Fix bayonets!

The author offers firsthand vignettes and a chronicle of a Marine battalion’s experiences on the Western Front, combining frontline action reports with character sketches, unit movements, and scenes from field hospitals. He portrays the mix of regulars and volunteers, traditions and esprit de corps, and the practical realities of trench life, logistics, and casualties. Narrative episodes alternate with reflective passages about the nature of modern warfare and the bonds forged under fire. Illustrations by the author complement descriptive accounts of attacks, marches, and daily routines, producing an intimate, immediate portrait of combat service and its human costs.