Psychiatrists Join the Front Lines : Preparation: Allied ground commanders try to deal with the soldier’s age-old enemy--fear.

EASTERN SAUDI ARABIA —  Two big steps forward, one small step back: After several days of menacing saber-rattling on the front lines, the armies of Britain and the United States paused for a few hours to reach inside themselves and prepare as best they can for the shock of battle.

Most of the on-the-ground press pool dispatches in the opening days of the war told of armored, artillery and infantry brigades inching forward restlessly, preying on Saddam Hussein’s nerves, sounding allied resolve. But on Friday, the ninth day of the war, battlefield dispatches from Britain’s vaunted desert fighters, and a lone account from U.S. forces, told of soldiers readying to face that age-old enemy, fear--the deep, disorienting terror that no training can duplicate.

“None of us can really conceive what a modern battle is going to be like, but we can talk about what we may have to face,” said Lt. Col. Arthur Denaro, commander of the Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars.

For the first time in its long and distinguished history, the British army has deployed psychiatrists to forward positions. While the dug-in British soldiers await the call to battle, the experts talk calmly of how to recognize and handle battle shock.

Differing kinds of war extract a different toll on fighting men and women. An American study reported that up to 30% of the troops who fought in Vietnam were psychologically scarred. The Israelis concluded that 20% of their soldiers suffered temporary battle-shock paralysis in the 1982 invasion of Lebanon. Britain recognizes a less than 10% rate in its 1982 Falklands War.

For this war, they’re not guessing. But open-field armored combat involving a million troops on a battlefield soaked with chemical weapons is shocking just to contemplate.

There is no secret answer to facing up to fear. Get your sleep, eat well, shave, put aside family problems--that’s the kind of advice the Hussars receive. What the British hope is that just talking about this formerly “very un-British” subject of fear will give their troops the confidence to face it down.

And talking about it also may help avoid the lingering guilt, withdrawal and self-doubt that some think can lead or contribute to long-term problems, such as the post-traumatic stress disorder that troubles many Vietnam veterans to this day.

Col. Denaro has researched the subject and dug through regimental histories in search of ways to give strength to his men. Of particular concern is the speed of modern combat, in which a single crewman who flinches in a state-of-the-art Challenger tank could cripple its effectiveness.

“I have talked with tank troop leaders about what they will be saying to their men during this time of high anxiety,” Denaro said. “We will be talking about much the same things--the confidence in their equipment, the support of the people back home in Britain, the characters and jokers in the regiment.”

American military officials report that some psychological casualties already have shown up. At the U.S. Air Force 1st Tactical Fighter Wing’s transportable hospital, “two to three people a day” seek help coping with the stress of being assigned to a war zone. Iraq’s Scud missile raids in particular are causing nerves to unravel.

During a recent raid, psychiatrist Lt. Col. Michel Gingras found himself zipped up in a chemical warfare suit, lying flat on the floor.

“All of a sudden,” he said, “you realize that this is not a game.”

This report was compiled from British military pool reports reviewed by allied military censors.