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The Men Who Planned the War

DOI link for The Men Who Planned the War

The Men Who Planned the War book

A Study of the Staff of the British Army on the Western Front, 1914-1918

The Men Who Planned the War

DOI link for The Men Who Planned the War

The Men Who Planned the War book

A Study of the Staff of the British Army on the Western Front, 1914-1918
ByPaul Harris
Edition 1st Edition
First Published 2016
eBook Published 15 May 2017
Pub. location London
Imprint Routledge
DOI https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315545769
Pages 284 pages
eBook ISBN 9781315545769
SubjectsHumanities
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Harris, P. (2016). The Men Who Planned the War. London: Routledge, https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315545769

During the Allied victory celebrations there were few who chose to raise a glass to the staff. The high cost of casualties endured by the British army tarnished the reputation of the military planners, which has yet to recover. This book examines the work and development of the staff of the British army during the First World War and its critical role in the military leadership team. Their effectiveness was germane to the outcome of events in the front line but not enough consideration has been paid to this level of command and control, which has largely been overshadowed by the debate over generalship. This has painted an incomplete picture of the command function. Characterised as arrogant, remote and out of touch with the realities of the front line, the staff have been held responsible for the mismanagement of the war effort and profligate loss of lives in futile offensives. This book takes a different view. By using their letters and diaries it reveals fresh insights into their experience of the war. It shows that the staff made frequent visits to the front line and were no strangers to combat or hostile fire. Their work is also compared with their counterparts in the French and German armies, highlighting differences in practice and approach. In so doing, this study throws new light upon the characteristics, careers and working lives of these officers, investigating the ways in which they both embraced and resisted change. This offers evidence both for those who wish to exonerate the British command system on the basis of the learning process but also for those critical of its performance, thus advancing understanding of British military history in the First World War.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

chapter |14 pages

Introduction: The Missing Element

chapter 1|26 pages

Origins, Training and Duties

chapter 2|26 pages

The Staff Go to War

chapter 3|30 pages

The Life of the Staff

chapter 4|26 pages

Wartime Learning and Experience

chapter 5|32 pages

The Changing Staff

chapter 6|34 pages

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