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Responce To Paul Fussell

“Every war is ironic because every war is worse than expected” Paul Fussell said when talking about the experiences of soldiers during World War I.   This is statement is true, and it’s also quite fitting when describing the Great War.   This was supposed to be a war that was swift and decisive, bringing the troops home in time for Christmas.   No one imagined it would drag on for over four years and cost the lives of millions upon millions of soldiers and civilians alike.   They never predicted how the treaty system would complicate the situation or how recently developed technology would shape the events on the battlefield.   The average person’s view of war was also quite different; in August of 1914 a man committed suicide by throwing himself under a van because he was worried he would not be accepted for service.   In today’s world men have killed themselves to prevent going to war, not because they can’t.   This is a totally different mind set that in some ways highlights the irony of the whole situation.   The men that were entering this war wanted to be there, they saw this as an opportunity for adventure and a chance to achieve glory.  
I believe that one of the most ironic events that Fussell wrote about in his book occurred on that first Christmas during the war.   The German and British soldiers observed an informal Christmas Day truce meeting in No Man’s Land to exchange cigarettes and snap photographs with each other.   These actions aren’t that of bitter enemies in an epic struggle of good versus evil.   These men didn’t hate each other; they weren’t fighting over some grave offense committed upon their country by the others’.   They were simply men in a battle because of the political and social dynamic of the times lead their countries to war.   Many causes could be cited for starting World War I; however the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and his wife were possibly the catalyst that set in motion the train of events that did lead to this war.   It’s ironic...