01_032138 ffirs.qxp 2/28/07 7:35 PM Page i
British Military History FOR DUMmIES‰
by Bryan Perrett 01_032138 ffirs.qxp 2/28/07 7:35 PM Page i 01_032138 ffirs.qxp 2/28/07 7:35 PM Page i
British Military History FOR DUMmIES‰
by Bryan Perrett 01_032138 ffirs.qxp 2/28/07 7:35 PM Page ii
British Military History For Dummies® Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd The Atrium Southern Gate Chichester West Sussex PO19 8SQ England E-mail (for orders and customer service enquires): [email protected] Visit our Home Page on www.wiley.com Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, Chichester, West Sussex, England Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, Chichester, West Sussex All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or trans- mitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or other- wise, except under the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London, W1T 4LP, UK, without the permission in writing of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, England, or emailed to [email protected], or faxed to (44) 1243 770620. Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
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About the Author Bryan Perrett was educated at Liverpool College. He served for nineteen years in Regular and Territorial Regiments of the Royal Armoured Corps before deciding to take up the pen professionally. His numerous books include Seize and Hold, a study of the coup de main, and Iron Fist, containing case studies of classic armoured engagements, which was selected by the Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies for its book option. His more recent works include The Real Hornblower, a biography of Admiral Sir James Gordon, believed to be the officer upon whom C.S. Forester based his immortal character Horatio Hornblower, and For Valour: Victoria Cross and Medal of Honor Battles. During the Falklands and First Gulf Wars he served as Defence Correspondent to the Liverpool Echo.
Dedication To my wife Anne for her astonishing patience while I worked my way through 2000 years of military history. 01_032138 ffirs.qxp 2/28/07 7:35 PM Page iv
Publisher’s Acknowledgements We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:
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Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel Publishing for Technology Dummies Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User Composition Services Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services 02_032138 ftoc.qxp 2/28/07 7:23 PM Page v
Contents at a Glance
Introduction ...... 1 Part I: Ancient and Medieval Warfare...... 7 Chapter 1: Small Islands with Lots of Clout ...... 9 Chapter 2: Swords, Sandals, and Geometry: The Romans...... 15 Chapter 3: Arthur, Alfred, and Aethelstan: The Dark Ages ...... 29 Chapter 4: The Hard Knight’s Day: The Norman Conquest and Medieval Period ...39 Part II: The Arrival of Gunpowder ...... 57 Chapter 5: With Pike and Shot: Renaissance Warfare...... 59 Chapter 6: Hearties versus Gloomies: The Civil Wars ...... 69 Chapter 7: Founding a Regular Army: The Late Seventeenth Century...... 81 Part III: Wars of Succession, Independence, and Revolution ...... 91 Chapter 8: O’er the Hills and Far Away: Marlborough Country and Beyond...... 93 Chapter 9: Risings and Rebellions: Jacobites and Americans ...... 117 Chapter 10: Revolting Frenchmen, The Grand Old Duke, and Boney: The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars...... 133 Chapter 11: Wellington Boots the French Out: The Peninsula to Waterloo...... 143 Part IV: Nineteenth-Century Wars...... 171 Chapter 12: Britain’s Little Wars: Imperial Expansion ...... 173 Chapter 13: Helping Turkey Fight the Bear: The Crimean War...... 187 Chapter 14: Rebels, Rajahs, and a Rani: The Indian Mutiny ...... 203 Chapter 15: Home and Away: Reorganisation, Re-Equipment, and More Trouble in India ...... 223 Chapter 16: Boots, Boots, Boots, Boots: Marchin’ Over Africa ...... 239 Part V: The First World War...... 267 Chapter 17: ‘Hangin’ On the Old Barbed Wire’: The Western Front, 1914–1917.....269 Chapter 18: Storm Troopers and Tank Attacks: The Western Front, 1918...... 287 Chapter 19: Turkey With All the Trimmings: The Middle East and Beyond, 1914–1918...... 297 02_032138 ftoc.qxp 2/28/07 7:23 PM Page vi
