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.
Reviews
"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
