Face of Battle
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Face of Battle by John Keegan comes up on Hardcore History and The Rest Is History, with transcript quotes, timestamps, and episode context.
Face of Battle by John Keegan appears 3 times across 3 podcast episodes on 2 shows, with transcript quotes and timestamps.
“First of all, it's a hard thing to do, right?”
Why people keep bringing this up
The Face of Battle is referenced twice on the podcast Hardcore History, appearing in Show 24 ("Classical Hanson") and Show 54 ("Blueprint For Armageddon V"). In Show 24 the host calls John Keegan's book "groundbreaking" and describes it as an early attempt to see ancient or medieval battle from the viewpoint of the people who were fighting it.
In Show 54 Hardcore History describes Keegan as "definitely in the anti-Hague camp" and quotes a line attributed to him: "he had sent the flower of British youth to death or mutilation." Together these citations show the podcast drawing on The Face of Battle both for its claim about soldier-level perspectives and for pointed commentary about wartime leadership and sacrifice. The recurring mentions indicate the host revisits Keegan when discussing how battles were experienced by participants and when using sharp critiques found in his writing.
The host mentions 'Face of Battle' as one of the first books they read about Agincourt, highlighting its focus on the muddy conditions of the battlefield. This reference serves to underscore the challenging terrain faced by Henry and his forces during the battle.
The host mentions 'The Face of Battle' to highlight John Keegan's groundbreaking approach to understanding the human experience in warfare. Despite acknowledging Keegan's influence on military history, the host expresses a personal disconnect with his work compared to that of Victor Davis Hansen.
The host discusses the catastrophic conditions of the Passchendaele battlefield and the implications of British military leadership during World War I. John Keegan's book is referenced to highlight the severe consequences of these decisions on British soldiers and military strategy.
Recent show rotation: Hardcore History and The Rest Is History.
Fastest path back to the source: the strongest indexed mention lands at 2:32 in the episode where we captured it.
Quick FAQ
Answers to common book, episode, podcast, and guest questions.
Which episode mentioned Face of Battle?
Show 24 Classical Hanson on Hardcore History is one of the clearest indexed episodes that mentioned Face of Battle by John Keegan. Other indexed episodes include Show 54 Blueprint For Armageddon V on Hardcore History and 489. Hundred Years' War: Bloodbath at Agincourt (Part 3) on The Rest Is History. The first indexed transcript timestamp lands at 2:32.
Which podcast mentioned Face of Battle?
Hardcore History and The Rest Is History are the main indexed podcasts currently tied to Face of Battle by John Keegan.
Who mentioned Face of Battle on podcasts?
PodcastMentions ties Face of Battle by John Keegan to Hardcore History and The Rest Is History, but the underlying mentions do not yet expose stable guest names for every episode.
Why do podcast guests bring up Face of Battle?
The host mentions 'Face of Battle' as one of the first books they read about Agincourt, highlighting its focus on the muddy conditions of the battlefield. This reference serves to underscore the challenging terrain faced by Henry and his forces during the battle. It most often appears in conversations about Battle of Agincourt, understanding historical battles, and British military leadership failures.
Mentions across episodes
Every mention card links back to the episode page and exact transcript anchor.
“John Keegan wrote a groundbreaking book called The Face of Battle, which was an early attempt to see ancient or medieval battle from the viewpoint of the people who were fighting it.”
“British military historian John Keegan, who's definitely in the anti-Hague camp, wrote, quote, On the psalm, he had sent the flower of British youth to death or mutilation.”
“The speaker recalls one of the first books read on Agincourt, which is John Keegan's 'Face of Battle', discussing Agincourt, Waterloo, and the Somme.”