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British army

• Message 1.Β 

  Posted by Mark (U2073932) on Friday, 10th February 2006

  When was the British or English army's greatest triumph? It can be allied to other armies if you like.
  Could it be: Agincourt, Rourke's Drift, Waterloo, Blenheim, Mons, El Alamein, D-Day, Korea, Falklands, Burma, Gulf.....
  
  I would plump for Blenheim but that's just me.
  
  What do you think?

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  Posted by Slimdaddy101 (U2553470) on Friday, 10th February 2006

  I've always been fascinated with the performance of the British army during WW1. The horror and scale of that war seems mind-blowing and how the army stayed disciplined when all around was chaos is amazing. How in the initial years of the way they would march in huge rows into machine gun fire and never break ranks is a thought that makes my hair stand on end. I'm not sure if I would say this is the British armies greatest triumph as you asked but I just thought I'd chip in my tuppence worth.
  
  To take your question on its head though, when would you say the British or English army had its darkest day. I would have to cite the English army at Culloden and its aftrmath, when the wounded were dispatched, surviviours hunted down and strung up , the crushing of the clan system, the clearing of the lands in favour of sheep, the banning of tartan. Its one thing to win a battle, another to attempt to surpress a people.
  

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  Posted by Mark (U2073932) on Friday, 10th February 2006

  Yes i take your point about ww1. But we did have the redoubtable commonwealth, with the flair of the anzacs the flair of the canadians and the unbeatable valour of the Indians and Ghurkas. Apologies to the many countries I have missed out.
  And the British army was one of the major allies that did not mutiny during the war. France did and Russia did, so yes it is a testimony to all thos british and commonwealth troops that dug deep and came out fighting for four years.
  
  Culloden yes was awful, but didnt' William III use scottish troops from the Campbell clan to carry out the massacre of Glencoe in 1692?
  

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  Posted by Slimdaddy101 (U2553470) on Friday, 10th February 2006

  Indeed William III did use the Campbells to do their dirty work at Glen Coe to teach the MacDonalds a lesson. All during the Scotish wars of independance English kings have used proxies to undermine, fight, betray and gather intellegence on the Scots. Using the offer of lands and titles to buy over people. No point in fighting yourself if you can get someone else to fight for you I suppose.
  I was up on Glen Coe last week funnily enough. It is one of my favourite places to walk. There is a haunting atmosphere about the place.

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  Posted by arnaldalmaric (U1756653) on Friday, 10th February 2006

  redcoat,
  
  Fascinating and gives me a chance to ramble on and on and on and...
  
  Anyway,
  WW2: Kohima
  WW1: Allenby, into Jerusalem.
  19C: Ailwal (you've got me thinking too much about Harry Smith!!!).
  Napoleonic: Salamanca.
  18C: Minden.
  
  and here you'll be glad to hear my knowledge evaporates.
  
  Cheers AA.

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  Posted by George1507 (U2607963) on Monday, 13th February 2006

  There was no English army at Culloden.
  
  The Jacobites fought against the British Army, which included many Scottish regiments, including the Royal Scots. This was not a Scotland v England encounter - it was a civil war.

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  Posted by Sabre-Wulf (U2142937) on Monday, 13th February 2006

  I feel that the Falklands desevres a mention here. I know without the Navy it couldn't have happened, but to triumph in the conditions they were forced to endure with the equipment they had took some doing.
  
  Plus the Glosters at Imjin.

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  Posted by The Earl of Suffolk (U1888243) on Monday, 13th February 2006

  I think that one of the greatest triumphs of the British Army would be the retreat from Dunkirk.
  
  It was a solid tactical withdrawal of troops which meant that the UK continue fighting - was it 330,000 men rescued?

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  Posted by Dirk Marinus (U1648073) on Monday, 13th February 2006

  Are we talking about a battle in which it was ONLY the British army what was involved?
  
  Waterloo,Blenheim,Mons,El Alamein,D-Day,Korea,Burma,Gulf wars were all theatres of conflicts whereby other nation were allied to the British army.
  
  Believe me it is always difficult to give honors to one army when there are several involved.

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