Shell Shock

[güttsfükk]

Combat stress reaction, in the past commonly known as shell shock or battle fatigue, is a military term used to categorize a range of behaviours resulting from the stress of battle which decrease the combatant's fighting efficiency. The most common symptoms are fatigue, slower reaction times, indecision, disconnection from one's surroundings, and inability to prioritize. Combat stress reaction is generally short-term and should not be confused with acute stress disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, or other long-term disorders attributable to combat stress although any of these may commence as a combat stress reaction.

The ratio of stress casualties to battle casualties varies with the intensity of the fighting, but with intense fighting it can be as high as 1:1. In low-level conflicts it can drop to 1:10 (or less).

In World War I, shell shock was considered a psychiatric illness resulting from injury to the nerves during combat. The horrors of trench warfare meant that about 10% of the fighting soldiers were killed (compared to 4.5% during World War II) and the total proportion of troops who became casualties (killed or wounded) was 56%. Whether a shell-shock sufferer was considered "wounded" or "sick" depended on the circumstances. The large proportion of World War I veterans in the European population meant that the symptoms were common to the culture, although it may not have become popularly known in the US.

[jackcoloncancer]

Didn't Patton slap a shell-shocked soldier in WWII?

[güttsfükk]

Originally Posted by jackcoloncancer

Didn't Patton slap a shell-shocked soldier in WWII?

here are details of said incident from wikipedia

It was in World War II that he made his mark, commanding both corps and armies as a general in North Africa, Sicily, and the European Theater of Operations. Near the end of the Sicilian campaign, Patton jeopardized his career by slapping a soldier recuperating from "battle fatigue" at a hospital; Patton considered him a coward. The well-publicized incident caused General Eisenhower to relieve him of command. Thus, instead of playing a major part in the invasion of Normandy, he was relegated to being a decoy. However, he was later given command of the U.S. Third Army and ably led it in breaking out of the hedgerows of Normandy and across France. When a surprise major German offensive resulted in American units being surrounded in Bastogne, Patton rapidly disengaged his army from fighting in another sector and moved it over 100 miles in 48 hours to relieve the siege.

[Magenta]

Thanks for the pm with the heads up on these. Great footage Para. I love watching footage like this - some of it's just crazy...

[advancedcorpsetumor]

Nice post

If anyone on here suffers from this I just want to say one thing

"BOMB!"

[Magenta]

Originally Posted by advancedcorpsetumor

Nice post

If anyone on here suffers from this I just want to say one thing

"BOMB!"

Lol. A random uninteresting fact is that my Grandad was in WW1. He was 18 at the time when he was sent to France and he was manning some big gun thingy when he was shot in the forehead. When he woke up in a hospital in Bradford he found that one of his arms had been blown off from the elbow and the other from midway up the forearm and his stumps were being soaked in buckets of disinfectant. God knows what happened to him - he was in a coma for a while from the gunshot... Anyway, I never knew him as he died in the '60's just before my brother and sister were born. My dad said my grandad had like an acquired "twitch" throughout WWII and he used to start twitching whenever anyone brought up WWI and refused to talk about it. I feel sorry for the shell shockers - they really went through some shit...

[StiffyWood]

That's sad, real, real, sad.

[Alfred von Fleisch]

You know what we germans did when a soldier pussied out? branded them "Feigling" (Coward) and killed them - they served no use. Patton was right to smack them (if this is true) fucking fight like true warriors

[Magenta]

Originally Posted by Alfred von Fleisch

You know what we germans did when a soldier pussied out? branded them "Feigling" (Coward) and killed them - they served no use. Patton was right to smack them (if this is true) fucking fight like true warriors

By 1914 British doctors working in military hospitals noticed patients suffering from "shell shock". Early symptoms included tiredness, irritability, giddiness, lack of concentration and headaches. Eventually the men suffered mental breakdowns making it impossible for them to remain in the front-line. Some came to the conclusion that the soldiers condition was caused by the enemy's heavy artillery. These doctors argued that a bursting shell creates a vacuum, and when the air rushes into this vacuum it disturbs the cerebro-spinal fluid and this can upset the working of the brain.

Some doctors argued that the only cure for shell-shock was a complete rest away from the fighting. If you were an officer you were likely to be sent back home to recuperate. However, the army was less sympathetic to ordinary soldiers with shell-shock. Some senior officers took the view that these men were cowards who were trying to get out of fighting.

Between 1914 and 1918 the British Army identified 80,000 men (2% of those who saw active service) as suffering from shell-shock. A much larger number of soldiers with these symptoms were classified as 'malingerers' and sent back to the front-line. In some cases men committed suicide. Others broke down under the pressure and refused to obey the orders of their officers. Some responded to the pressures of shell-shock by deserting. Sometimes soldiers who disobeyed orders got shot on the spot. In some cases, soldiers were court-martialled.

Official figures said that 304 British soldiers were court-martialled and executed. A common punishment for disobeying orders was Field Punishment Number One. This involved the offender being attached to a fixed object for up to two hours a day and for a period up to three months. These men were often put in a place within range of enemy shell-fire.

[the unholy one]

is it just me or should monthy phyton use some of these people in the Ministry of Silly walks scit