Part VI: The Second World War (and Beyond)...... 319 Chapter 20: Phoney War, Panzers, and Miracles: The Outbreak of the Second World War ...... 321 Chapter 21: Sun, Sand, Sea, and Tanks: The Middle East and North Africa, 1940–1943...... 331 Chapter 22: One Bloomin’ Ridge After Another: The Italian Campaign, 1943–1945...... 353 Chapter 23: Beachheads and Bridges: Normandy and Northwest Europe, 1944–1945 ...... 361 Chapter 24: Welcome to the Jungle: The Far East, 1941–1945...... 377 Chapter 25: Around the World in 60 Years: Operations 1945–2006 ...... 393 Part VII: The Part of Tens...... 411 Chapter 26: Ten Great British Generals...... 413 Chapter 27: Ten Decisive Battles in British Military History...... 419 Chapter 28: Ten British Military Museums Worth Visiting ...... 423 Index ...... 427 02_032138 ftoc.qxp 2/28/07 7:23 PM Page vii
Table of Contents
Introduction...... About This Book...... 1 Conventions Used in This Book ...... 2 What You’re Not to Read...... 2 Foolish Assumptions ...... 3 How This Book Is Organised...... 3 Part I: Ancient and Medieval Warfare ...... 3 Part II: The Arrival of Gunpowder ...... 4 Part III: Wars of Succession, Independence, and Revolution...... 4 Part IV: Nineteenth-Century Wars ...... 4 Part V: The First World War ...... 5 Part VI: The Second World War (and Beyond) ...... 5 Part VII: The Part of Tens ...... 5 Icons Used in This Book...... 5 Where to Go from Here...... 6
Part I: Ancient and Medieval Warfare...... 7
Chapter 1: Small Islands with Lots of Clout ...... 9 Checking Out Britain’s Wars Through the Ages...... 10 Moving with the Times: Key Strategies through History...... 12 Remembering the Regiment: Traditions and Spirit ...... 13 Realising the Army’s Role in the Modern World ...... 14 Chapter 2: Swords, Sandals, and Geometry: The Romans ...... 15 Fighting from the Start: The Ancient Britons ...... 16 Caesar Seizes an Opportunity ...... 17 Caesar’s first raid, 55 BC...... 18 Caesar’s second raid, 54 BC ...... 19 The Roman Invasion, AD 43...... 21 Harvesting a landing ...... 21 Bring on the elephants!...... 22 Caratacus, the first British hero ...... 22 Setting London Ablaze: The Boudiccan Rebellion...... 23 Policing Roman Britain...... 24 The Legions Depart...... 26 02_032138 ftoc.qxp 2/28/07 7:23 PM Page viii
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Chapter 3: Arthur, Alfred, and Aethelstan: The Dark Ages ...... 29 (Not) Welcoming New Arrivals: Angles, Saxons, and Jutes ...... 30 Riding to the Rescue: King Arthur ...... 31 Carving Up Saxon England...... 31 An Unbeatable Offa ...... 33 Shipping in the Viking Menace ...... 34 The Saxons Fight Back: Alfred and Aethelstan...... 35 The Battle of Brunanburgh, 937 ...... 36 Turning Back the Tide: Ethelred and Canute...... 37 Chapter 4: The Hard Knight’s Day: The Norman Conquest and Medieval Period ...... 39 1066: The Disputed Throne...... 40 The Battle of Stamford Bridge, 25 September 1066 ...... 41 The Battle of Hastings, 14 October 1066 ...... 42 William takes the crown ...... 43 Fighting over Medieval England...... 43 Here a castle, there a castle ...... 44 The days of knights...... 45 Looking north . . . and west...... 46 The Scottish Wars of Independence ...... 48 The Battle of Bannockburn, 14 June 1314 ...... 49 Continuing Anglo-Scottish hostilities ...... 49 Fighting the French: A National Sport ...... 50 The Battle of Crecy, 26 August 1346...... 50 The Battle of Poitiers, 19 September 1356 ...... 51 The Battle of Agincourt, 25 October 1415...... 52 Roses Are Red, Roses Are White...... 54
