Leaving the fight : surrender, prisoners of war, and detainees in Western warfare / John A. Lynn II.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lynn, John A. (John Albert), 1943- author.

Series:

Cambridge military histories.

Cambridge military histories

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Capitulations, Military--History.

Capitulations, Military.

Prisoners of war.

War--History.

War.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xii, 332 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2025.

Summary:

Surrender in warfare has determined the fate of governments, states, and nations. It has reduced powerful commanders to powerless captives and inflicted submission, degradation, and even death on common soldiers held as prisoners of war. It has also led to civilian detainees being grossly mistreated and murdered. However, surrender, prisoners of war, and detainees have rarely been addressed as general phenomena in warfare. Leaving the Fight is then an essential history of the evolution of surrender from the Middle Ages to the present day. John A. Lynn II explores the different forms taken by surrender, from the abject capitulation of armies and states to the withdrawal of forces from military interventions deemed to be unwinnable, such as in Vietnam and Afghanistan. He also considers the fates of prisoners of war and civilians detained by military forces from harsh treatment intended to intimidate foes to attempts to win over hearts and minds.

Contents:

Introduction: Focus and Framework

The Invention of European Honorable Surrender during the Age of Chivalry

The Honors of War in Early Modern Surrender, 1650-1789

The American Civil War and its Aftermath: Confederate Surrender Transformed into Racist Victory, 1861-1877

Fighting and Ending the 'War to End War' on the Western Front, 1914-1919

Surrender in a War of Extremes, 1937-1945

Substitutes for Victory - Stalemate, Surrender, and Prisoners of War in America's Cold War Conflicts, 1950-1973

Combat, Detention Operations, and Surrender during the War on Terror, 2001-2021

Conclusion.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 07 Mar 2025).

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9781009573481

1009573489

9781009573498

1009573497

9781139104203

1139104209

OCLC:

1543148642