Britain's Army in the 20th Century Book

If anyone knows the ins and outs of the British Army in the 20th century it ought to be Lord Carver. He joined the tank regiment as a junior officer in 1935 and wound up 40 years later as Field Marshal, Chief of the Defence Staff. As such, he provides a detailed narrative of the spheres of action in which the army has been involved, beginning with the end of the Boer War and winding up with the crisis in Bosnia. If you want to know exactly what regiment was where and what they were doing there, then Carver is your man. And if this sounds dull and boring, it isn't, especially as he throws in the odd eye- witness account to add a more personal dimension. However, you can't help wondering if Carver isn't just a little too close to his subject. For the first three-quarters of the book, he offers a thoughtful analysis; if the Army botched something he isn't afraid to say so, though he does somewhat gloss over the scandal of condemning deserters to the firing squad in the First World War. But when we reach the modern era, Carver rather leaves his critical faculties on hold. He manages to avoid mentioning that many historians reckon the Falklands campaign was ill-judged and badly planned, and victory owed as much to luck as anything else. He also neglects to mention the Army's inoculation of its troops against chemical weapons in the Cold War and the subsequent furore over Gulf War Syndrome. Similarly, there is no discussion of racism, bullying, or the role of women in the modern army. That said, this book still leaves plenty of room for thought, not least of which is the notion that many people see the army of the 21st century being primarily restricted to minor peace-keeping roles--which happens to be exactly what the pundits were saying 100 years before. You only have to read this book to find out how wrong they were. --John CraceRead More