War Horse

World War I was a major turning point in military history. The timing of the war played out so that it was beginning during what would turn out to be a major shift in technological warfare: the introduction of machine guns, artillery, and tanks. These inventions revolutionized the way battles were fought, as seen in War Horse. Unfortunately, many were unprepared to face such technology, leading to many more unnecessary casualties.

At the novel's beginning, the British troops are oblivious to the change coming their way. Captain Nicholls, along with Captain Stewart, are the only ones who seem to be concerned. Nicholls laments the naiveté of his fellow soldiers, saying, “None of them in there seem to have heard of machine guns and artillery. […] [O]ne machine gun operated right could wipe out an entire squadron of the best cavalry in the world-German or British” (33). He is all too aware of how vulnerable the soldiers are, while the rest of them feel certain they’ll defeat the Germans and be home by Christmas.

Once they arrive in France, their attitude quickly changes. Before them, the “wounded [are] everywhere—on stretchers, on crutches, in open ambulances, and etched on every man [is] the look of wretched misery and pain” (42). In Joey’s first battle, Captain Nicholls is killed, along with more than a fourth of their whole squadron.

The horses are as vulnerable as the soldiers and continue to be no match for the machinery they are up against. When Joey runs into battle with Trooper Warren, “the ground erupt[s] on either side of [him], throwing horses and riders clear into the air” (59), and explosions fill the air and light up the sky. In the chaos, many of the horses run into the barbed wire and get trapped there. Most of them are shot as they try to wrangle themselves free. Of the whole cavalry squadron, Trooper Warren, Joey, Captain Stewart, and Topthorn are the only ones to make it out alive. When the four of them are surrounded by the Germans, Captain Stewart tells Trooper Warren to surrender. He looks back at the field of bodies and riderless horses. He says, “What a ghastly waste. Maybe now when they see this, they’ll understand that you can’t send horses into wire and machine guns” (61). The Captain’s words haunt Joey as he contemplates the numerous lives lost in just that one battle.

The horses begin to deteriorate as time passes, and they must walk through long mud stretches. Multiple horses perish from starvation, heart failure, and exhaustion. Topthorn eventually succumbs, and the vet who examines him grows angry at the sight of his lifeless body. He says, “We should not treat our horses like this. We treat our machines better” (103). While most of the soldiers hold a great deal of respect for the horses, they often act as if they can be pushed to go on forever. This is simply not the case, and they discover this the hard way. Horses have the same needs humans do; if they aren’t treated well, they will not make it. Michael Morpurgo’s exploration of the horses in World War I commemorates the bravery and dignity those horses held while simultaneously exposing the horrors they were made to endure.