Now It Can Be Told · Chapter
XVIII explained
The narrator reflects on the role of generals in war, particularly Sir Henry Rawlinson, and the disconnect between the High Command and the fighting men.
What happens
The narrator reflects on the role of generals in war, particularly Sir Henry Rawlinson, and the disconnect between the High Command and the fighting men. He recounts meetings with Rawlinson, his optimism, and the brutal reality of the Somme battles, where the promise of a 'breakthrough' led to immense casualties.
Themes in this chapter
Class and Inequality
The contrast between the generals in safe châteaux and the fighting men dying in the trenches highlights class divisions and the inequality of sacrifice.
Betrayal by Leadership
The narrator notes the fighting men's hatred of the staffs, who plan battles from safety, leading to a sense of betrayal.
Futility of War
The repeated failed attempts at a 'breakthrough' and the immense cost of life underscore the futility of the Somme campaign.
Characters to notice
- Sir Henry Rawlinson
Commanding the Fourth Army, known for his optimism and jovial demeanor, but criticized for the high cost of the Somme battles.
- Unknown Narrator
The war correspondent who observes and reflects on the generals and the fighting men, adopting the perspective of those who die.
- The British
The fighting men who carry out plans of the High Command and feel irony and hatred towards the staffs.
- The Germans
Referred to as 'old Fritz' or 'the old Hun' by Rawlinson, and as the enemy who turned the Somme into a siege.
Key passages
“It is their job to be cheerful, to harden their hearts against the casualty lists, to keep out of the danger-zone unless their presence is strictly necessary.”
Generals must remain optimistic and detached from the human cost of war, avoiding danger unless required.
The narrator explains the necessary emotional distance of commanders.
“But it is inevitable that the men who risk death daily, the fighting-men who carry out the plans of the High Command and see no sense in them, should be savage in their irony when they pass a peaceful house where their doom is being planned.”
Soldiers who face death every day naturally feel bitter irony when they see the safe headquarters where their fates are decided.
The disconnect between frontline troops and staff officers is highlighted.
“Like most of our generals, he had amazing, overweening optimism. He had always got the enemy 'nearly beat,' and he arranged attacks during the Somme fighting with the jovial sense of striking another blow which would lead this time to stupendous results.”
Rawlinson, like many generals, was excessively optimistic, always believing the enemy was about to be defeated, and planned attacks with a cheerful confidence that each would be decisive.
The narrator criticizes the unrealistic optimism of the High Command.