Part II: The Arrival of Gunpowder ...... 57
Chapter 5: With Pike and Shot: Renaissance Warfare ...... 59 Introducing Gunpowder Artillery ...... 60 Getting to grips with different types of gun ...... 61 What’s your gun called? ...... 62 Hiring in guns, gunners, and ammunition ...... 62 Upgrading the Infantry ...... 63 Waving goodbye to the longbow ...... 63 . . . And saying hello to the arquebus ...... 64 Riding Around in Circles: Cavalry...... 65 Testing Out the New Ideas ...... 66 The Battle of Flodden, 1513...... 66 The Spanish Armada, 1588...... 67 02_032138 ftoc.qxp 2/28/07 7:23 PM Page ix
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Chapter 6: Hearties versus Gloomies: The Civil Wars ...... 69 The First Civil War...... 71 Setting the Civil War in swing ...... 71 Campaigning in 1644 ...... 74 Reaching a conclusion: 1645–1646 ...... 75 The Second Civil War...... 77 The Third Civil War...... 77 The Battle of Worcester, 3 September 1651 ...... 78 The Irish Campaign, 1649–1652 ...... 79 Campaigning for the Commonwealth ...... 79 Chapter 7: Founding a Regular Army: The Late Seventeenth Century ...... 81 The Changing Army ...... 82 Raising a regiment: The proprietary system ...... 82 Buying a commission...... 83 Introducing new types of soldier...... 84 Dressing for battle...... 84 The First Regiments...... 85 Colours...... 87 Battle honours and honour titles ...... 87 Preparing for War: Logistics, Ballistics, and Fortification ...... 88 Getting Some Action! ...... 89 The Battle of Sedgemoor, 6 July 1685 ...... 89 The Battle of the Boyne, 1 July 1690 ...... 90
Part III: Wars of Succession, Independence, and Revolution...... 91
Chapter 8: O’er the Hills and Far Away: Marlborough Country and Beyond ...... 93 The War of Spanish Succession, 1701–1714...... 95 The Battle of Blenheim, 13 August 1704 ...... 96 The Battle of Ramillies, 22 May 1706 ...... 97 The Battle of Oudenarde, 11 July 1708 ...... 98 The Battle of Malplaquet, 11 September 1709 ...... 98 Handing out the spoils of war...... 99 The War of Austrian Succession, 1740–1748...... 99 The Battle of Dettingen, 27 June 1743...... 100 The Battle of Fontenoy, 11 May 1745 ...... 101 02_032138 ftoc.qxp 2/28/07 7:23 PM Page x
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The Seven Years’ War, 1756–1763...... 103 Losing Minorca, 1756 ...... 104 The Battle of Minden, 1 August 1759 ...... 104 The Battle of Emsdorf, 14 July 1760 ...... 107 The Battle of Warburg, 31 July 1760...... 108 Same Old Enemy, Brand New Venues...... 108 Possessing the West Indies ...... 108 The French and Indian War, 1754–1763 ...... 109 Getting curried away: War in India...... 113 Defending Gibraltar...... 115 Chapter 9: Risings and Rebellions: Jacobites and Americans . . . . .117 One Day My Prince Will Come, 1708...... 118 Here Comes James – Again! The ‘Fifteen’...... 118 ¡Hola! Spain’s (Mini) Invasion of Scotland, 1719...... 119 The Jacobites Return . . . And This Time They’re Bonnie: The ‘Forty-Five’...... 120 The Battle of Prestonpans, 21 September 1745...... 120 The Battle of Falkirk, 17 January 1746 ...... 121 The Battle of Culloden, 15 April 1746 ...... 122 The American War of Independence, 1775 –1783...... 123 The Battles of Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill, 1775...... 124 Rebel failures in Canada ...... 126 New York, New York...... 126 Making plans with Johnny and George...... 128 Georgia on my mind, 1779–1781 ...... 130 Turning the world upside down ...... 