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IntroductionTo those who have known the firing line, it would scarcely be necessaryto point out that morale in combat is never a steady current of forcebut a rapidly oscillating wave whose variations are both immeasurableand unpredictable.S.L.A. Marshall1Men wear out in war like clothes.Lord Moran2On 9 May 1945, Brigadier John Field, commander of the 7th AustralianInfantry Brigade on Bougainville, released a special order of the day. Hestated that ‘On completion of the recent period of operations, I desireto extend to all ranks my sincere congratulations and thanks for the splendidwork in which they have upheld the reputation of the Brigade’.3 He noted thatin three months the brigade had cleared 220 square miles of jungle and killed1500 Japanese. The Corps Commander, Lieutenant General Stanley Savige, alsoproclaimed that ‘It is my considered opinion that never before in this war has thegallantry of Australian troops, directed with skill and determination by Brigadeand Battalion Commanders, been higher than displayed by 7 Aust Inf Bde duringrecent weeks’.4 These sentiments, and most of the official records covering this1 S.L.A. Marshall, Men Against Fire: The Problem of Battle Command in Future War,Peter Smith, Gloucester, 1978, p. 179.2 Lord Moran, The Anatomy of Courage, Constable, London, 1966, p. 64.3 ‘Special Order of the Day by Comd 7 Aust Inf Bde’, 6 May 1945, AWM 3DRL6937,Item 32.4 ‘Special Order of the Day by Comd 7 Aust Inf Bde’, 6 May 1945, AWM 3DRL6937,Item 32.A tale of three battalions — 1