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DID WE HAVE A COHERENT STRATEGY? by Bob Butcher The ultimate aim of Britain in 1914 was to defeat Germany and thereby ensure the ejection of her forces from France and Belgium. Its immediate aims, however, were to: (1) make the UK home base secure; (2) safeguard the Suez Canal: (3) impose a maritime blockade of Germany; and (4) fight alongside the French army in France. An essential prerequisite for all these was of, course, command of the sea.
(1) was obviously absolutely essential. As an Imperial power (2) was also necessary and this was achieved without too much trouble but operations to this end were allowed to develop into the costly Egypt and Palestine campaign which lasted as long as the war itself. The same may be said of the action to safeguard British interests in the Persian Gulf which became the dire Mesopotamia campaign. It is & fiat to see how either campaign contributed to the defeat of Germany.
Given British naval supremacy and the position of Germany, (3), the blockade, had great potential. In fact rigorously enforced, it played a very significant part in the downfall of Germany. As for (4), it is well known that whilst Britain had no treaty obligation to go to the aid of France, it would have been unthinkable for her not to have done so. Indeed, when a council of war of senior politicians and service chiefs was held following Britain's declaration of war, it was assumed that she would. The only plan in existence was that assiduously drawn up by the Francophile Wilson which provided in great detail for the mobilisation of a British Expeditionary Force and its move to France where it would operate on the left of the French army as it marched irresistibly into Germany. The politicians authorised its implementation and thereby committed the British Army to a full scale continental war for which, thanks to its parsimony it was not suited. One can only say that
defeating Germany meant defeating her army the bulk of which was on the Western Front. Moreover driving the enemy out of occupied territory meant that the Western Front was always going to be the main theatre of operations so far as the Western Allies were concerned. The cost in blood of fighting a continental war soon became apparent and the politicians cast their eyes around hoping to find a cheaper way. When the Russians asked for a diversion against the Turks, the plan for the naval attempt to force the Dardanelles was born. Conceived as a naval operation with minimal military involvement, it began in January 1915 and continued into the following month when the Fleet admitted defeat or, as some say, abandoned the enterprise when it was on the point of success. Capturing the Peninsula then became the Army's task with naval support with unfortunate results to say the) east. Even had the navy got through and bombarded Constantinople, would it have defeated turkey and have helped to bring about the downfall of Germany? I doubt it -- Germany propped up Turkey so that the latter's collapse would not have adversely affected her but, on the contrary, have eased her burden. In 1916 in a French inspired move, an Anglo/French force landed in Salonika in order to help the Serbian army then under great pressure from a German/Austrian force. Keeping alive the Serbian front and with it Germany's need to help Austria, certainly had its merits but the Allied intervention was too little, too late and Serbia was crushed. Despite it no longer serving any useful purpose, a substantial Anglo/French force remained in Salonika for the rest of the war. For much of the time it was largely inactive but maintaining it at even basic levels placed an almost intolerable strain on Allied shipping. Actions by mostly local forces, ostensibly to defend British East Africa from neighbouring German East Africa, led to a campaign to capture that territory which had not been brought to satisfactory conclusion by the time of the European Armistice. Like other subsidiary operations --the 'Side Shows'- - it did little if anything to hasten Germany's defeat. One historian believes that Italy's participation in the war was more of a hindrance than a help for it was only interested in gaining Austrian territory and had to be aided following the Caporetto debacle. It is true that for most of the time Italy was fighting the wrong enemy' but Germany did have to go to Austria's aid so that the results of her participation were not entirely negative so far as the Allies were concerned. Nevertheless the belief by some politicians that the defeat of Germany could be brought about, or at least hastened, through Britain and France joining the Italian army in knocking out Austria was clearly misconceived. Germany could survive without Austria but Austria could not survive without Germany. Moreover one has only to look at the map to see that it would be unrealistic to think that an offensive from Italy would materially endanger Germany. So we see that whilst Britain's primary aims were achieved, there was considerable dispersion of scarce resources. Since the ultimate aim, and the only one that mattered, was the defeat of Germany, before each of these subsidiary campaigns were commenced, the question should have been asked, 'How will this contribute to Germany's defeat?' and an appreciation of such a course sought from the General and Naval Staffs. Failure to do so violated the Principle of War: 'Maintenance of objective' ie, being crystal clear about what you are trying to achieve and not deviating from it. The principle 'Concentration of force at the critical pant ' was also disregarded. Nevertheless, we did win!
FOR THEIR OWN GOOD by JP Lethbridge On 7 June 1918 a factory superintendent's lady clerk and another young lady working in the same factory, were tried by the Birmingham Munitions Tribunal. They had walked through the workshops bare headed rather than wearing caps to cover their hair. The Birmingham Post did not disclose their names. The company's representative explained that many women had refused to wear caps despite being ordered to wear them for their own safety under Factory Inspectorate rules. Many women had had their long hair caught in machinery. A year earlier a woman at the factory had been scalped in such an accident and was still in hospital. The tribunal fined the two silly women ten shillings each, about fifty pounds in our terms. The tribunal chairman warned that future breakers of this law would receive harsher punishments. Pre First World War Britain was a country where men were expected to think logically and women emotionally. It was considered acceptable for women to use their good looks to manipulate men. Machines of course know nothing about emotions. They can do wonderful things but mistakes in using them can and often do mean serious injury or even death. Those who work with or near them have to learn this.
WISHFUL THINKING The possibility of air raids had not been entirely unforeseen before the war but it was thought that they would be confined to military or naval establishments, hence the commanders of those places being authorised to impose local lighting restrictions. It came as nasty shock when civilian targets were bombed and a variety of reactions resulted.
For example, a wire mesh layer was suspended above the roof of Buckingham Palace, presumably in the hope that it would act as a “burster” and prevent a bomb striking the actual Wilding. Some householders covered the floors of their lofts with sandbags in the vain expectation that it would stop the penetration of a bomb. In fact the extra weight of the sandbags cold have had disastrous consequences if the house had been struck or even damaged, by an HE.
A number of anti-aircraft guns were mounted on lorries to form a mobile AA battery. It was intended to use its mobility to head off an approaching airship, but the careering of the lorries through towns and villages when trying to get to the right place in time, represented a greater risk to the public than the airships! Just a little more from my store of useless information!
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Also a date for the diary 25th April 2008 ANZAC Day/Gallipoli 93rd Anniversary at NMA Alrewas
Next Meeting : 24th May: Robert Thompson “66th East Lancs Division” |
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The Bulletin of the Birmingham Branch of the WFA Compiled by Bob Butcher |
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April 2008 |