131 Chapter 10: Revolting Frenchmen, The Grand Old Duke, and Boney: The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars ...... 133 Campaigning with the Grand Old Duke of York: The Low Countries, 1793–1795 ...... 134 The Battle of Fishguard, February 1797 ...... 135 The Great Irish Rebellion of 1798...... 136 Chasing the French out of Egypt, 1801...... 138 Fighting France Here, There, and Everywhere ...... 139 Chapter 11: Wellington Boots the French Out: The Peninsula to Waterloo ...... 143 The Peninsular War, 1808–1814 ...... 144 The Battle of Corunna, 16 January 1808...... 146 The Battle of Talavera, 27 July 1809...... 146 The Battles of Torres Vedras and Busaco, 27 September 1810 ....147 The Battle of Fuentes de Onoro, 5 May 1811 ...... 148 The Battle of Albuera, 16 May 1811...... 149 02_032138 ftoc.qxp 2/28/07 7:23 PM Page xi
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The storming of Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz, 19 January and 7 April 1812 ...... 153 The Battle of Salamanca, 22 July 1812 ...... 153 The Battle of Vittoria, 21 June 1813 ...... 154 The War of 1812...... 155 The northern theatre ...... 155 The Atlantic front ...... 160 Fighting beyond the bitter end: New Orleans, 1815...... 163 Catching the 1815 to Waterloo ...... 163 The Battles of Ligny and Quatre Bras, 16 June 1815...... 164 The Battle of Waterloo, 18 June 1815...... 165
Part IV: Nineteenth-Century Wars ...... 171
Chapter 12: Britain’s Little Wars: Imperial Expansion ...... 173 The Changing Face of the Army ...... 174 Have Guns, Will Travel, 1815–1852 ...... 174 South Africa...... 174 Aden ...... 175 Persia (Iran) ...... 175 Ceylon (Sri Lanka)...... 176 Burma...... 176 China ...... 178 New Zealand...... 180 India ...... 181 The First Afghan War ...... 181 The conquest of Scinde ...... 183 The First Sikh War ...... 183 The Second Sikh War ...... 185 Chapter 13: Helping Turkey Fight the Bear: The Crimean War . . . . .187 In the Red Corner: Commanding the British Army...... 189 The Battle of the Alma, 20 September 1854...... 190 The British advance ...... 190 The Guards and Highlanders advance...... 192 The Russians counter-attack ...... 193 Sauntering on to Sevastopol ...... 194 The Battle of Balaklava, 25 October 1854 ...... 194 The thin red line ...... 195 The charge of the Heavy Brigade ...... 196 The charge of the Light Brigade ...... 197 The Battle of Inkerman, 5 November 1854...... 199 Bungling Beyond Belief...... 200 The Fall of Sevastopol, 8 September 1855...... 201 02_032138 ftoc.qxp 2/28/07 7:23 PM Page xii
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Chapter 14: Rebels, Rajahs, and a Rani: The Indian Mutiny ...... 203 The Mutiny Begins ...... 204 The Siege of Delhi, 8 June–20 September 1857...... 206 Reinforcing the besiegers...... 207 Assaulting Delhi’s walls ...... 208 Fighting inside the city ...... 208 The Reliefs of Lucknow, 1857–1858...... 210 Defending Lucknow...... 211 Havelock and Outram to the rescue: The First Relief...... 211 Campbell is coming, hurrah! Hurrah!: The Second Relief ...... 214 Evacuating Lucknow ...... 216 Fighting in Central India, 1858 ...... 216 Action in Jhansi ...... 217 Fighting in Kalpi...... 219 Ending the mutiny at Gwalior ...... 220 Waving Goodbye to John Company, 1860 ...... 221 Chapter 15: Home and Away: Reorganisation, Re-Equipment, and More Trouble in India ...... 223 Addressing Matters Close to Home ...... 224 Shootin’ fastest and bestest...... 224 Introducing new uniforms ...... 226 Mr Cardwell knows best ...... 226 Seeing Action on the North West Frontier ...... 228 The Second Afghan War, 1878–1880...... 230 Defending the Kabul Residency...... 230 Retaking the Kabul Residency ...... 231 Intriguing Afghan politics ...... 232 The Maiwand disaster, 27 July 1880...... 233 Marching from Kabul to Kandahar...... 235 The Great Frontier Rising, 1897–1898...... 236 Chapter 16: Boots, Boots, Boots, Boots: Marchin’ Over Africa . . . . .239 Rescuing Hostages in Abyssinia, 1868...... 240 The Ashanti War, 1873–1874 ...... 241 The Zulu War, 1879...... 243 The Battle of Isandhlwana, 22 January 1879...... 243 The Defence of Rorke’s Drift, 22–23 January 1879 ...... 246 Ending the Zulu War...... 248 The First Boer War, 1880–1881...... 249 Introducing Boer commandos ...... 249 The Battles of Laing’s Nek and Majuba Hill, 28 January and 27 February 1881 ...... 249 02_032138 ftoc.qxp 2/28/07 7:23 PM Page xiii
