An Intimate History of Killing: Face to Face Killing in Twentieth Century Warfare

Joanna Bourke

What does it really mean to kill face to face in war, and how do soldiers, trainers and veterans explain it afterward?

At a glance

You will question how far a veteran's story of battle can be trusted when accounts are shaped to please listeners
You will see how armies tried to overcome passive recruits with training, weapons design and rewards such as badges and stripes
You will stop assuming that hatred is what makes soldiers kill, since military thinking often preferred positive emotions