The Making Of The British Army

The Making Of The British Army
Author: Allan Mallinson
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 575
Release: 2009-11-10
Genre: History
ISBN: 1409085813

Edgehill, 1642: Surveying the disastrous scene in the aftermath of the first battle of the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell realized that war could no longer be waged in the old, feudal way: there had to be system and discipline, and therefore - eventually - a standing professional army. From the 'New Model Army' of Cromwell's distant vision, former soldier Allan Mallinson shows us the people and events that have shaped the British army we know today. How Marlborough's momentous victory at Blenheim is linked to Wellington's at Waterloo; how the desperate fight at Rorke's Drift in 1879 underpinned the heroism of the airborne forces at Arnhem in 1944; and why Montgomery's momentous victory at El Alamein mattered long after the Second World War was over . . . From the British Army's origins at the battle of Edgehill to the recent conflict in Afghanistan, The Making of the British Army is history at its most relevant - and most dramatic.

The Changing of the Guard

The Changing of the Guard
Author: Simon Akam
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2021-03-02
Genre:
ISBN: 9781922310279

A revelatory, explosive new analysis of the British military today. Over the first two decades of the twenty-first century, Britain has changed enormously. During this time, the British Army fought two campaigns, in Iraq and Afghanistan, at considerable financial and human cost. Yet neither war achieved its objectives. This book questions why, and provides challenging but necessary answers. Composed of assiduous documentary research, field reportage, and hundreds of interviews with many soldiers and officers who served, as well as the politicians who directed them, the allies who accompanied them, and the family members who loved and -- on occasion -- lost them, it is a strikingly rich, nuanced portrait of one of our pivotal national institutions in a time of great stress. Award-winning journalist Simon Akam, who spent a year in the army when he was 18, returned a decade later to see how the institution had changed. His book examines the relevance of the armed forces today -- their social, economic, political, and cultural role. This is as much a book about Britain, and about the politics of failure, as it is about the military.

The Story of the British Army

The Story of the British Army
Author: Charles Cooper King
Publisher: Good Press
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2023-10-29
Genre: History
ISBN:

In 'The Story of the British Army' by Charles Cooper King, readers are taken on a comprehensive journey through the history and evolution of one of the world's most renowned military forces. Through meticulous research and vivid storytelling, King encompasses the various campaigns, battles, and key figures that have shaped the British Army over the centuries. The book is written in a clear and engaging literary style, making it accessible to readers of all backgrounds. King's attention to detail and historical context provide a comprehensive understanding of the British Army's role in shaping global events. This book is a valuable resource for military history enthusiasts and scholars alike. Charles Cooper King's expertise as a historian and military strategist shines through in 'The Story of the British Army'. With a deep understanding of military tactics and historical events, King offers readers a unique perspective on the inner workings and significance of the British Army. His passion for the subject matter is evident, making this book a compelling and enlightening read for anyone interested in military history or British history in general. I highly recommend 'The Story of the British Army' to readers looking to delve deeper into the fascinating world of military history and gain a greater appreciation for the British Army's enduring legacy.

The Oxford History of the British Army

The Oxford History of the British Army
Author: David G. Chandler
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 498
Release: 1996
Genre: History
ISBN: 0192853333

From longbow, pike, and musket to Challenger tanks, from the Napoleonic Wars to the Gulf Campaign, from the Duke of Marlborough to Field Marshal Montgomery, this stimulating and informative book recounts the history of the British army from its medieval antecedents to the present day. Commanders, campaigns, battles, organization, and weaponry are all covered in detail within the wider context of the social, economic, and political environment in which armies exist and fight, making this the definitive one-volume history of the British army for specialists and non-specialists alike. Book jacket.

Battle Tactics of the Western Front

Battle Tactics of the Western Front
Author: Paddy Griffith
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 310
Release: 1996-01-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780300066630

Historians have portrayed British participation in World War I as a series of tragic debacles, with lines of men mown down by machine guns, with untried new military technology, and incompetent generals who threw their troops into improvised and unsuccessful attacks. In this book a renowned military historian studies the evolution of British infantry tactics during the war and challenges this interpretation, showing that while the British army's plans and technologies failed persistently during the improvised first half of the war, the army gradually improved its technique, technology, and, eventually, its' self-assurance. By the time of its successful sustained offensive in the fall of 1918, says Paddy Griffith, the British army was demonstrating a battlefield skill and mobility that would rarely be surpassed even during World War II. Evaluating the great gap that exists between theory and practice, between textbook and bullet-swept mudfield, Griffith argues that many battles were carefully planned to exploit advanced tactics and to avoid casualties, but that breakthrough was simply impossible under the conditions of the time. According to Griffith, the British were already masters of "storm troop tactics" by the end of 1916, and in several important respects were further ahead than the Germans would be even in 1918. In fields such as the timing and orchestration of all-arms assaults, predicted artillery fire, "Commando-style" trench raiding, the use of light machine guns, or the barrage fire of heavy machine guns, the British led the world. Although British generals were not military geniuses, says Griffith, they should at least be credited for effectively inventing much of the twentieth-century's art of war.