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Invading Egypt, 1882...... 250 Send Sir Garnet! The Sudan, 1884–1885...... 252 Khartoum or bust! ...... 253 Sallying from Suakin against Osman Digna ...... 255 Reconquering the Sudan, 1896–1898 ...... 256 Steaming along Kitchener’s desert railway...... 257 The Battle of Omdurman, 2 September 1898...... 258 The Second Boer War, 1899–1902...... 260 Opening moves ...... 261 Defending Mafeking...... 262 Struggling on through Black Week, 10–15 December 1899...... 263 Taking the initiative from the Boers...... 264 Fighting the guerrilla war ...... 266
Part V: The First World War ...... 267
Chapter 17: ‘Hangin’ On the Old Barbed Wire’: The Western Front, 1914–1917 ...... 269 All Noisy on the Western Front ...... 271 The Battle of Mons, 23 August 1914...... 271 The Battle of Le Cateau, 26 August 1914 ...... 272 The Battle of the Marne, 5–10 September 1914 ...... 272 The First Battle of Ypres, 18 October–30 November 1914 ...... 273 Digging In to Trench Warfare ...... 274 Coping with shell shock ...... 274 ‘Your Country Needs You!’ ...... 275 The Second Battle of Ypres, 22 April–25 May 1915 ...... 276 The Battle of Loos, 25 September–8 October 1915 ...... 277 The Battle of the Somme, 1916...... 277 Starting the Somme offensive ...... 278 Turning the tide...... 280 Bringing on the tanks...... 281 The Battles of 1917...... 283 Chapter 18: Storm Troopers and Tank Attacks: The Western Front, 1918 ...... 287 The Ludendorff Offensives, March–June 1918 ...... 289 The Allies Fight Back ...... 291 The Battle of Amiens, 8 August 1918 ...... 292 Breaking the Hindenburg Line...... 294 Reflecting on the War: Lions, Donkeys, and Poets...... 294 02_032138 ftoc.qxp 2/28/07 7:23 PM Page xiv
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Chapter 19: Turkey With All the Trimmings: The Middle East and Beyond, 1914–1918 ...... 297 Defending Egypt ...... 298 Attacking the Suez Canal ...... 298 Fighting in the Western Desert ...... 299 Landing in the Dardanelles ...... 302 Optimism gone mad – the Dardanelles plan ...... 302 Getting everything wrong: Gallipoli ...... 303 Fighting in Mesopotamia...... 305 Baghdad or bust: Take one...... 305 Baghdad or bust: Take two ...... 307 Campaigning in Palestine...... 309 Fending off early Turkish advances ...... 310 Taking the Gaza Line ...... 312 Battle of Megiddo, 19–21 September 1918 ...... 313 Engaging Enemies World Wide ...... 317
Part VI: The Second World War (and Beyond) ...... 319
Chapter 20: Phoney War, Panzers, and Miracles: The Outbreak of the Second World War ...... 321 Campaigning between the Wars...... 322 The Phoney War, 1939–1940...... 324 The Arras counter-attack, 21 May 1940...... 325 The Dunkirk evacuation, 26 May–4 June 1940 ...... 326 Standing Alone after Dunkirk...... 328 Chapter 21: Sun, Sand, Sea, and Tanks: The Middle East and North Africa, 1940–1943 ...... 331 Facing the Italians in Libya ...... 334 The Battle of Sidi Barrani, 9–12 December 1940 ...... 335 Chasing ‘Electric Whiskers’...... 336 Taking Tobruk, 6–22 January 1941 ...... 337 The Battle of Beda Fomm, 5–7 February 1941 ...... 338 Rommel Arrives in the Desert ...... 339 Holed up at Tobruk, April–December 1941...... 340 Operation Battleaxe, 15–17 June 1941 ...... 341 Operation Crusader, 18 November–7 December 1941...... 341 First Battle of Alamein, 1–27 July 1942 ...... 345 02_032138 ftoc.qxp 2/28/07 7:23 PM Page xv
