At the Front Line Experiences of Australian Soldiers in World War II [Paperback]

A moving insight into the experience of war, based on the letters and diaries of over 300 soldiers.This moving book examines Australian front-line soldiers' reactions to their ordeal in World War II. Based on the letters and diaries of more than 300 soldiers, its focus is the stress they faced and how they coped with it. Johnston challenges the stereotype of the fearless, undisciplined, comradely Australian soldier.This moving book examines Australian front-line soldiers' reactions to their ordeal in World War II. Based on the letters and diaries of more than 300 soldiers, its focus is the stress they faced and how they coped with it. Johnston challenges the stereotype of the fearless, undisciplined, comradely Australian soldier.This moving book examines Australian front-line soldiers' reactions to their ordeal in World War II. Based on the letters and diaries of more than 300 soldiers, its focus is the stress they faced and how they coped with it. Johnston paints a picture of survival and surrender in the surreal conditions in which these soldiers lived and fought.Part I. The Front Line: 1. The unnatural life at the front; 2. Experiences of fear and death; 3. Major sources of front-line stress; 4. When fear became unbearable; 5. Taking the strains of the front line; Part II. The Army Way: 6. Callous bigwigs and boredom; 7. Army muck-ups; 8. Resentment of inequality; 9. Discipline and making the most of army life; Part III. Mates: 10. A band of brothers?; Aftermath and conclusions; Appendix A: Who fought where; Appendix B: Statistical comparisons. This is an extremely worthwhile study of an army... R. Higham, Choice Johnston's discussion of the sources of stress on battlefields...is both scholarly and moving. It would be useful for any modern commander planning a ground war to refer to the discussion here of the incidence of psychoneurotic casualties both before, during and after battle. John McCarthy, Pacific Affairs