Cowardice and Shellshock

What does shell shock mean?

It was a reaction that soldiers got in WW1 to the trauma of the battles.

Signs of shell shock?

Physical immobility

Hallucinations

Personality changes

Memory loss

Shaking

How many cases of shell shock was treated in WW1?

Over 80,000 cases were treated during WW1. Even after the war the symptoms continued.

What happened in 1927?

In 1927, over 65,000 soldiers stayed in mental hospitals because they suffered from sheel shock acquired during the war.

If you were a coward during the war, what might the consequences be?

The military can choose the death sentence.

The judge might be biased.

Usually shot at dawn.

Why would many soldiers desert the army on the Western Front?

Witnessing friends being killed or seriously wounded caused trauma

Many suffered from "shell shock" (what we now call PTSD)

Some couldn't cope and fled out of fear or a mental breakdown