Nature Of Warfare 1900-2000 Flashcards
Size of the army 1900-2000
Was low during peacetime and high during wartime
-when it grew, it grew to unprecedented size: grew to 3,500,000 in WW1
-the size of the standing army has gradually decreased. Since 1900, it has fallen back to the size it was in 1840
Composition of the army 1900-2000: infantry
65% of the army in 1914, 25% in 2015
Still the most likely to confront the enemy on the ground
Composition of the army 1900-2000: cavalry
10% in 1914, ceased use in 1918
Replaced by tanks, 10% in 2015
Composition of the army 1900-2000: Artillery
20% in 1914, role is now shared with tanks and aircraft: 10%in 2015
Composition of the army 1900-2000: specialist troops
5% in 1914, 55% in 2015
-royal engineers(10%) build bridges, roads ect
-royal electrical and mechanical engineers(10%) tend to vehicles and equipment
-logistics corps (15%) and royal army medical corps (3%)
Haldane’s Reform’s 1908
-societal attitudes towards the performance of the army in the Boer War (1899-1902) led to calls for reform
-1908, secretary of state for war, Lord Haldane, restructured the army. His ideas are still influencial
Haldane’s structure of the army
Regular Army (standing army)
-permanent force of 150,000 volunteers which would defend the country or serve abroad
-was sent to war in 1914 and 1939
Territorial Force
-combined the part time and reserve forces (like the yeomanry) into a national reserve. Could defend against attack and reinforce regular army in an emergency
-had 270,000 by 1914. Was renamed Territorial army in 1920
Army 2020 structure (plans for the future made in 2010)
Regular army
-full time, volunteer, professional soldiers. Planned to be 82,000 troops
The army reserve
-new name of the Territorial Army since 2013. Part-time soldiers. Planned to be about 30,000 troops
Logistics pre 1900
-until 1790s, food and transport was arranged by army commanders. Raided food supplies, requisitioned food stores from friendly suppliers and hired transport from contractors.
-1790s, Royal Waggoners created as uniformed army transport corps within the army. It was disbanded during peacetime.
-1855, logistics problems in Crimea calked for creation of the Military train. In 1888, this was renamed the Army Service Corps (ASC).
During WW1, logitics became challenging. ASC had to supply food and petrol for:
-120,000 men, 50,000 horses and 1000 vehicles in 1914
-3,000,000 men, 500,000 horses and 90,000 vehicles in 1918
This meant that in 1918, ASC had 300,000 men working for it (10% of the Army). It was renamed the Royal Army Service Corps.
Logistics in WW2 became…
…even more demanding.
-D-day (June 1944) was the biggest amphibious troop landing in history.
Logistics from 1993 onwards
1993, RASC merged with Royal Logistics Corps (RLC) with 16,000 men and women. This made up 15% of the army.
2003, RLC planned logistics for Iraq: 45,000 troops with arms, tents, food, water and portaloos transported 3000km in 73 ships and 1200 aircraft flights.
(Specialist troops) Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD)
WW2- some bombs didn’t explode so specialist troops were needed to make these safe. In 1940, 25 army bomb disposal units were formed, each with 16 men. Cleared 20 bombs in June, 100 in July and 300 in August.
-by the end of the year, another 109 teams were formed. In that year, 25,000 were made safe
(Specialist troops) Explosive Ordnance Disposal units in recent wars
Dealt with land mines and IEDs
-in 1972, remote controlled robot invented by lieutenant-colonel Peter Miller. Used electrically operated wheel barrow to tow bombs to a place of safe detonation. Recently, these have become more complex, for example, British ‘Dragon Runner’ has pincers, digging arms, cameras and electronic jammers.
(Specialist troops) how many EOD personnel and working sniffer dogs did the army have in 2015?
2,000 EOD personnel and 300 working sniffer dogs
Total warfare
-whole population involved in the war effort
-all resources dedicated to war effort (scientific, technological and industrial)
-vast sums of money spent
-civilians targeted
War of attrition
A prolonged period of conflict during which each side seeks to gradually wear down the enemy
-in WW1, German government collapsed because of protests against food shortages
-WW2, defeat of the Nazi nation rather than the military
Chemical warfare and WW1
April 1915: Germans use Chlorine gas for the first time, killed 1250 troops
1915-18: French, British and German armies use chemical warfare (Chlorine, Phogane and Mustard gas)
By the end of the war: 90,000 killed and 1,000,000 injured by gas attacks
Chemical warfare post WW1
1925 Geneva Protocol: 16 major nations pledge never to use chemical weapons
1997 Chemical Weapons Convention: 190 nations ban storing and using chemical weapons. Since then, 85% of stored chemical weapons have been destroyed.
Atom bombs
Developed by US in 1945
Developed by USSR in 1949
MAD (mutually assured destruction) meant that if a bomb was dropped, both sides could be obliterated
High technology equipment for infantry
-Body armour + a helmet with nightvision glasses and a personal radio
-Assualt rifle with telescopic sight, laser aiming and 30 round magazine
-grenade launchers fitted to rifles
-sometimes, machine guns firing 1,800 metres at 750 rpm
High technology equipment for artillery/bombing
-ICBMs have range of over 5,500km; carry nuclear or conventional warheads; fired from land, ship, submarines and lorries.
-2016, Britain had 4 nuclear subs, each with 16 trident ballistic missiles
-stealth bombers, difficult to spot on radar. Cost $2 billion each
-drones: remote controlled aircraft without pilots, can be used to deliver bombs
-mobile artillery vehicles travel up to 30mph and fire satellite-controlled missiles
Satellites
First sent to space in 1957
In Iraq wars in 1991 and 2003, they were used to:
-locate enemy troops and military targets
-predict weather conditions for planned military action
-photograph damage inflicted by attacks
-provide communication with and between troops units
Impact of modern technology on tactics
-ICBMs and aircraft bombard enemy positions
-helicopters and motorised vehicles deliver infantry to the battlefield
-tanks, jets, attack helicopters and mobile artillery support infantry
Impact of modern technology on strategy
1990s, it became clear that high-tech was most effective when coordinated, unlike blitzkrieg. Western powers develop ‘Revolution in Military Affairs’ (RMA). Commanders at headquarters control the fighting by co-ordinating!
-information and surveillance from satellites
-computer, video and radio communication with troops on the ground
-satellite-guided weapons, and video footage of damage inflicted by them
Asymmetric warfare
‘Unequal wars between well-armed and less well armed opponents. Modern weapons have made asymmetric warfare because:
-high-tech weapons and equipment are expensive: a British challengerII tank costs £4,000,000 and a typhoon fighter jet costs £80,000,000. Only wealthy countries are well armed
-MAD: war between two well armed states would mean MAD
Guerilla warfare
Less-well armed forces might use this against enemy troops occupying their land. Often unofficial armies with no uniform, letting them blend in with civillians.
Guerilla warfare involves avoiding major battles and using hit and run tactics. Conventional tactics are less effective against this
