Samuel Lyman Atwood Marshall
Encyclopedia
S.L.A. Marshall (July 18, 1900 – December 17, 1977) was a chief U.S. Army combat historian during World War II
and the Korean War
. He authored some 30 books about warfare, including Pork Chop Hill: The American Fighting Man in Action, which was made into a film
of the same name.
and first served in the Army as an enlisted man in World War I
with the U.S. 90th Infantry Division. While his writings stated that he was an officer who led troops in combat, Marshall did not fight and was commissioned an officer in April 1919 to assist in demobilization. After that he worked as a newspaper reporter.
and Omar N. Bradley. He conducted hundreds of interviews of both enlisted men and officers regarding their combat experiences, and was an early proponent of oral history
techniques. In particular, Marshall favored the group interview, where he would gather surviving members of a frontline unit together and debrief them on their combat experiences of a day or two before.
Marshall's work on infantry combat effectiveness in World War II
, titled Men Against Fire, is his best-known and most controversial work. In the book, Marshall claimed that of the World War II U.S. troops in actual combat, 75% never fired their personal weapons at the enemy for the purpose of killing, even though they were engaged in combat and under direct threat. (Later research has cast doubts on his methods, but research into killing ratios of other wars, including the U.S. Civil War, has supported this claim; see below.) Marshall argued that the United States Army should devote significant training resources to increase the percentage of soldiers willing to engage the enemy with direct fire.
Less well known, but perhaps more significant was Marshall's effort to assemble German officers after the war to write histories and analyses of battles in all theatres of the European war. At the height of the project over 200 German officers participated, including Heinz Guderian
and Franz Halder
. Hundreds of monographs came out of the project, of which three are available in commercial print (see Anvil of War: German Generalship in Defense of the Eastern Front, edited by Peter G. Tsouras
, 1994.)
The Army Chief of Military History's representative on the tour, Colonel David H. Hackworth
, collected his own observations from the trip and published them as The Vietnam Primer, giving Marshall credit as co-author.
Marshall died in 1977 in El Paso, Texas
. The University of Texas at El Paso
library has a special collection built around his books.
Marshall is used as a character in Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood
, a video game released in 2005.
Professor Roger J. Spiller (Deputy Director of the Combat Studies Institute, US Army Command and General Staff College
) demonstrated in his 1988 article "S.L.A. Marshall and the Ratio of Fire" (RUSI
Journal
, Winter 1988, pages 63–71) that Marshall had not actually conducted the research upon which he based his ratio of fire theory. "The 'systematic collection of data' appears to have been an invention."
This revelation called into question the authenticity of some of Marshall's other books, and lent academic weight to doubts about his integrity that had been raised in military circles even decades earlier.
The controversial figure, Col. David Hackworth, wrote in his 1989 memoir, About Face, described at length his initial elation at an assignment with a man he idolized, and how that elation turned to bitter disillusionment after seeing Marshall's character and methods firsthand. Hackworth described Marshall as a "voyeur warrior" for whom "the truth never got in the way of a good story," and went so far as to say "Veterans of many of the actions he 'documented' in his books have complained bitterly over the years of his inaccuracy or blatant bias".
Marshall's grandson, journalist John Douglas Marshall, has explored his father's posthumous reputation in a series of articles in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and later in a book, Reconcilitation Road: A Family Odyssey of Love and Honor. After a review of the general's archives and other memorabilia, as well as interviews with many of his contemporaries and associates, the younger Marshall concludes that the body of his grandfather's work still has value.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. He authored some 30 books about warfare, including Pork Chop Hill: The American Fighting Man in Action, which was made into a film
Pork Chop Hill
Pork Chop Hill , directed by Lewis Milestone, is a Korean War war film based upon the eponymous book by military historian S. L. A. Marshall, depicting the bitterly fierce first Battle of Pork Chop Hill between the U.S. Army's 7th Infantry Division, and Chinese and Korean Communist forces at the...
of the same name.
Early life
Marshall was born in Catskill, New YorkCatskill (town), New York
Catskill is a town in the southeast part of Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 11,775 at the 2010 census. The western part of the town is in the Catskill Park....
and first served in the Army as an enlisted man in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
with the U.S. 90th Infantry Division. While his writings stated that he was an officer who led troops in combat, Marshall did not fight and was commissioned an officer in April 1919 to assist in demobilization. After that he worked as a newspaper reporter.
World War II combat historian
During World War II Marshall became an official Army combat historian, and came to know many of the war's most well known Allied commanders, including George S. PattonGeorge S. Patton
George Smith Patton, Jr. was a United States Army officer best known for his leadership while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. He was also well known for his eccentricity and controversial outspokenness.Patton was commissioned in the U.S. Army after his graduation from...
and Omar N. Bradley. He conducted hundreds of interviews of both enlisted men and officers regarding their combat experiences, and was an early proponent of oral history
Oral history
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews...
techniques. In particular, Marshall favored the group interview, where he would gather surviving members of a frontline unit together and debrief them on their combat experiences of a day or two before.
