669:
657:
40:
546:
As a military historian, I am instinctively skeptical of any work or theory that claims to overturn all existing scholarship – indeed, overturn an entire academic discipline – in one fell swoop... Lieutenant
Colonel Grossman's appeals to biology and psychology are flawed, and that the bulwark of his
210:. British soldiers executed for cowardice were often not commemorated on war memorials, and their families often did not receive benefits and had to endure social stigma. However, many decades later, those soldiers all received posthumous pardons in the UK
218:. Unlike British, Canadian, French, German, and Russian forces, the U.S. military tried soldiers for cowardice, but never followed through with execution while German commanders were less inclined to use execution as a form of punishment.
74:
As the opposite of bravery, which many historical and current human societies reward, cowardice is seen as a character flaw that is detrimental to society and thus the failure to face one's fear is often stigmatized or punished.
231:
132:'s habit of putting its tail between its legs when it is afraid. Like many other English words of French origin, this word was introduced in the English language by the French-speaking
235:. Marshall's findings were later challenged as mistaken or even fabricated, and were not replicated in a more rigorous study of Canadian troops in World War II.
128:. It would therefore have meant "one with a tail", which may conjure an image of an animal displaying its tail in flight of fear ("turning tail"), or a
560:
225:, who claimed that 75% of U.S. combat troops in World War II never fired at the enemy for the purpose of killing, even while under direct threat.
502:
67:. As a label, "cowardice" indicates a failure of character in the face of a challenge. One who succumbs to cowardice is known as a
623:
169:
in face of the enemy and surrendering to the enemy against orders. The punishment for such acts is typically severe, ranging from
434:
519:
585:
341:
157:
In German, the word translates into "Feigling" and "Weichei", the latter of which translates back to "soft egg" in literal.
590:
547:
historical evidence – S.L.A. Marshall's assertion that soldiers do not fire their weapons – can be verifiably disproven.
165:
Acts of cowardice have long been punishable by military law, which defines a wide range of cowardly offenses, including
614:
85:
137:
49:
673:
524:
661:
332:
207:
31:
226:
570:
691:
424:
420:
215:
211:
494:
284:
170:
174:
498:
488:
701:
627:
144:
367:
222:
119:
151:
668:
696:
685:
533:
337:
181:
44:
309:
565:
429:
373:
327:
184:
616:
Canadians
Against Fire: Canada's Soldiers and Marshall's "Ratio of Fire" 1944-1945
63:
prevents an individual from taking a risk or facing danger. It is the opposite of
455:
395:
203:
94:
656:
199:
166:
39:
206:, and those who were caught were often court-martialed and, in many cases,
460:
264:
232:
On
Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society
102:
147:
133:
64:
17:
631:
259:
188:
125:
154:), however, has the same origin and meaning as the word "cowherd".
354:
lack of courage to face danger, difficulty, opposition, pain, etc.
254:
249:
192:
112:
38:
244:
122:
107:), which is a combination of the word for "tail" (Modern French
60:
465:
285:"Cowardly definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary"
129:
221:
Considerable controversy was generated by military historian
396:"10 U.S. Code § 899 - Art. 99. Misbehavior before the enemy"
456:"Call to rethink cases of French WWI 'coward' soldiers"
520:"Killing for Their Country: A New Look At "Killology""
229:attempted to explain these findings in his book
573:on 10 December 2005 – via War Chronicle.
586:"The Secret Of The Soldiers Who Didn't Shoot"
368:"From French to English:Surprising Etymology"
30:"Coward" redirects here. For other uses, see
8:
425:"Executed WW1 soldiers to be given pardons"
561:"S.L.A. Marshall and the Ratio of Fire"
276:
198:Generally, cowardice was punishable by
7:
613:Engen, Robert Charles (March 2008).
214:and have been commemorated with the
344:from the original on 28 April 2007
25:
559:Spiller, Roger J. (Winter 1988).
435:Guardian News & Media Limited
400:LII / Legal Information Institute
667:
655:
569:. pp. 63–71. Archived from
340:. Lexico Publishing Group, LLC.
372:Department of Languages of the
584:Smoler, Fredric (March 1989).
1:
672:The dictionary definition of
622:(Thesis). Kingston, Ontario:
59:is a trait wherein excessive
487:Woodward, David R. (2009).
93:came into English from the
86:Online Etymology Dictionary
718:
594:. Vol. 40, no. 2
138:Norman conquest of England
50:The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
29:
525:Canadian Military Journal
289:www.collinsdictionary.com
191:as a crime punishable by
185:military codes of justice
333:Dictionary.reference.com
208:executed by firing squad
32:Coward (disambiguation)
660:Quotations related to
421:Norton-Taylor, Richard
53:
216:Shot at Dawn Memorial
212:Armed Forces Act 2006
42:
227:Author Dave Grossman
187:define cowardice in
532:(2). Archived from
495:Infobase Publishing
490:World War I Almanac
366:Garreau, Joseph E.
171:corporal punishment
624:Queen's University
423:(16 August 2006).
