Ardant du Picq was a French officer in the 19th Century. His work on the behavior of men in combat was published after his death in the Franco-Prussian war in 1870 and has remained relevant to this day.
du Picq studied reports of armies in combat from ancient times to the present and demonstrated several interesting effects that seem contradictory. For example in ancient battles, although the danger lies to the front, it is troops in the rear that break and run first. Lacking the exertion of actually fighting for their lives, they have nothing to do but face the fear.
In modern times, similar rules apply. Troops want to defend themselves by firing back as quickly as possible. The theoretical orderly firing by lines or platoons or by volley basically breaks down at once into each man firing as fast as he can.
The vaunted ‘bayonet charge’ is…
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Notanda 