The Learning Process: The BEF's Art of War on the Western Front. 1914-18. Andrew Rawson

[Crunchy]

The Learning Process: The BEF's Art of War on the Western Front 1914-18. Andrew Rawson. Helion and Company Ltd, Warwick, 2019. 343pp.

Much has been written about the 'learning process' within the British Army during the Great War, or, as it should more accurately be described - its adaptation to the industrialised nature of war that all armies confronted in 1914. Andrew Rawson's latest book seeks to supplement these works by looking at that process in the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front during the four and half years the conflict raged. Those expecting an analytical study across the whole spectrum of tactical and technical innovations which clearly shows how and why they evolved, will be disappointed.  Rawson is a prolific author, including several books narrating the battles of the BEF in France and Belgium from 1914 to 1918, and this approach is reflected in his latest addition to the story.

 

Consequently, what he presents in The Learning Process is largely a distillation of his previous works. Hence, what the reader is presented with is essentially another rendition of the BEF's operations on the Western Front from the opening action at Mons to the end of the Hundred Days, in which the battle narratives take precedence over analytical reflection. Immersed amongst the narratives is the changing nature of how the British Army conducted its operations. There is little discussion of the way in which the 'learning process' took place, or how the tactical and technological changes came about, until the final chapter where Rawson outlines some of them in a rather cursory manner. For example, significant tactical and organisational  changes within the infantry battalion occurred following the 1916 Battle of the Somme, but the background as to how these came about or the SS (Stationary Service) series of doctrinal pamphlets that fundamentally changed the way in which the British Army fought are not discussed.  We are simply told in a couple of paragraphs that 'the infantry companies had learnt to advance in two waves, around 75 yards apart, while platoons moved in two lines, around 20 years [sic] apart' and 'Troops had to stay close to the creeping barrage, while 'moppers up' searched the captured area ...' Similarly, 'Lewis gunners and rifle bombers [gave] covering fire, while the riflemen and bombers moved in on the enemy behind a smoke screen'. Nor is any mention made of the French influence or of the study visit to the French Army following the Somme which contributed to some of the tactical changes.

 

One is nonetheless able to follow the BEF's adaptation; from the difficulties of coordination and the lack of resources and technology in 1915, through the development of new techniques in 1916 and 1917, to the war winning machine it became in 1918. However, it is largely up to the reader to discern these changes from the battle narratives that dominate the book. Nor are these narratives generally germane to the 'learning process', and much irrelevant information is provided that detracts from what is supposed to be the principal focus of the book. Indeed, the narrative is at times unsophisticated: in presenting a synopsis of a battle Rawson's approach can be disjointed and one has difficulty following the flow of the action, leaving the reader confused about how the battle transpired.  Furthermore, the footnotes indicate his primary source of research by far is the British Official History volumes Military Operations: France and Belgium. This is disappointing given the wealth of primary sources and other books now available relating to the development of the British Army's tactics during the war such as General Sir Martin Farndale's History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Western Front 1914-18; this latter title provides a wealth of information on how artillery tactics changed during the war, and the technologies that enabled them to be achieved. Further this book does a less successful job of explaining the topic as Aimée Fox’s 2019 Learning to Fight: Military Innovation and Change in the British Army, 1914–1918 and Paddy Griffith's 1994 Battle Tactics of the Western Front: The British Army's Art of Attack, 196-18

 

Rawson could have produced a much better book on the 'learning process' had he adopted a thematic approach, such as the development of artillery tactics and techniques, infantry organisations and tactics, ground-air cooperation, combined arms tactics, infantry-tank cooperation, planning, etc, whereby the process of learning took prime place in the book rather than the battle narratives. Nonetheless, for those looking for a one volume history of the BEF's operations on the Western Front and a primer to how it adapted to the challenges it faced, this book provides a good introduction.

[David Filsell]

Crunchy,

Thanks for that overview, Now I am no longer Book Reviews Editor for Stand To! I have far less access to books - review books are of course FOC . So your review was most helpful - and the book will not be joining the serried ranks on my shelves!

Regards David 

[Bernard_Lewis]

Thanks for a very helpful review.

 

Bernard

[charlie962]

Another useful Crunchy review. Thanks.

charlie

[josquin]

As always, your review is as comprehensive as it is insightful.  Your evaluation and examples provide ample warning that this is not in the mold of Fox, Griffin and Farndale.

Josquin

[Crunchy]

Thank you for your kind comments. For those who are interested John Terraine does a far better job in his White Heat: The New Warfare 1914-1918. Like Rawson he follows the war chronologically, but uses the narrative as background to his analytical discussion of the difficulties the armies faced and the technological and tactical changes that occurred over time. Moreover he doesn't limit the discussion to the BEF or the Western Front, taking a broader scope by considering the other theatres of war as well.

Cheers

Chris 

Edited 26 August , 2021 by Crunchy