S.L.A. Marshall (1900–77,) fully Brigadier General Samuel Lyman Atwood Marshall, nicknamed SLAM, was an American military historian, journalist, and U.S. Army officer known for pioneering combat history techniques and influential writings on warfare. His research shaped military training and battlefield analysis, particularly through controversial studies on soldier engagement in combat.
Born in Catskill, New York, he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1917, serving in World War I before transitioning to journalism. He worked as a war correspondent for Detroit News and later became the Army’s chief combat historian during World War II and the Korean War. His battlefield interviews provided firsthand insights into combat effectiveness. Promoted to Brigadier General in 1951, he continued advising the military during the Vietnam War.
Marshall authored over 30 books, including Men Against Fire: The Problem of Battle Command (1947,) which argued only 25% of soldiers fired their weapons in battle, influencing training reforms. Other notable works include Pork Chop Hill (1956,) The River and the Gauntlet (1953,) The Soldier’s Load and the Mobility of a Nation (1950,) and Sinai Victory (1958.) The Vietnam Primer (1967,) co-authored with Colonel David H. Hackworth, analyzed U.S. military strategy in Vietnam.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by S.L.A. Marshall
Studies by Medical Corps psychiatrists of combat fatigue cases … found that fear of killing, rather than fear of being killed, was the most common cause of battle failure, and that fear of failure ran a strong second.
—S.L.A. Marshall
Topics: Fear, Anxiety
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