The Taste of Battle: Front Line Action 1914-1991

by Bryan Perrett

Today, even real soldiers rarely taste battle during their career. Yet, the fascination with combat What is it like? How does the ordinary recruit find the inner strength to go on? A unique and brilliantly researched narrative follows 12 imaginary soldiers to answer these and other questions. From the trenches of Mons in 1918 and World War Two to the jungles of Vietnam and the sands of Kuwait, these landmark conflicts teach us about courage, loyalty, and duty under the most terrible circumstances.

Genres: War, Historical Fiction, Military History

255 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2000

About the author

Bryan Perrett was born in 1934 and educated at Liverpool College. He served in the Royal Armoured Corps, the 17th/21st Lancers, Westminster Dragoons, and the Royal Tank Regiment, and was awarded the Territorial Decoration.A professional military historian for many years, his books include "A History of the Blitzkrieg" and "Knights of the Black Cross - Hitler's Panzerwaffe and its Leaders". His treatise Desert Warfare was widely consulted during the Gulf War. His most recent works, including "Last Stand, At All Costs" and "Against all Odds" examine aspects of motivation. During the Falklands and Gulf Wars Bryan Perrett served as Defense Correspondent to the Liverpool Echo. His books are widely read on both sides of the Atlantic and have been translated into several languages.

Reviews

[John Sheahan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perrett writes well. I constantly found myself deeply involved in the short scenarios. While there was occasionally a heavy emphasis on the technical (not why I picked the book up), this was balanced by some clear insights into the effects of battle on individuals.
At the creative level, it was interesting to see Perrett's approach 'at work'. It gave me some ideas about what might work in another project I have in mind.

[Laurance · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well written book. The concept of mixing fictional with a non-fictional context is brilliant. How he connects all the individual characters together throughout is done smoothly.
Sometimes the story gets hung up with going into details but it is still a great ride. The way he helps the reader get into the minds if the soldier and what they went through. Books like this are rare and should be read at least once by the enquiring historian.