The General
by C. S. Forester
Herbert Curzon is a former cavalry officer who earned an honorary privilege in the Boer War. He didn't know much at the time; he hasn't learned anything since. However, in the first months of World War I, the Army, desperate for officers, gives Curzon a new department for training. A few months later, their formation was dissolved in the Somme, which was hit by German machine guns. Unbreakable Curzon still sees himself as a leader. When the German attack threatens his remaining troops, he commits suicide and joins the hostilities. Prefers death to self-knowledge
