What was different about his militia in comparison with traditional armies? and Why was his experience on the front lines so uneventful? In short, why was there so little military action?

When Orwell and his until arrive behind the fighting at the front line of Zaragoza, the squalor and dirt of the area immediately strikes him, and the rifles they are given are one hundred years old and clearly not suited to successfully firing. The guns used by their opponents are more than capable of firing and one narrowly misses Orwell thanks to his quick reflexes and the fact that he ducks.

Orwell finds that much of the time, the conflict moves very slowly, and that a war of attrition is in real life very boring. The opposing armies dig into their trenches and although they hurl verbal ammunition at each other, the battle seems to stagnate. The only thing that makes the experience agreeable to Orwell is the obvious equality that exists within the ranks. Militia members obey instructions because they want to and because they see the orders they are given as having a purpose other than just telling them what to do. They see orders as a means to an end.