// War Literature

Many things happened in Paths of Glory but I would like to focus on something that is related to what we already read in class.

“Friction is the only conception which, in a general way, corresponds to that which distinguishes real war from war on paper.”

The quotation above was taken from one of the paragraphs in Book I, Chapter VII of Clausewitz’s On War. It comes to mind because during a scene in Paths of Glory, the corrupt General Mireau demands that Colonel Dax round up his men for one massive charge and take over the Anthill. When Colonel Dax is confused by the seemingly impossible order, General Mireau makes “rational” calculations that stun both the colonel and myself. A good 5% killed by “our own barrage”…10% more in no man’s land….20% more getting into the wire…and after that, the worst part is “over.” General Mireau explains those odds in a nonchalant manner as if his soldiers are nothing more than numbers. He finishes off by stating that 25% will fall when attempting to take the anthill, “but at least we’ll have the anthill.”

It was sad to see a general, probably many years removed from the battlefield, to stoop to such despicable means of getting a promotion. He clearly ignores the “friction in war” and does not realize that it is easier said than done. As we saw in the movie, things did not go according to plan. What General Mireau believed would happen, the “war on paper,” the systematic takeover of the Anthill, was tossed aside. “That is why we play the game,” a popular phrase in sports, is very fitting for this situation. You never know how friction will affect the outcome of a war. In General Mireau’s case, the enemy artillery was so deadly that his soldiers either found themselves dead, forced to retreat, or too scared to even get out of their trenches.