The British Expeditionary Force 1914-15 КНИГИ ;ВОЕННАЯ ИСТОРИЯ Издательство: Osprey Publishing LtdСерия: Battle Orders 16Автор(ы): Bruce GudmundssonЯзык: EnglishГод издания: 2005Количество страниц: 96ISBN: 1-84176-902-9Формат: pdfРазмер: 37.5 mbThe combat formations of the Expeditionary Force sent out from Great Britain in August 1914 were the military equivalents of Rolls-Royce motorcars. Exquisitely crafted from first-class materials, they enjoyed a huge qualitative advantage over comparable formations of the mass-produced armies of Belgium, France and Germany. The great virtue of these formations, however, was also their greatest defect. Because they had been painstakingly assembled during the long years of peace, they could not be quickly copied without a precipitous drop in quality.The British formations that followed those of the original Expeditionary Force to the Western Front thus lacked one or more of the latter's great advantages. The four infantry divisions improvised from spare regular units had men that were every bit as good as those of the original Expeditionary Force. Unfortunately, their equipment left much to be desired. The Territorial Force divisions enjoyed a degree of mutual trust and familiarity inconceivable today. Obsolescent weapons and a lack of proper training, however, undermined the great benefits of cohesion. The New Army divisions, blessed as they were with factory-fresh weapons and the genuine enthusiasm of the volunteers that filled their ranks, were likewise plagued by a short supply of skill-at-arms.Rapid0