The Nature of Warfare In The Mordern Era Flashcards
Describe the change in size of the army (c1900 - present).
- During peacetime Britain had a small professional army a similar size to that of 1840.
- However during times of heavy warfare, WW1 : 3.5 million troops by the end (1918) and WW2 : 3.3 million by the end (1945)
Describe the growth of logistics corps between c1900 - present day.
1900 : Army logistics badly organised.
1914-18 : Scale of WW1 led to improvements : the Army Service Corps.
1939-45 : WW2 logistics even more demanding.
1993 : Royal Army Service Corps joined with other army corps : Royal Logistics Corps (RLC).
2003 : Logistics corps 15% of British Army; RLC organised logistics of the invasion of Iraq.
Describe the changes in composition of the army between 1914 and 2015.
Infantry : 65% in 1914; 25% in 2015; still the troops most likely to fight on the ground.
Cavalry : 10% in 1914; 10% in 2015 (tanks); tanks now lead the attack, and protect infantry and give mobile artillery support.
Artillery : 20% in 1914; 10% in 2015; bombarding the enemy is still key but aircraft and tanks now share this role; artillery is much more mobile (eg sattelite guided missiles).
Specialist troops : 5% in 1914; 55% in 2015. The Royal Engineers and Royal Electrical + Mechanical Engineers, Royal Logistics Corps and Royal Medical Corps provide support upfront.
Describe the development of the specialised bomb disposal units.
- Early 1940, 25 army bomb disposal units were formed during WW2.
- Late 1940, another 109 bomb disposal units created : an essential part of modern war.
- In 1972, a remote-controlled robot was developed that was able to move an explosive device.
- In 2015, the British army had about 2000 Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) specialists.
Describe the changes in structure between 1900 to present day.
Haladane’s Reforms, 1908 (response to Boer War, 1899-1902) : professional army - 150,000 troops; Territorial Force - national reserve of part-time soldiers; renamed Territorial Army in 1920.
Army 2020 (an ongoing review) : professional army - 82,000 troops; Territorial Army renamed as Army Reserve in 2013; 30,000 part-time soldiers.
Explain the devlopments in weaponry between 1900 - present day.
Machine guns : were difficult to control; needed teams of men to cool them down; very effective in defence; could fire 600 rpm.
Tanks : by 1918, cavalry replaced by motor vehicles, particularly tanks, which were effectively mobile artillery.
Chemical weapons : 146 chemical attacks in WW1 using chlorine, phosgene and mustard gas; most nations have now agreed not to use chemical weapons.
Nuclear weapons : in 1945, atom bomb revolutionised the power if bombing; in 1950s and 1960s, nuclear arms race between USA and USSR threated “Mutually Assured Destruction” (MAD).
Aircraft : British Flying Corps had 63 aircraft in 1914, 22,000 by 1918; played a key role as mobile artillery, providing mobility and offense.
Explain the developments in transport between 1900 - present day.
1914 : Germans moved troops by train for suprise attacks; over two million men + 600,000 horses out-manoeuvre French and advance 300km.
1918 : motorised transport introduced; British Army has over 55,000 trucks and 35,000 motorcycles.
1940 : aircraft parachute troops behind enemy lines; vehicles transport infantry quickly into areas seized by tanks, as with German “Blitzkrieg”.
1944 : air support important; allies create “cab rank” system (aircraft always present in sky) allowing infantry to call quick airstrikes to weaken resistance.
Describe the introduction and use of surveillance.
- From 1900, surveillance from aircraft was introduced. In 1957, the first artifical satellites allowed surveillance from space.
- Military satellites used to : spot enemy force + identify targets; predict weather conditions; photograph the impact of attacks; provide communication systems.
- Surveillance tech now used to guide inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and bombs dropped from”stealth” aircraft, fighter jets and drones. “Smart” bombs ten times more accurate than conventional bombs.
Give an example where surveillance was vital to Britain’s victory.
- RADAR (Radio Detection and Ranging) - surveillance device.
- Vital for Britain’s victory in the Battle of Britain, 1940.
- It was used as part of an early warning system to detect enemy aircraft.
Describe what 21st-century gurrilla warfare and who used it.
- Powerful states can use bombing and elite infantry to capture territory, but controlling it can be more difficult.
- Weaker forces may utilise guerrilla warfare against occupying troops.
- Guerillas blend in with local civilians and use hit-and-run raids instead of open battles. Traditional weapons + tactics much harder to use against them - as the West has found out in Afghanistan and Iraq.
What was the impact of computerised high-tech warfare?
- Computerised high-tech weapons can be used to attack from thousands of kilometres away, they are then followed by infantry.
- Troops are supported by tanks, jets, attack helicopters and mobile artillery.
- Battles are coordinated via radio communication and satellite surveillance.
