During the period 1870 to 1905 the tactics and training within the British Army was an outdated system, comprising of poor doctrine that did not learn from failure. Although there were several conflicts that could have influenced British military strategy and doctrine this essay will look at the key elements learnt from the Boer War from 1899 to 1902. It was the combat experience in this period that prompted the development of improved tactical doctrine in the main teeth arm, the infantry. It also highlighted to commanders, the importance of tactical skills and individual initiative above drill and discipline at unit level, this later informed the success of the British Expeditionary Force at the beginning of the Great War in 1914. The …show more content…
This was due for the most part because the majority of the infantry in the British Army was present from the early stages of the war in 1899 until the end of the war in 1902. The failures in fighting a very mobile opponent armed with smokeless and magazine fed rifles made the British realise that reform was needed and urgently. The fact that Great Britain had previously fought against the Boer in earlier conflicts should have appraised the Army of the excellent capabilities of the enemy, especially its skills with fire arms and small unit skirmishing. However, there was a complacency in British thinking that treated the Boers with contempt, with British Intelligence publishing a secret report that believed the Boers would only deploy raiders against the British and also assumed that they only had minimal armaments. These views quickly changed during the opening salvoes of combat in what was later to be known as the ‘Black Week’ of December 1899. During the Battle of Talana Hill on 20th October 1899 The Boer forces used their Mausers to great effect and were able to take many British lives due to the skill of marksmanship and the ineffective British doctrine of close order marching and formation. During Lord Methuen’s march to relieve Kimberly an officer described the infantry fighting as “…an honest, straightforward …show more content…
The requirements of the length of the essay has prevented any inclusion or discussion of the use of earthen works, accurate rifle skills, camouflage, artillery tactics and the use of the machine gun, and so has concentrated on one of the key reforms of tactics and doctrine that has influenced future battlefields since the Boer War and continues to do so. There has been much written about the Boer War and its influence on the reform of the British Army prior to 1914, however, much of the work concentrates on the strategic and management level of the army and the General staff . Other writers have treated the Boer War as having a negative impact on British tactical thinking such as GR Searle who argued that due to the difference in fighting during the Boer War in comparison to the Great War that measures instigated from the lessons learnt were irrelevant and to some extent harmful . There is a serious gap in the historiography of the influence on tactics of the Boer War this has led to a failure of historians to consider the tactical level changes that came about from the period as an example the tactical doctrine of fire and manoeuvre has few detractors and is still used today with combined arms operations as well as single unit
The source written by Andrew Iarocci, examines the first year of the 1st Canadian Division in the First World War, and focuses exclusively on the soldiers' overseas experiences. In the book, Iarocci challenges the view that the 1st Canadian Division soldiers were poorly prepared for the First World War, and were not at all effective during some key battles in 1915. The book's focus is to look primarily at how Canadian's fought in the First World War, and with the help of the many sources the book incorporates, such as many research documents in the form of letters, diaries and the battlefields themselves, Iarocci is able to give the reader a solid perspective on how Canadian soldiers fared in the war. The book provides the Canadian soldiers'
The British had very low views of the American army, and often ignored warnings of attacks by the American army. I feel like the British would later regret their arrogance, as we get to see America win the Battle of Dorchester, and later the reclaiming of Boston from British occupation. This last chapter we get amazing insight into some of the greatest military minds of the time, and we learn much about what war was like in those ages, as compared to our more guerilla warfare style of
General Pakenham was also guilty of this. In one particular fight, Pakenham led his soldiers to their deaths because he refused to wait to attack. Remini says, “Arrogant and overconfident, he undoubtedly assumed that he was facing an inferior force of undisciplined frontiersmen who would run as soon as charging infantrymen with fixed bayonets came barreling at them” (140). If this was the attitude of the leader of the British soldiers, there is no question that the other soldiers must have thought the same. In reality, though, the Americans were “expert marksmen” and “disciplined soldiers” who would defend the city with all their might (71).
Beating the enemy and saving lives are top foci of combat, both accomplished through innovations to make armies more effective and efficient as seen in the American Civil War. The Minie Ball, a cylindrical round, was innovated by Claude-Etienne Minie in 1848 within France to load rifles more rapidly than the sphere style ammunition it replaced (A, B). The closure of a sucking chest wound was innovated by Benjamin Howard in the United States during 1863 as a procedure to save lives by applying an air tight seal to a wound that was proven as “certain death” in previous battles (D). The Minie Ball and the closure of a sucking chest wound were both great innovations used during the American Civil War, but the Minie Ball had a much greater impact before the year 1900 as it allowed armies to eliminate more enemy soldiers than the closure of the sucking chest wound saved. On a global platform, each innovation made huge influences in the way the world’s armies progressed
Vimy Ridge was one of the greatest battles of Canadian history, it was part of the opening phase of the British-led Battle of Arras, a diversionary assault for the French Nivelle Offensive. This essay will describe the success of the Canadian troops, the battle’s significance, and the importance of the positioning with respect to the geography of the land. The actual battle took place 5:30 am Easter Monday April 9th 1917, but the planning of the attack took place for more than 5 months beforehand starting in November of 1916. Rehearsals and training also occurred, and the soldiers were trained specifically for each position in the war.
