The Face of Battle

This 1976 classic history from the battlefield revisits the three crucial battles at Agincourt, Waterloo, and the Somme to concentrate on conveying the visceral reality of conflict for the common soldier in the heat of battle. Exploring the direct experience mental and physical aspects of individuals in war, Keegan examines in detail the physical conditions of fighting, emotions and behaviours generated by battle, and the motives impelling soldiers to stand and fight, rather than run away. The Face of Battle relies upon the diaries and oral histories of soldiers from these battles to probe the nature of leadership, self-sacrifice, comradeship under fight and resolution in the face of horror. In forcibly bringing the human face to the forefront, Keegan’s work serves as an invaluable insight into the humanity sometimes overlooked within the grinding machines of war.