General Sir Richard Dannatt's distinguished career in the army has spanned thirty-eight years and seen him serve in many different theatres of conflict, from Northern Ireland (where he was awarded the Military Cross) to Bosnia and Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.
'A compelling history.' – The Sunday Times 'Thought-provoking.' – The Spectator 'Interesting and well-researched.' – The Sunday Telegraph A compelling history 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 hard-won knowledge, experience and strategic vision that delivered victory after victory in the closing stages of the First World War had been lost. In the inter-war 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 wasn't prepared to fight a first-class European Army in 1939 for the simple reason that as a country Britain hadn't prepared itself to do so. The failure of the army's 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 war-winning 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?
A vivid and fascinating account of Britain and her Army since 1945, told by the former head of the British Army.
Continuing the story of the Guides, one of the Indian Army's legendary regiments after its reorganisation in 1921. This takes the Regiment through to the partition of India on independence from Britain in 1947. The author succeeds in skilfully blending the divergent experiences of the Regiment's cavalry and infantry elements after their 1921 separation. During this period the Guides were again involved in their traditional work of policing the always turbulent North West Frontier - especially in Waziristan in 1937. On the outbreak of the Second World War, the Guides cavalry were mechanised in 1940, when light vehicles replaced horses. The Guides cavalry operated as a reconnaissance unit in the western desert during the North African campaign, before converting to armoured cars then tanks back in India. The Guides' infantry units served during the Second World War in Persia, Iraq and Kurdistan. This is an exemplary history of a proud and honourable unit.