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El soldado español forma parte inseparable del pasado y el presente de España. Es una memoria marcada por los avatares bélicos en los que intervinieron combatientes españoles a lo largo de los siglos: desde los celtíberos que se opusieron a la dominación romana o los legendarios tercios a las actuales Fuerzas Armadas, pasando por los guerreros medievales o los conquistadores de América. Fueron capaces de las mayores proezas y supieron sufrir en los momentos aciagos. Como hijos del pueblo del que proceden han sido un fiel reflejo de las virtudes y defectos del conjunto social a través del tiempo. Constituyen una herencia de nuestra realidad histórica y un arquetipo que define nuestra propia existencia acumulada en el tiempo. Sus actuaciones son el rastro de lo que nos caracteriza como país frente al resto de las naciones. Este libro supone una síntesis del imaginario colectivo de España, un país de trayectoria intensa y cambiante que dispuso de un gran imperio y selló con su impronta un tramo importante del devenir de la humanidad. Mas de cien ilustraciones originales ponen rostro y dan forma a los soldados del pasado y convierten a esta obra en un libro único en su género.

Excerpt:'In the present volume I have attempted within the limits of the historical period and of our European civilisation, and without recognising any hard and fast line between ancient and modern, Christian and Pagan, to allude, in the places that seemed most appropriate, to all points in the history of war that appeared to be either of special interest or of essential importance. As examples of such points I may refer to the treatment of prisoners of war, or of surrendered garrisons; the rules about spies and surprises; the introduction of, and feeling about, new weapons; the meaning of parts of military dress; the origin of peculiar customs like the old one of kissing the earth before a charge; the prevalent rules of honour, as displayed in notions of justice in regard to reprisals, or of fairness in stratagems and deception.'

“The hitherto forgotten story of the development of the regimental band, mainly drummers and buglers. A rare piece of social history” (Books Monthly).The Instruments of Battle examines in detail the development and role of the British Army's fighting drummers and buglers, from the time of the foundation of the army up to the present day. While their principal weapon of war was the drum and bugle—and the fife—these men and boys were not musicians as such, but fighting soldiers who took their place in the front line.The origins of the drum and bugle in the classical period and the later influence of Islamic armies are examined, leading to the arrival of the drum and fife in early Tudor England. The story proper picks up post-English Civil War. The drum's period of supremacy through much of the eighteenth-century army is surveyed, and certain myths as to its use are dispelled. The bugle rapidly superseded the drum for field use in the nineteenth century—until developments on the battlefield consigned these instruments largely to barrack life and the parade ground. But there are surprising examples of the use of the bugle in the field through both world wars as the story is brought up to modern day and the instruments'relegation to an almost exclusively ceremonial role.This is all set against a background of campaigns, battles, changing tactical methods, and the difficult processes of command and control on the battlefield. Interwoven is relevant comparison with other armies, particularly American and French. Stories of the drummers and buglers themselves provide social context to their place in the army.

This revised and expanded second edition of The Code of the Warrior—a book George R. Lucas has described as'groundbreaking'and'now part of the Military Ethics canon'—takes the reader on a tour of warrior cultures and their values, from the ancient Greeks and Romans to the “barbaric” Vikings and Celts, from chivalric knights to Native American tribesmen, from Chinese warrior monks pursuing enlightenment to Japanese samurai practicing death. This new edition enhances these discussions with analyses of modern-day warriors and examines the ethical dimensions of emerging military technology such as drones, cyber warfare, and bio-enhanced troops. A new chapter also addresses the Islamic warrior code, both in its historic and modern implementations. Drawing these historical traditions up to the present, this book seeks a code for the warriors of today, as they do battle in asymmetric conflicts both remotely and face-to-face against the scourge of global terrorism. This book offers a comprehensive survey of historic and modern warrior cultures for students of military history, philosophy, and ethics.

Depuis sa création, en 1856, la Croix de Victoria a assurément représenté la décoration militaire la plus rare, mais aussi la plus convoitée de l'Empire britannique, puis du Commonwealth. Décernée dans des cas de bravoure extrême – et maintes fois à titre posthume –, la prestigieuse distinction possède une histoire marquée de prouesses légendaires, mais aussi son lot d'intrigues, qui lui confèrent un caractère presque mythique. Parmi les 94 Canadiens décorés de la Croix de Victoria, on compte seulement trois francophones, tous originaires du Bas-Saint-Laurent. Le présent ouvrage porte sur ces trois militaires mal connus. En parcourant leur vie, il fait ressortir, d'une part, la problématique propre au Canada français à l'égard de sa participation aux deux guerres mondiales, puis, d'autre part, l'exigence imposée aux militaires francophones d'évoluer dans une hiérarchie à forte prédominance anglophone. S'inscrivant dans le contexte de ces deux réalités historiques, la reconnaissance ultime des faits d'armes de Joseph Kaeble, de Jean Brillant et de Paul Triquet et la place discrète qui leur est réservée dans notre mémoire collective constituent un paradoxe d'un intérêt d'autant plus marqué au moment où le Canada redécouvre la part qu'il a prise aux grands conflits mondiaux du xxe siècle, dans la foulée des anniversaires visant à les commémorer.

This is the first scholarly book to look at the role of the'warrior'in modern war, arguing that warriors'actions, and indeed thoughts, are increasingly patrolled and that the modern battlefield is an unforgiving environment in which to discharge their vocation.As war becomes ever more instrumentalized, so its existential dimension is fast being hollowed out. Technology is threatening the agency of the warrior and this volume paints a picture of early twenty-first century warfare, helping to explain why so many aspiring warriors are becoming disenchanted with their profession. Written by a leading thinker on warfare, this book sets out to explain what makes an American Marine a ‘warrior'and why suicide bombers, or Al Qaeda fighters, do not qualify for this title. This distinction is one of the central features of the current War on Terror – and one that justifies much more extensive discussion than it has so far received.The Warrior Ethos will be of great interest to all students of military history, strategy, military sociology and war studies.

Transnational politics, modern communications, and access to the tools of warfare have combined to give political movements the ability to wage global war to promote their own agendas, a development that has changed the face of both politics and warfare. Fowler examines current aspects of conducting war, including mobilization, funding, training, fighting, and intelligence to demonstrate how they are accessible to anyone and are well-suited to waging insurgency efforts in many places around the world. Such efforts force governments to deal with unforeseen enemies who violently advance their agendas in a quest for increased power and authority.Because global insurgents, such as al Qaeda, build more direct connections between politics and the use of force, confronting them requires solutions that emphasize politics as much as the use of force. National governments must unite to seek cooperative solutions to issues that affect them. The implications of the adoption of such strategies by groups with varied agendas will undoubtedly change foreign policy planning for decades to come.