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Do what we understand today about the psychology and physiology of combat shed any light on the experiences of combat soldiers in the First World War? In the modern era and especially since the Vietnam War, a number of scholars have turned their attention to the psychological impact of combat on soldiers. The result of this attention has been a growth in the number of theories used to explain psychological and physiological responses of men …

…only recognised at the time in the post primitive way. WWI also provides unique case-studies for topics such as the trauma of fighting with bayonets, low fire rates and how killing was rationalised after the war. However, the most potent conclusion that can come from studying the psychology of WWI combat is that fighting and the killing that lies at the heart of that fighting was and is an extraordinarily traumatic and psychologically costly endeavour.