Tough adaptable fighters, naturally well equipped for the rigours of war by a life spent outdoors; all blokes together; driven by an overwhelming sense of decency ... Was the New Zealand soldier really like that? John McLeod, himself an Army Officer, argues no, and some people will be shocked by his evidence. Drawing on eye-witness accounts by ex-servicemen, he describles the looting, the drunkenness, the blind panic, the social gulf between officers and men, the incompetent leadership and the furlough draft that refused to go back to the war. McLeod, however, is not out to undermine the history of our armed forces. His aim is to put it on a realistic footing, and to dispel the myths in order to find out what makes our soldiers tick. The result is a frank but considered study of New Zealanders at war and a compelling insight into New Zealand culture.