“The troops were cracking because they could not absorb what was happening to them, because they knew themselves to be utterly powerless (bravery had little survival value when one was on the receiving end of a bombardment), and because they had no confidence that the generals who had put them in danger knew what they were doing. Men whose courage was beyond challenge could and did break down if subjected to enough strain of this kind.” PtsdShell Shock Book:A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918 Source: A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918