The Battle of Bunker Hill is perceived strategically through the words of Colonel William Prescott, "Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes.” A notorious contention during the American Revolutionary War encompassed not only decisive action military strategy and theory, but one of the purest understandings of mission command at its foundation. A single affirmation to his men, revolutionizing the art of command and science of control, formulated a tactical philosophy that is studied to this day by military scholars. Colonel William Prescott assumed command of the Patriots during the Battle of Bunker Hill, absent of orders and facing unwavering odds, achieving victory through the implementation of the modernly understood mission command
In the early morning hours of May 15th, 1918, in the midst of war in France, a German raiding party approached a small outpost, stationed by just a few men. Private Henry Johnson, an American soldier assigned to the French Army, was the only line of defense for the outpost. Miraculously, his defense held. Using grenades, his rifle, and physical strikes with said rifle, he single-handedly repelled the raiders, defended the outpost, and saved his fellow soldiers from capture by the Germans. The vigilant combat he displayed had embodied his unit as a whole, the 369th Infantry Regiment, dubbed the “Harlem Hellfighters” for their place of creation, Harlem, and the nickname of “Hellfighters” given to them by their stunned German enemies.
After an exceptional fifteen minute war at the Plains Of Abraham.. Britain came home winning the battle and beating the French, they have surely made Britain proud. Sadly lot’s of brave British men died during the war, who dedicated their lives for Britain. Britain’s outstanding men are ready for battle. _______________________________
On April 9th 1917, at 5:30 AM , Canadian soldiers were tense and no one dared doubt their commander, the battle of Vimy Ridge was about to take place. This 110m high, 8 km front2 gave an advantage to Germany as they were able to look down and fire at any enemy troops as they approached. Previous allies such as the British and French3 have tried to take over the Ridge but resulted is a failure, leading to hundreds of thousands of casualties. The Canadians planned their attack very throughly and strong by the help of Major- General Arthur Currie and British Lieutenant-General Julian Byng.4 Strategies were created like the creeping barrage and aerial photographs were taken to pinpoint exactly where German artillery were. 20 000 Canadians5 followed a carefully thought-out plan where specific tasks were essential to meet because they could possibly result in a casuality.
The Colonial militia was seen by the British as an undisciplined group of fighters, this would prove true except for subordinates under Prescott’s command who secured the flanks without direct orders. Discipline initiative delayed the Colonial defeat at Bunker Hill, but if Colonel Prescott approached the operation with more sound tactics the militia would have been able control Breed’s Hill from the
It is vital that the military uses history to their advantage, whether it is good or bad, in
His in-depth understanding of military tactics, combined with his meticulous planning and attention to detail allowed him to effectively analyze complex situations and make intelligent counter strategies. Currie's strategic brilliance enabled him to make well-informed decisions, adapt to changing circumstances on the battlefield, and exploit weaknesses in the enemy's defenses (2). This approach not only maximized the effectiveness of his forces but also minimized casualties and achieved significant victories. Currie's strategic brilliance was evident during the Battle of Vimy Ridge. He meticulously planned every aspect of the battle, from troop movements to artillery placements.
Both sides were similar in the types of weapons used such as muskets, bayonets, cannons, some fought using pistols, sabers, and rode on horsebacks. The British soldiers were highly experienced in battle but primarily fight using linear tactics, meaning they would form in two lines and approach their opponents then engage when approximately 150 feet away. The first line fires and reloads as the second line fires, this is used because of the time necessary to reload the muskets. This type of engagement was used until the leader of either side would give the command to charge. At that moment, Soldiers would charge to the opponent and fight using bayonets and hatchets if necessary.
SUBJECT: Information Paper 1. Purpose. To summarize the important parts of the Army White Paper, The Profession of Arms, dated 08DEC10, for the Battalion Commander of 1-22 Combined Arms Battalion (CAB). 2. Facts.
This attack went terrible for the British cavalry with only 4 horses returning from the charge; the rest being shot down by German machine gun fire. Although this shows how the new technology could easy take down hundreds of horse, one also needs to take into consideration the date of the battle. March 1918 was only 8 months before the end of the war, meaning that cavalry charges