3.6 Trench Warfare on the western front
1914 - 1918
The British Army’s readiness for war
WW1 began in August 1914. Britain was initially allied with France, Russia, Serbia & Bel-
gium against Germany and Austria-Hungary.
On 4 August 1914, Britain’s regular army consisted of nearly 250,000 men. The part-time
territorial force had some 270,000 men.
Lord Kitchener
- On 5 August 1914, Lord Kitchener became Secretary of State of War. Virtually alone
among British leaders, he forecast a three-or four year long war and realised that Britain
would have to put huge armies into the field.
- He set about planning accordingly, aiming to construct a series of ‘New armies”. Recruit-
ment exceeded all expectations. Some 761,00 men joined the army in August and Sep-
tember
High command
• The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was commanded by Sir John French and who
had fought in Egypt and South Africa.
• French, his staff at general headquarters (GHQ) and his divisional and corps command-
ers had little practise or training at their respective levels of command.
• Officer training had not prepared senior commanders very well for modern war. Most
British generals were committed to taking the offensive
Munition problems
The army was deficient in modern technology. In 1914:
- Only 2 machine guns were available to each battalion
- The entire army had only 80 motor vehicles
Worse still, in August 1914, barely 6,000 rifles and 30,000 rounds of shells a month were
being produced.
The war office’s decision to concentrate orders in the hands of government ordnance fac-
tories limited the industry’s ability to respond to new demands
From a war of movement to attrition
In 1914, in accordance with the Schlieffen Plan, 1.5 million German troops marched
through Belgium, aiming to crush France.
1914 - 1918
The British Army’s readiness for war
WW1 began in August 1914. Britain was initially allied with France, Russia, Serbia & Bel-
gium against Germany and Austria-Hungary.
On 4 August 1914, Britain’s regular army consisted of nearly 250,000 men. The part-time
territorial force had some 270,000 men.
Lord Kitchener
- On 5 August 1914, Lord Kitchener became Secretary of State of War. Virtually alone
among British leaders, he forecast a three-or four year long war and realised that Britain
would have to put huge armies into the field.
- He set about planning accordingly, aiming to construct a series of ‘New armies”. Recruit-
ment exceeded all expectations. Some 761,00 men joined the army in August and Sep-
tember
High command
• The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was commanded by Sir John French and who
had fought in Egypt and South Africa.
• French, his staff at general headquarters (GHQ) and his divisional and corps command-
ers had little practise or training at their respective levels of command.
• Officer training had not prepared senior commanders very well for modern war. Most
British generals were committed to taking the offensive
Munition problems
The army was deficient in modern technology. In 1914:
- Only 2 machine guns were available to each battalion
- The entire army had only 80 motor vehicles
Worse still, in August 1914, barely 6,000 rifles and 30,000 rounds of shells a month were
being produced.
The war office’s decision to concentrate orders in the hands of government ordnance fac-
tories limited the industry’s ability to respond to new demands
From a war of movement to attrition
In 1914, in accordance with the Schlieffen Plan, 1.5 million German troops marched
through Belgium, aiming to crush France.
