Medals and mementoes from a successful Gulf War adorn almost every corridor and room at the headquarters of the US Army's First Armoured Division in Bad Kreuznach, a charming little spa town in Rheinland Pfalz. Considered one of the toughest and most effective branches of the American military, the 'Old Ironsides' excelled itself in the deserts of Kuwait. Yet from Major-General William Nash, the commanding officer, down through the ranks, there is little appetite for testing this reputation in the mud and slush of Bosnia-Hercegovina.

LRB 4 January 1996 | PDF Download