Victory to Defeat
The British Army 1918-40
Published on 13. March 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
352 pages
978-1-4728-6084-2 (ISBN)
Description
'A compelling history.' - The Sunday Times
'Thought-provoking.' - The Spectator
'Interesting and well-researched.' - The Sunday Telegraph
A fascinating account 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?
'Thought-provoking.' - The Spectator
'Interesting and well-researched.' - The Sunday Telegraph
A fascinating account 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?
Reviews / Votes
The most important book on military history I've read in 5-years. If I could buy a copy for every member of Parliament, I would. * Justin Maciejewski DSO MBE, Director of the National Army Museum * Both [authors] are former soldiers, Dannatt having ended his career as chief of the general staff; and they bring their military perspective to their account of this vitally important period. As such their work is highly useful...an interesting and well-researched study of a crucial episode. * Simon Heffer, The Sunday Telegraph * A compelling history. * The Sunday Times * The meat of this book looks at the squandering of the very lessons that delivered victory. * The Critic * [A] thought provoking book... Robert Lyman is one of the surest, most astute and diligent of military historians writing today. -- Allan Mallinson * The Spectator * Powerful and well-researched, Victory to Defeat is a superb example of how history can explain the present and inform the future. Highly recommended. * Lloyd Clark, author of 'The Commanders' * An unflinching account of how the British Army threw away the hard-earned lessons of the Western Front, only to face defeat and ruin in France in 1940, which sends out a powerful message for our time: we must think deeply about war and warfighting, and support our fighting men and women with all that they need, if we are not to risk another seismic failure on the battlefield. An essential and urgent book. * Professor Nick Lloyd FRHistS, author of 'The Western Front' * Their analysis is succinct, scholarly, convincing, and, with the largest war since 1945 raging in Europe today, timely. It covers strategy, tactics, resources and capabilities, as one would expect, but also ranges far outside military explanations for the debacle, and will be the standard work on the subject for many years to come. * Andrew Roberts, author of 'Churchill: Walking with Destiny' * This is a most timely book and should be read by every student at the Staff College... More importantly it should be compulsory reading by every politician. -- Gordon Corrigan * Aspects of History *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Illustrations
16-page plate section in black and white
Dimensions
Height: 192 mm
Width: 126 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
336 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4728-6084-2 (9781472860842)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
General The Lord Dannatt GCB CBE MC DL is one of the UK's most respected military commentators, frequently appearing on television and radio and in newsprint, most recently on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As Chief of the General Staff his leadership and example were critical in shaping the debate about the role of the professional army in modern warfare.
Robert Lyman is one of Britain's top military historians. He spent 20 years in the British Army and he is currently a Research Fellow at the Changing Face of War Centre, Pembroke College, University of Oxford. Together they co-authored the critically acclaimed Victory to Defeat: The British Army 1939-40 (Osprey Publishing, 2023).
Robert Lyman is one of Britain's top military historians. He spent 20 years in the British Army and he is currently a Research Fellow at the Changing Face of War Centre, Pembroke College, University of Oxford. Together they co-authored the critically acclaimed Victory to Defeat: The British Army 1939-40 (Osprey Publishing, 2023).
Content
List of Illustrations and maps
Acknowledgements
Introduction: La Foret de Compiegne
Prologue: Calais, 1940
PART ONE: THE GREAT WAR
Chapter 1: The Kaiserschlacht and its consequences
Chapter 2: Confronting the enormity of the Great War on the front line
Chapter 3: Finding a way through the mud and the blood to the green fields beyond
Chapter 4: Masters of the battlefield, 1918
PART TWO: POST WAR AND INTER WAR
Chapter 5: Peace, and derangement
Chapter 6: Old and new post-bellum responsibilities - and the Irish Question
Chapter 7: Imperial policeman versus continental commitment
Chapter 8: The modern major general: more categorical or allegorical?
Chapter 9: What is the army for, and how should it fight?
Chapter 10: The battle of the tank
Chapter 11: Britain faces a rapidly changing world
PART THREE: NEW THREATS AND NEW REALITIES
Chapter 12: Boiling the frog: the rise of the Nazi threat
Chapter 13: The slow rush to rearm
Chapter 14: Feeding the crocodile
PART FOUR: THE END OF THE BEGINNING
Chapter 15: The empire declares war
Chapter 16: The chickens come home to roost
Chapter 17: Sichelschnitt: the anatomy of disaster
Epilogue: El Alamein and beyond
Appendix: Chiefs of the Imperial General Staff 1915-46
Notes
Suggestions for further reading
Index
Acknowledgements
Introduction: La Foret de Compiegne
Prologue: Calais, 1940
PART ONE: THE GREAT WAR
Chapter 1: The Kaiserschlacht and its consequences
Chapter 2: Confronting the enormity of the Great War on the front line
Chapter 3: Finding a way through the mud and the blood to the green fields beyond
Chapter 4: Masters of the battlefield, 1918
PART TWO: POST WAR AND INTER WAR
Chapter 5: Peace, and derangement
Chapter 6: Old and new post-bellum responsibilities - and the Irish Question
Chapter 7: Imperial policeman versus continental commitment
Chapter 8: The modern major general: more categorical or allegorical?
Chapter 9: What is the army for, and how should it fight?
Chapter 10: The battle of the tank
Chapter 11: Britain faces a rapidly changing world
PART THREE: NEW THREATS AND NEW REALITIES
Chapter 12: Boiling the frog: the rise of the Nazi threat
Chapter 13: The slow rush to rearm
Chapter 14: Feeding the crocodile
PART FOUR: THE END OF THE BEGINNING
Chapter 15: The empire declares war
Chapter 16: The chickens come home to roost
Chapter 17: Sichelschnitt: the anatomy of disaster
Epilogue: El Alamein and beyond
Appendix: Chiefs of the Imperial General Staff 1915-46
Notes
Suggestions for further reading
Index