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Second Battle of Alamein, 23 October–4 November 1942...... 347 Operation Bertram, October 1942...... 348 Operation Supercharge, 2 November 1942 ...... 350 Pursuing Rommel to Tunisia...... 351 Chapter 22: One Bloomin’ Ridge After Another: The Italian Campaign, 1943–1945 ...... 353 Warming Up for Italy: Sicily...... 354 Landing at Salerno ...... 354 Monte Cassino and the Gustav Line ...... 356 The Anzio Beachhead...... 357 Fighting through the Gothic Line ...... 358 Assaulting the Po ...... 359 Chapter 23: Beachheads and Bridges: Normandy and Northwest Europe, 1944–1945 ...... 361 The Raid on Dieppe, 19 August 1942 ...... 364 D Day, 6 June 1944: The Greatest Amphibious Invasion in History...... 365 Pushing on through the hedgerows...... 366 Pursuing through France and Belgium ...... 368 Operation Market Garden, 17–26 September 1944 ...... 369 The drops ...... 370 Withdrawing from Arnhem...... 371 Fighting Through to Germany: The Last Winter ...... 372 The Battle of the Bulge, 16 December 1944–16 January 1945...... 372 Operation Veritable, 8 February–8 March 1945...... 373 Crossing the Rhine ...... 374 Advancing across Germany to Victory...... 375 Chapter 24: Welcome to the Jungle: The Far East, 1941–1945 ...... 377 Losing the Empire in the Far East (For the Time Being)...... 378 The Malayan Debacle, December 1941–February 1942...... 379 Retreating from Burma, 1942 ...... 381 Ending the Myth of Jungle Supermen...... 383 Defending New Guinea...... 383 Chasing out the Japanese...... 384 Fighting Back into Burma, 1943–1944...... 385 The Admin Box, 6–25 February 1944 ...... 385 Kohima and Imphal ...... 387 Destroying the Japanese Burma Area Army ...... 389 The capture of Meiktila, 28 February–4 March 1945...... 390 Driving to Rangoon ...... 391 02_032138 ftoc.qxp 2/28/07 7:23 PM Page xvi
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Chapter 25: Around the World in 60 Years: Operations 1945–2006 ...... 393 Withdrawing from the Empire ...... 395 Palestine, 1945–1948 ...... 395 India and Pakistan, 1947 ...... 395 Malaya, 1948–1960...... 396 Kenya, 1952–1956 ...... 397 Cyprus, 1954–1974...... 398 Aden, 1964–1967 ...... 398 The ‘Real’ Wars: Great and Small ...... 399 Korea, 1951–1953...... 399 Suez, 1956 ...... 401 Borneo, 1962–1966 ...... 402 The Falkland Islands, 1982 ...... 403 The First Gulf War, 1991...... 406 Afghanistan, 2001 onwards ...... 407 The Second Gulf War, 2003 ...... 407 Peacekeeping Around the World...... 408 Ulster, 1969–1998...... 409 Yugoslavia, post-1992...... 410
Part VII: The Part of Tens...... 411
Chapter 26: Ten Great British Generals ...... 413 King Edward I (Chapter 4)...... 413 Oliver Cromwell (Chapter 6) ...... 413 The Duke of Marlborough (Chapter 8)...... 414 The Duke of Wellington (Chapters 10 and 11)...... 414 General Sir Colin Campbell (Chapters 13 and 14) ...... 414 Field Marshal Lord Roberts (Chapters 14–16) ...... 415 Field Marshal Lord Wolseley (Chapters 15 and 16)...... 416 Field Marshal Lord Allenby (Chapter 19)...... 416 Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery of Alamein (Chapters 21–23)...... 417 Field Marshal Viscount Slim (Chapters 21 and 24)...... 418 Chapter 27: Ten Decisive Battles in British Military History ...... 419 Hastings, 1066 (Chapter 4)...... 419 Bannockburn, 1314 (Chapter 4) ...... 419 Blenheim, 1704 (Chapter 8) ...... 420 Saratoga, 1777 (Chapter 9)...... 420 Waterloo, 1815 (Chapter 11)...... 420 Amiens, 1918 (Chapter 18)...... 421 02_032138 ftoc.qxp 2/28/07 7:23 PM Page xvii
