"S. L.A. "Slam" Marshall was a veteran of World War I and a combat historian during World War II. He startled the military and civilian world in 1947 by announcing that, in an average infantry company, no more than one in four soldiers actually fired their weapons while in contact with the enemy. His contention was based on interviews he conducted immediately after combat in both the European and Pacific theaters of World War II." "To remedy the gunfire imbalance he proposed changes to infantry training designed to ensure that American soldiers in future wars brought more fire upon the enemy. His studies during the Korean War showed that the ratio of fire had more than doubled since World War II."--Jacket.

Includes index. Originally published: Washington : Infantry Journal ; New York : William Morrow & Co., c1947.

Introduction / by Russell W. Glenn -- Authors note -- 1. The illusion of power -- 2. On future war -- 3. Man on the battlefield -- 4. Combat isolation -- 5. Ratio of fire -- 6. Fire as the curse -- 7. The multiples of information -- 8. The riddle of command -- 9. Tactical cohesion -- 10. Why men fight -- 11. The aggresive will -- 12. Men under fire -- 13. Footnote to history -- Notes to the introduction -- Index.