Eye Deep in Hell by John Ellis
Eye Deep In Hell
World War I was a devastating series of battles with extraordinary casualties. It was particularly demoralizing to the average soldier and a sense of hopelessness was not uncommon. Why then were the soldiers who fought during the Great War so motivated to continue fighting? How was their motivation different from that of the soldiers during the 30 Years War? To answer these questions you must look to the individual soldier and their reasons for fighting. During the 30 Years War religious unity was initially the key motivation. In Warwolf we see however that the peasants fought to preserve their way of life and mercenaries fought for material gain although the motivation of the leadership was religiously based. In Eye Deep in Hell by John Ellis we see a very different type of motivation for the individual soldier. These soldiers are initially inspired to fight because of patriotic duty and the good of their country. Horrific and deplorable conditions in the trenches as well as extraordinary casualties caused morale to plummet. The men really began fighting for their fellow soldiers. The adventurous activity of patrols in “no man’s land” kept up the offensive spirit. Patrolling “no man’s land” actually increased morale and drove the men to fight because it made them feel that they had the upper hand. They refused to allow the enemy to have the ability to fight. Keeping the enemy at bay enriched the solidarity of the group and strengthened their moral courage. Perhaps adventurous spirit and trust in god became secondary reasons for continuing their fight, but these men were really fighting in order to keep each other alive. Overall it was the preservation of the group and comradery which inspired the soldiers described in Eye Deep in Hell.
Initially soldiers joined the fight with a sense of patriotism and nationalistic pride. A steady income was also appealing to any man willing to fight. The war was deadly and brutal to the
World War I was a devastating series of battles with extraordinary casualties. It was particularly demoralizing to the average soldier and a sense of hopelessness was not uncommon. Why then were the soldiers who fought during the Great War so motivated to continue fighting? How was their motivation different from that of the soldiers during the 30 Years War? To answer these questions you must look to the individual soldier and their reasons for fighting. During the 30 Years War religious unity was initially the key motivation. In Warwolf we see however that the peasants fought to preserve their way of life and mercenaries fought for material gain although the motivation of the leadership was religiously based. In Eye Deep in Hell by John Ellis we see a very different type of motivation for the individual soldier. These soldiers are initially inspired to fight because of patriotic duty and the good of their country. Horrific and deplorable conditions in the trenches as well as extraordinary casualties caused morale to plummet. The men really began fighting for their fellow soldiers. The adventurous activity of patrols in “no man’s land” kept up the offensive spirit. Patrolling “no man’s land” actually increased morale and drove the men to fight because it made them feel that they had the upper hand. They refused to allow the enemy to have the ability to fight. Keeping the enemy at bay enriched the solidarity of the group and strengthened their moral courage. Perhaps adventurous spirit and trust in god became secondary reasons for continuing their fight, but these men were really fighting in order to keep each other alive. Overall it was the preservation of the group and comradery which inspired the soldiers described in Eye Deep in Hell.
Initially soldiers joined the fight with a sense of patriotism and nationalistic pride. A steady income was also appealing to any man willing to fight. The war was deadly and brutal to the