Richard Dannatt Victory to Defeat : The British Army 1918-40 Paperback Book

A compelling history. The Sunday TimesThoughtprovoking. The SpectatorInteresting and wellresearched. The Sunday TelegraphA fascinating account of the decline of an army from the triumph of victory in 1918 to defeat in 1940 and why this happened. A salutary warning for modern Britain. The British Army won a convincing series of victories between 1916 and 1918. But by 1939 the British Army was an entirely different animal. The hardwon knowledge, experience and strategic vision that delivered victory after victory in the closing stages of the First World War had been lost. In the interwar years there was plenty of talking, but very little focus on who Britain might have to fight, and how. Victory to Defeat clearly illustrates how the British Army wasnt prepared to fight a firstclass European Army in 1939 for the simple reason that as a country Britain hadnt prepared itself to do so. The failure of the armys leadership led directly to its abysmal performance in Norway and France in 1940. Victory to Defeat is a captivating history of the mismanagement of a warwinning army. It is also a stark warning that we neglect to understand who our enemy might be, and how to defeat him, at the peril of our country. The British Army is now to be cut to its smallest size since 1714. Are we, this book asks, repeating the same mistakes again? | Richard Dannatt Victory to Defeat : The British Army 1918-40 Paperback Book