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Operation Compass and its Sequels, 1940–1941 (Chapter 21)...... 421 The Second Battle of Alamein, 1942 (Chapter 21) ...... 421 Normandy, 1944 (Chapter 23)...... 422 Meiktila, 1945 (Chapter 24)...... 422 Chapter 28: Ten British Military Museums Worth Visiting ...... 423 Housesteads Roman Fort, Northumberland...... 423 The Tower of London ...... 423 Caernarfon Castle...... 424 Edinburgh Castle...... 424 The Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds...... 424 Firepower! The Royal Artillery Museum, Woolwich ...... 424 The Imperial War Museum, London...... 424 The National Army Museum, London...... 425 The Tank Museum, Bovington...... 425 The D Day Museum, Southsea...... 425 Index...... 427 02_032138 ftoc.qxp 2/28/07 7:23 PM Page xviii
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Introduction
You come across them everywhere. Not always in the flesh, of course. Their names are inscribed on the walls of temples and the badges of their old regiments are carved into rock faces around the world. I mean British soldiers, of course, who have served on every continent. At one time they policed one-quarter of the earth’s surface, which is a remarkable achievement for a comparatively small group of men (and these days, women) born in an insignificant group of offshore islands. They were heroes and cowards, wise men and fools, good men and bad. Their story is one of tri- umph and tragedy, victory and sometimes defeat, hard living and laughter. Strong bonds of comradeship, a sense of family, and pride in the soldier’s reg- iment have always existed, as well as traditions that aren’t found to the same extent in any other army. When times are at their worst, these things provide a tremendous source of strength.
The British – by which I mean the English, Welsh, Scots, Irish, and Manx – were fighting among themselves long, long before the Regular Army was established in the seventeenth century, and when they weren’t doing that they were fighting the French! The story of the British army is a long one that I hope you enjoy reading as much as I have enjoyed telling it.
About This Book On the way through the book you meet all sorts of people, from King Arthur to Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery of Alamein. One of the most important people you meet is called Tommy Atkins, the universal name for the British sol- dier that even his enemies use. He’s a rather likeable sort, a good ambassador for his country, slow to anger, stubborn as a mule, and someone to avoid when his temper’s up. He’s as brave as anyone, but because of his training, disci- pline, and regimental spirit, he tends to be braver for five minutes longer. One French general described him as a very bad soldier who didn’t seem to under- stand that he’d lost the battle and went on fighting until the French (who of course were better soldiers) realised they had lost and sensibly withdrew. In addition, in the book you get to know something about weapons, tactics, bat- tles, and the army’s part in creating and defending the British Empire.
What I’ve written in this book represents my own opinions. Other people may not agree or may differ in their interpretation of details, but the thing to remember about military history, as Sir Basil Liddell Hart said, is that no one can know more than a fraction of anything, and every day there is something fresh to discover. It’s fun. 03_032138 intro.qxp 2/28/07 7:23 PM Page 2
2 British Military History For Dummies Conventions Used in This Book First, dates. I have stuck to BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini, the year of our Lord) because that is how dates are recorded in all but a tiny percent- age of the reference books you may wish to consult.
Second, I refer to military formations. Not everyone is familiar with the struc- tures the army uses, so here they are: