Enduring the Great War: Combat, Morale and Collapse in the German and British Armies, 1914–1918 (Cambridge Military Histories)

This book is an innovative comparative history of how German and British soldiers endured the horror of the First World War. Unlike existing literature, which emphasises the strength of societies or military institutions, this study argues that at the heart of armies' robustness lay natural human resilience. Drawing widely on contemporary letters and diaries of British and German soldiers, psychiatric reports and official documentation, and interpreting these sources with modern psychological research, this unique account provides fresh insights into the soldiers' fears, motivations and coping mechanisms. It explains why the British outlasted their opponents by examining and comparing the motives for fighting, the effectiveness with which armies and societies supported men and the combatants' morale throughout the conflict on both sides. Finally it challenges the consensus on the war's end, arguing that not a 'covert strike' but rather an 'ordered surrender' led by junior officers brought about Germany's defeat in 1918. Cover Enduring the Great War Title Copyright Contents Plates Figures Tables Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction 1 War of endurance Deadlock Loss of control Resilience 2 Why men fought: combat motivation in the trenches Enlistment Military and combat dynamics Disillusionment? 3 Self-deception and survival: mental coping strategies Adaptation Optimism, religion and superstition Positive illusions 4 Junior leadership: command, cohesion and combat motivation Function and influence Privilege and paternalism Deficiencies and disadvantages Performance 5 Morale and military endurance Morale in the British Expeditionary Force, 1914–17 Morale in the German Field Army in the west, 1914–17 The Kaiserschlacht, March–July 1918 6 The German collapse in 1918: strike, mutiny or an ordered surrender? Morale and the Materialschlacht – 1918 Indiscipline? Surrender at the front: an 'ordered surrender'? Conclusion Appendix 1 Walter Ludwig’s study of Wurttemberg soldiers’ coping strategies Appendix 2 Psychiatric casualties in the German and British armies Appendix 3 Military ranks and status in the German and British armies Glossary of German terms Bibliography MANUSCRIPT AND ARCHIVAL SOURCES PRINTED PRIMARY SOURCES PRINTED SECONDARY WORKS UNPUBLISHED THESES Index This Account Of How German And British Soldiers Endured The Horror Of The First World War Argues That At The Heart Of Armies' Robustness Lay Natural Human Resilience. It Explains Why The British Outlasted Their Opponents By Examining And Comparing German And British Soldiers' Motivation, Morale And Coping Mechanisms. --from Publisher Description War Of Endurance -- Why Men Fought: Combat Motivation In The Trenches -- Self-deception And Survival: Mental Coping Strategies -- Junior Leadership: Command, Cohesion And Combat Motivation -- Morale And Military Endurance -- The German Collapse In 1918: Strike, Mutiny Or An Ordered Surrender? Alexander Watson. Series Statement On Jacket. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 246-281) And Index. The aim of this new series is to publish outstanding works of research on warfare throughout the ages and throughout the world. Books in the series will take a broad approach to military history, examining war in all its military, strategic, political and economic aspects. The series is intended to complement Studies in the Social and Cultural History of Modern Warfare by focusing on the 'hard' military history of armies, tactics, strategy and warfare. Books in the series will consist mainly of single-author works - academically vigorous and groundbreaking - which will be accessible to both academics and the interested general reader. A comparative history of how German and British soldiers endured the horror of the First World War, first published in 2008