Even with bolt action rifles, 300 live rounds a year doesn’t seem like THAT much practice to become a highly skilled marksman, I was expecting 300 in a couple months. I suppose by the standards of the day it was a lot, considering in the Napoleonic wars line soldiers often got 5 rounds of life fire practice, and jagers getting 60 rounds of training.
I much enjoyed this feel good talk about the BEF. However i think we can all safely say the Kaiser never said the contemptible little army phrase, we now know it was most likely successful British propaganda. Unfortunately so much so that people still see it as a badge of honour.
I had always heard what Kaiser Wilhelm II was supposed to have said was that Britain had a 'contemptibly little army'; which was scornful of the size of the army, not its quality. But kudos to the British for running with it to drum up support at home!
Excellent research making the important case of how the british army was better then remembered and did very well and even better then others. Much of this from lessons from S Africa. I say however the English/British man was marginally morally and intellectually better then the europeans. Not just weapons and shooting ability. this curve also affecting the officer corp. The natives fought were inferior oin everyway. The Boers simply were better men as european colonists. the natives must not be made into equal thinkers and fighters with euros in those days.
"I say however the English/British man was marginally morally and intellectually better then the europeans." I'm not sure your subjective opinion counts for much tbh.
Well, the Zulu's weren't European. Or the Sudanese. Or the Boxer's. As with many military disasters leadership plays a big part. Biggest military blunder was allowing the British command to become subordinate to French command, twice. Of course every army at one time or another has had it share of pompous asses. In WW1 the butchery suffered by the common soldier by a command structure who showed little regard for human life that led to millions of deaths. What did the average soldier gain as a result of WW1? Physical or mental damage and for many a cemetery plot. What about their families?
@@gordonwiessner6327 "allowing the British command to become subordinate to French" That would be a political disaster. That decision was taken by the politicians in London, not the Military leaders of the BEF who saw it as a great slight, and one more sign of being hamstrung by the political masters who had sent them to do a job, and then saw fit to hamper their attempts at every step. The BEF had enough to do fighting the Allied powers without having to fight at home also. The BEF cared for it's soldiers extremely well, far better than any of it's allies or opponents. As a professional army it knew very well the value of looking after it's troops. However, the sheer scale and nature of the fighting that occurred during the Great War meant that casualties were always going to be large, far larger than Britain or her associated forces had ever witnessed before, and were most definitely not prepared for. This again would be something to level at the politicians who sent them to do the job. The Staff Officers of the BEF, whilst not expecting the war to degenerate into one of siege warfare, had always expected that the conflict would be bloody, incredibly so, given the weapons of mass destruction now available to both themselves and their opponents, but, they had been given a job to do by their political masters and they had to find a way to do what their political masters required once trench warfare set in. The task set for them? The ejection of German forces from Belgium and France and the defeat of the Central Allied powers. Their instructions were clear and concise and didn't allow for the BEF to sit back and wait, they were instructed to take the offensive, to comply with French wishes, even in situations where the military commanders thought it folly, with little to be gained and huge casualties inevitable.
@MrRobertbyers. I assume that you have been in a coma since 1890 & just awoken recently; your world fortunately is long dead z& gone. It will be hard for you to adjust to Life since the end of the First World War. Try it…….the first rule is : Human beings are all regarded as EQUAL.
Very interesting and well presented. Thanks for posting!
Well done, Dr. Jones!
Excellent talk. Enjoyed that!
Great talk wish I could have been there
A very informative lecture. I enjoyed it very much.
Enjoyed your talk very much sir. Thankyou. 🇬🇧💂
very interesting . thank you
Is there something like this covering the Imperial German army, commanders and allies?
Why are you calling Horace Smith-Dorian `McDorian`?
So far all I've heard him say is Smith-Dorian, not McDorian. Perhaps it's because of the accent?
Even with bolt action rifles, 300 live rounds a year doesn’t seem like THAT much practice to become a highly skilled marksman, I was expecting 300 in a couple months. I suppose by the standards of the day it was a lot, considering in the Napoleonic wars line soldiers often got 5 rounds of life fire practice, and jagers getting 60 rounds of training.
If the British Army landed on the Baltic Coast of Germany, I think it fair to say that it could take out the German Police.
The whole idea behind the baltic coast idea was that the Germans would have to deploy a large number of soldiers to counter them.
Would be a huge risk tho getting past the German fleet, and then getting the Royal Navy out again without huge losses…..
I much enjoyed this feel good talk about the BEF.
However i think we can all safely say the Kaiser never said the contemptible little army phrase, we now know it was most likely successful British propaganda. Unfortunately so much so that people still see it as a badge of honour.
I agree that's why I LIKE the Great War Channel really covers the entire war without bias, plus it has Indy as a host :D
I had always heard what Kaiser Wilhelm II was supposed to have said was that Britain had a 'contemptibly little army'; which was scornful of the size of the army, not its quality. But kudos to the British for running with it to drum up support at home!
Up the Old Contemptible s.
except the Swiss army knife is a 'jack of all trades and master of none' knife.
Excellent research making the important case of how the british army was better then remembered and did very well and even better then others. Much of this from lessons from S Africa.
I say however the English/British man was marginally morally and intellectually better then the europeans. Not just weapons and shooting ability. this curve also affecting the officer corp.
The natives fought were inferior oin everyway. The Boers simply were better men as european colonists.
the natives must not be made into equal thinkers and fighters with euros in those days.
"I say however the English/British man was marginally morally and intellectually better then the europeans."
I'm not sure your subjective opinion counts for much tbh.
Well, the Zulu's weren't European. Or the Sudanese. Or the Boxer's. As with many military disasters leadership plays a big part. Biggest military blunder was allowing the British command to become subordinate to French command, twice. Of course every army at one time or another has had it share of pompous asses. In WW1 the butchery suffered by the common soldier by a command structure who showed little regard for human life that led to millions of deaths. What did the average soldier gain as a result of WW1? Physical or mental damage and for many a cemetery plot. What about their families?
@@gordonwiessner6327 "allowing the British command to become subordinate to French" That would be a political disaster. That decision was taken by the politicians in London, not the Military leaders of the BEF who saw it as a great slight, and one more sign of being hamstrung by the political masters who had sent them to do a job, and then saw fit to hamper their attempts at every step. The BEF had enough to do fighting the Allied powers without having to fight at home also.
The BEF cared for it's soldiers extremely well, far better than any of it's allies or opponents. As a professional army it knew very well the value of looking after it's troops. However, the sheer scale and nature of the fighting that occurred during the Great War meant that casualties were always going to be large, far larger than Britain or her associated forces had ever witnessed before, and were most definitely not prepared for. This again would be something to level at the politicians who sent them to do the job. The Staff Officers of the BEF, whilst not expecting the war to degenerate into one of siege warfare, had always expected that the conflict would be bloody, incredibly so, given the weapons of mass destruction now available to both themselves and their opponents, but, they had been given a job to do by their political masters and they had to find a way to do what their political masters required once trench warfare set in. The task set for them? The ejection of German forces from Belgium and France and the defeat of the Central Allied powers. Their instructions were clear and concise and didn't allow for the BEF to sit back and wait, they were instructed to take the offensive, to comply with French wishes, even in situations where the military commanders thought it folly, with little to be gained and huge casualties inevitable.
Excellent 1913-standard of British racism there, you manage to demean not only Africans but other Europeans! Are you South African?
@MrRobertbyers.
I assume that you have been in a coma since 1890 & just awoken recently; your world fortunately is long dead z& gone.
It will be hard for you to adjust to Life since the end of the First World War. Try it…….the first rule is : Human beings are all regarded as EQUAL.