54:
591:American Heritage
83:According to the
16:(Redirected from
709:
671:
659:
643:
642:
640:
638:
621:
610:
604:
603:
601:
599:
581:
575:
574:
556:
550:
549:
543:
541:
515:
509:
508:
484:
478:
477:
475:
473:
468:. 1 October 2013
452:
446:
445:
443:
441:
417:
411:
410:
408:
406:
392:
386:
385:
383:
381:
363:
357:
356:
351:
349:
324:
318:
317:
316:. 19 March 2024.
306:
300:
299:
297:
295:
281:
21:
717:
716:
712:
711:
710:
708:
707:
706:
682:
681:
652:
647:
646:
636:
634:
626:. p. 142.
619:
612:
611:
607:
597:
595:
583:
582:
578:
558:
557:
553:
539:
537:
536:on 21 July 2011
518:Engen, Robert.
517:
516:
512:
505:
486:
485:
481:
471:
469:
454:
453:
449:
439:
437:
419:
418:
414:
404:
402:
394:
393:
389:
379:
377:
365:
364:
360:
347:
345:
326:
325:
321:
314:Merriam Webster
308:
307:
303:
293:
291:
283:
282:
278:
273:
241:
223:S.L.A. Marshall
163:
101:(modern French
81:
35:
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
715:
713:
705:
704:
699:
694:
684:
683:
680:
679:
665:
651:
650:External links
648:
645:
644:
605:
576:
551:
510:
503:
497:. p. 28.
479:
447:
412:
387:
358:
319:
301:
275:
274:
272:
269:
268:
267:
262:
257:
252:
247:
240:
237:
175:death sentence
162:
159:
150:Coward (as in
80:
77:
27:Excess of fear
26:
24:
14:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
714:
703:
700:
698:
695:
693:
690:
689:
687:
678:at Wiktionary
677:
676:
670:
666:
663:
658:
654:
653:
649:
633:
629:
625:
618:
617:
609:
606:
593:
592:
587:
580:
577:
572:
568:
567:
562:
555:
552:
548:
535:
531:
527:
526:
521:
514:
511:
506:
504:9781438118963
500:
496:
492:
491:
483:
480:
467:
463:
462:
457:
451:
448:
436:
432:
431:
426:
422:
416:
413:
401:
397:
391:
388:
376:
375:
369:
362:
359:
355:
343:
339:
338:reference.com
335:
334:
329:
323:
320:
315:
311:
305:
302:
290:
286:
280:
277:
270:
266:
263:
261:
258:
256:
253:
251:
248:
246:
243:
242:
238:
236:
234:
233:
228:
224:
219:
217:
213:
209:
205:
201:
196:
194:
190:
186:
183:
182:United States
178:
176:
172:
168:
160:
158:
155:
153:
149:
146:
141:
139:
135:
131:
127:
124:
121:
117:
114:
110:
106:
105:
100:
96:
92:
88:
87:
78:
76:
72:
70:
66:
62:
58:
52:
51:
46:
45:Cowardly Lion
41:
37:
33:
19:
692:Military law
674:
664:at Wikiquote
635:. Retrieved
615:
608:
596:. Retrieved
589:
579:
571:the original
566:RUSI Journal
564:
554:
545:
538:. Retrieved
534:the original
529:
523:
513:
489:
482:
470:. Retrieved
459:
450:
438:. Retrieved
430:The Guardian
428:
415:
403:. Retrieved
399:
390:
378:. Retrieved
374:UMASS Lowell
371:
361:
353:
346:. Retrieved
331:
322:
313:
304:
292:. Retrieved
288:
279:
230:
220:
197:
179:
164:
161:Military law
156:
142:
136:, after the
115:
108:
103:
98:
90:
84:
82:
73:
68:
56:
55:
48:
36:
637:24 February
598:24 February
472:24 February
440:24 February
380:16 December
348:24 February
328:"cowardice"
204:World War I
152:Noël Coward
89:, the word
686:Categories
271:References
95:Old French
675:cowardice
662:Cowardice
632:1974/1081
405:19 August
200:execution
167:desertion
140:in 1066.
118:) and an
79:Etymology
57:Cowardice
461:BBC News
342:Archived
310:"Coward"
265:Weakness
239:See also
702:Courage
202:during
173:to the
148:surname
145:English
134:Normans
65:courage
47:, from
18:Cowards
501:
294:5 July
260:Virtue
189:combat
126:suffix
104:couard
91:coward
69:coward
620:(PDF)
540:8 May
255:Pussy
250:Sissy
193:death
120:agent
116:cauda
113:Latin
109:queue
99:coart
97:word
697:Fear
639:2019
600:2019
542:2011
499:ISBN
474:2019
442:2019
407:2020
382:2015
350:2019
296:2019
245:Fear
180:The
143:The
123:noun
61:fear
43:The
628:hdl
466:BBC
130:dog
688::
588:.
563:.
544:.
528:.
522:.
493:.
464:.
458:.
433:.
427:.
398:.
370:.
352:.
336:.
330:.
312:.
287:.
195:.
177:.
111:,
71:.
641:.
630::
602:.
530:9
507:.
476:.
444:.
409:.
384:.
298:.
34:.
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
