue of sex under the rug. The truth of the matter is, in war environments where one side views itself as attempting to liberate itself women usually play an integral role, including combat. This was seen throughout the 20th century.

Holmes' sociological ignorance is never more obvious than when he discusses the sexuality of soldiers versus those who oppose war. Soldiers biologically want sex with women more! Holmes issues this proclamation without the slightest effort to back it up or to explore other options. In Holmes' world all soldiers are heterosexual and want lots of sex. This would certainly be surprising to the many great homosexual military leaders in warfare history. And I think quite a few "peaceniks" from the 60's might have some contrary evidence to offer Holmes as well.

Holmes is a historian with a military background. He is not a sociologist and he lacks the experience, training and understanding to explore deeper issues and to look at contradictions to his beliefs.

I give this book two stars just because this is important field to look at. Hopefully someone with better understanding of the use of propaganda (from all sides), gender roles, sexism, cultural history (that isn't Anglo Saxon!) will come along and do this topic justice.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

third rate historian's psychobabble

What more would you expect from a revisionist historian whose books read like novels, with no researches yet dressing up all half baked hypotheses as proven theses.Read more

Published on September 14, 2004 by Devl's Advocate

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