The friction of war: A study of the Lincoln and Welland Regiment, 1940-1945

This is a study of the Lincoln and Welland Regiment, a Canadian infantry Regiment which fought in North West Europe during the last ten months of the Second World War. It follows the Regiment’s development from its mobilization in 1940 until the end of the hostilities in May 1945. The relationship between the soldier, the military organization with which he could best identify and the field of battle is the central theme of this study. Through the use of both archival and oral evidence, this study examines what Carl von Clausewitz called “the friction of war.” It details how men were trained for and reacted to the challenges of the battlefield. It examines these concerns by emphasizing the fluidity and fragility of a military organization which was also supposed to be a source of comfort to the soldier. In this way, a better understanding of the difficulties met during this time can be attained.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (MA)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

History

Year dc:date

1985

Author dc:creator

• Hayes, Geoffrey

Contributors dc:contributor

• Terry Copp

• Military History

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd/13

OAI record oai:identifier

https://scholars.wlu.ca/do/oai/?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=oai_etdms&identifier=oai%3Ascholars.wlu.ca%3Aetd-1012