The Deadly Brotherhood

By John C. McManus,

Book cover of The Deadly Brotherhood: The American Combat Soldier in World War II

Book description

In his book Men Against Fire, [historian S. L. A.] Marshall asserted that only 15 to 25 percent of American soldiers ever fired their weapons in combat in World War II. . . .
Shooting at the enemy made a man part of the “team,” or “brotherhood.” There were, of…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Deadly Brotherhood as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

The big question for World War II is what kept men fighting in appalling conditions, with high losses against an implacable enemy. McManus focuses on the American army to answer this question, but his answers could apply to many of the fighting men in other armies as well. The book explores the nature of combat and the psychological mechanisms used to cope with the conditions of modern war. This is a dimension of the history that too often gets overlooked as divisions and units are moved around on the historians’ map of the war, yet it is a central issue…

If you love The Deadly Brotherhood...

Ad

Book cover of Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

Tap Dancing on Everest By Mimi Zieman,

Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctor—and only woman—on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.

The team attempts a new route up…

Want books like The Deadly Brotherhood?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Deadly Brotherhood.

Browse books like The Deadly Brotherhood

Book cover of Implacable Foes: War in the Pacific, 1944-1945
Book cover of China’s War with Japan 1937-1945: The Struggle for Survival
Book cover of Ostkrieg: Hitler's War of Extermination in the East

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,609

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like The Deadly Brotherhood, you might also like...

Book cover of Who Is a Worthy Mother?: An Intimate History of Adoption

Who Is a Worthy Mother? By Rebecca Wellington,

I grew up thinking that being adopted didn’t matter. I was wrong. This book is my journey uncovering the significance and true history of adoption practices in America. Now, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, the renewed debate over women’s reproductive rights places…

Book cover of The Lion and the Fox: Two Rival Spies and the Secret Plot to Build a Confederate Navy

The Lion and the Fox By Alexander Rose,

From the author of Washington’s Spies, the thrilling story of two rival secret agents — one Confederate, the other Union — sent to Britain during the Civil War.

The South’s James Bulloch, charming and devious, was ordered to acquire a clandestine fleet intended to break Lincoln’s blockade, sink Northern…

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in letters, soldiers, and Nazi Germany?

Letters 34 books
Soldiers 112 books
Nazi Germany 159 books