Summary of John Keegan's The Face of Battle

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

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#1 I have never been in a battle, and I am becoming more and more convinced that I have little idea of what a battle can be like. Very few Europeans of my generation have learned at first hand that knowledge which was common among their fathers and grandfathers.

#2 The first group of people I excluded from my generalization was made up of those who were not old enough to have had combat experience of the Second World War. The second group was made up of soldiers who had not seen active service. While the object of their war was to avoid a decision at any given time or place, the Mau Mau in Kenya fought a war of raiding and subversion because they implicitly understood their inability to risk anything else.

#3 I have spent many years teaching officer cadets at Sandhurst, and I have always been aware of the inherent falsity of my position. I have never passed judgment on the behavior of soldiers under circumstances I have not experienced myself.

#4 The central question for the officer cadet is How would I behave in a battle. The discussion with your soldiers, whether it’s group therapy or not, will always include these emotions and sensations.

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