The Economist (US), December 10th, 1994
DUELING. By Kevin McAleer. Princeton University Press; 268 pages; $24.95 and Pounds 19.95
BETWEEN 1871, when the Franco-Prussian war ended, and 1914, when the first world war began, the German army had nothing much to do. German officers kept boredom at bay by killing each other in pistol duels. Almost any slight was reason enough for an offended party to demand satisfaction. Calling somebody a Schwachkopf (imbecile), however true, could result in visiting cards being exchanged and seconds appointed in the elaborate code of "honour" which then took over.
At dawn in a forest clearing a few ...
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