You've reminded me of comments William Goldman made about writing the screenplay for A Bridge Too Far. The first wave of Allied troops who tried to cross were cut to pieces by machine-gun fire, so a second wave was sent after them. Goldman's view was that, having seen their comrades die and now knowing what they faced, those who followed were if anything more courageous, but he couldn't make that the crux of the scene because his audience simply wouldn't believe it.