Monty's Men

Monty's Men
Author: John Buckley
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 548
Release: 2013-10-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 0300160356

Historian John Buckley offers a radical reappraisal of Great Britain’s fighting forces during World War Two, challenging the common belief that the British Army was no match for the forces of Hitler’s Germany. Following Britain’s military commanders and troops across the battlefields of Europe, from D-Day to VE-Day, from the Normandy beaches to Arnhem and the Rhine, and, ultimately, to the Baltic, Buckley’s provocative history demonstrates that the British Army was more than a match for the vaunted Nazi war machine.div /DIVdivThis fascinating revisionist study of the campaign to liberate Northern Europe in the war’s final years features a large cast of colorful unknowns and grand historical personages alike, including Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery and the prime minister, Sir Winston Churchill. By integrating detailed military history with personal accounts, it evokes the vivid reality of men at war while putting long-held misconceptions finally to rest./DIV

The British Army

The British Army
Author: Sir Sibbald David Scott
Publisher:
Total Pages: 684
Release: 1868
Genre: Great Britain
ISBN:

Supplying the British Army in the First World War

Supplying the British Army in the First World War
Author: Janet Macdonald
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Total Pages: 343
Release: 2019-09-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 152672538X

An in-depth look at the logistics of keeping the British Army fed, clothed, armed, and supplied during World War I. Napoleon famously said that an army marches on its stomach, but it also marches in its boots and its uniforms, carrying or driving its weapons and other equipment, and all this material has to be ordered from headquarters, produced and delivered. Janet Macdonald’s detailed and scholarly new study explains how this enormously complex task of organization and labour was carried out by the British army during the First World War. She describes the personnel who performed these tasks, from the government and military command in London to those who handled the items in the field. They were responsible for clothing, accommodation, medicine, transport, hand weapons, armament, and communications—a vast logistical network that had evolved to keep millions of men in the field. This meticulously researched account of this important subject—one which has hitherto been neglected by military historians—will be essential reading and reference for anyone who is interested in the modern British army, in particular in its organization and performance in the First World War.

A History Of The British Army – Vol. III (1763-1793)

A History Of The British Army – Vol. III (1763-1793)
Author: Hon. Sir John William Fortescue
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
Total Pages: 730
Release: 2014-06-13
Genre: History
ISBN: 1782891293

Sir John Fortescue holds a pre-eminent place amongst British military historians, his enduring fame and legacy resting mainly on his life’s work “The History of the British Army”, According to Professor Brian Bond, the work was “the product of indefatigable research in original documents, a determination to present a clear, accurate, and readable narrative of military operations, and a close personal knowledge of the battlefields, which enabled him to elucidate his account with excellent maps. Most important, however, was his motivation: namely, a lifelong affection for the old, long-service, pre-Cardwell army, the spirit of the regiments of which it largely consisted, and the value of its traditions to the nation. An important part of his task was to distil and inculcate these soldierly virtues which, in his conservative view, contrasted sharply with the unedifying character of politicians who habitually meddled in military matters.” ODNB. This third volume covers the period from 1763-1793, the European Powersfought each other via proxy but great vigour in North America and India. The British Army would have great success in India under military leaders of the calibre of Abercromby, Cornwallis and Warren Hastings. however the loss of the American Revolutionary War, gained for the Americans their Independence and the British troops, hamstrung by political foolishness, a humbling defeat. TIMES.—"Whatever Mr. Fortescue may do in the future, he has already, in his first three volumes, produced one of the most important military works in the English language. It is sincerely to be hoped that they will be read as widely as they deserve to be." ARMY AND NAVY GAZETTE.—"The Hon. J. W. Fortescue is greatly to be congratulated upon the third volume of his very important History of the British Army....With the publication of this book the British Army is gaining a complete history really worthy of the name." A MUST READ for any military enthusiast.