Marshall's work on infantry combat effectiveness in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, titled Men Against Fire, is his best-known and most controversial work. In the book, Marshall claimed that of the World War II U.S. troops in actual combat, 75% never fired their personal weapons at the enemy for the purpose of killing, even though they were engaged in combat and under direct threat. (Later research has cast doubts on his methods, but research into killing ratios of other wars, including the U.S. Civil War, has supported this claim; see below.) Marshall argued that the United States Army should devote significant training resources to increase the percentage of soldiers willing to engage the enemy with direct fire.
Less well known, but perhaps more significant was Marshall's effort to assemble German officers after the war to write histories and analyses of battles in all theatres of the European war. At the height of the project over 200 German officers participated, including Heinz Guderian
Heinz Guderian
Heinz Wilhelm Guderian was a German general during World War II. He was a pioneer in the development of armored warfare, and was the leading proponent of tanks and mechanization in the Wehrmacht . Germany's panzer forces were raised and organized under his direction as Chief of Mobile Forces...
and Franz Halder
Franz Halder
Franz Halder was a German General and the head of the Army General Staff from 1938 until September, 1942, when he was dismissed after frequent disagreements with Adolf Hitler.-Early life:...
. Hundreds of monographs came out of the project, of which three are available in commercial print (see Anvil of War: German Generalship in Defense of the Eastern Front, edited by Peter G. Tsouras
Peter G. Tsouras
Peter G. Tsouras is a military historian and author.Peter Tsouras, a Greek-American, served in the United States Army and retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel...
, 1994.)
Korean War
Marshall was recalled from the Reserves in late 1950 for three months' duty as a Historian/Operations Analyst for the Eighth Army during the Korean War. He collected his numerous Korean combat interviews into a treatise analyzing U.S. infantry and weapons effectiveness, Commentary on Infantry and Weapons in Korea 1950-51. The U.S. Army decided to classify some of Marshall's findings as restricted information, later incorporating them as part of a plan to improve combat training, weapons, equipment, and tactics.Retirement, Vietnam tour and death
Following his retirement from the Army Reserve in 1960, with the rank of brigadier general, Marshall continued to serve as an unofficial adviser to the Army. As a private citizen, he spent late 1966 and early 1967 in Vietnam on an Army-sponsored tour for the official purpose of teaching his after-action interview techniques to field commanders, in order to improve data collection for both the chain of command and the future official history of the Vietnam War.The Army Chief of Military History's representative on the tour, Colonel David H. Hackworth
David H. Hackworth
Colonel David Haskell Hackworth also known as "Hack", was the most highly decorated soldier in United States military history having received 24 decorations for heroism in combat from the Distinguished Service Cross to the Army Commendation Medal. He was also a prominent military journalist...
, collected his own observations from the trip and published them as The Vietnam Primer, giving Marshall credit as co-author.
Marshall died in 1977 in El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
. The University of Texas at El Paso
University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Texas System. Its campus is located on the bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy,...
library has a special collection built around his books.
Marshall is used as a character in Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood
Brothers In Arms: Earned in Blood
Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood is a video game and sequel to Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 and the second game in the Brothers in Arms series, developed by Gearbox Software for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, and Xbox...
, a video game released in 2005.
Controversy after death
Certain professional soldiers have publicly cast doubt on Marshall's research methodology.Professor Roger J. Spiller (Deputy Director of the Combat Studies Institute, US Army Command and General Staff College
Command and General Staff College
The United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military officers. The college was established in 1881 by William Tecumseh Sherman as a...
) demonstrated in his 1988 article "S.L.A. Marshall and the Ratio of Fire" (RUSI
Royal United Services Institute
The Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies , officially still known by its old name, the Royal United Services Institution, is a British defence and security think tank. It was founded in 1831 by The Duke of Wellington.RUSI describes itself asIt won Prospect Magazine's...
Journal
RUSI Journal
The RUSI Journal is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies.It describes itself asRUSI Journal is published six times a year...
, Winter 1988, pages 63–71) that Marshall had not actually conducted the research upon which he based his ratio of fire theory. "The 'systematic collection of data' appears to have been an invention."
This revelation called into question the authenticity of some of Marshall's other books, and lent academic weight to doubts about his integrity that had been raised in military circles even decades earlier.
The controversial figure, Col. David Hackworth, wrote in his 1989 memoir, About Face, described at length his initial elation at an assignment with a man he idolized, and how that elation turned to bitter disillusionment after seeing Marshall's character and methods firsthand. Hackworth described Marshall as a "voyeur warrior" for whom "the truth never got in the way of a good story," and went so far as to say "Veterans of many of the actions he 'documented' in his books have complained bitterly over the years of his inaccuracy or blatant bias".
Marshall's grandson, journalist John Douglas Marshall, has explored his father's posthumous reputation in a series of articles in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and later in a book, Reconcilitation Road: A Family Odyssey of Love and Honor. After a review of the general's archives and other memorabilia, as well as interviews with many of his contemporaries and associates, the younger Marshall concludes that the body of his grandfather's work still has value.