"How Does a Historian of War Sustain Any Faith in Humanity?" Topic

"One day I took the train to see historian Antony Beevor in rural Kent. On the drive to his place from Bekesbourne Station, through country lanes, we passed "Oswalds," the house where Joseph Conrad had once lived. We discussed politics, Brexit and what must have led Conrad to this part of the world.

I'd spent a week reading nothing but Beevor's military histories. This activity leads to a mistrust of the world, especially the landscapes I saw on car journey from Bekesbourne. It's difficult to submerge yourself in Beevor's work and then visit the peaceful countryside. The fields bearing crops seem to be waiting to be churned by artillery fire. Each house looks like it could collapse into a version of those on the ruined streets of Stalingrad. "Look at all those walls," I thought from the passenger seat when we slowed to drive through a village, "unpocked by bullets." Beevor's books make it clear that when destruction comes, little remains untouched. No part of the world, no matter how civilized it calls itself, is free from the potential of murder and violence. During our conversation we'd go on to speak about both icy Stalingrad and devastated Berlin, and all the pain and murder each city witnessed during the Second World War, but for the time being we drove through pleasant land…."
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Amicalement
Armand

If you are a discerning reader, you get a very jaundiced view of national and group LEADERS--individual people, on the other hand, you can get a sense of their nobility and capacity for sacrifice. At least that's been what I've learned from almost 40 years of reading military history.

Rob

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Amicalement
Armand