The French and the British Field Force: Moral Support or Material Contribution?

This article examines how the French viewed British military preparations for a war against Germany in the 1930s. It focuses on declining French expectations of the effectiveness of British military support as the reality of Britain's small and ill-prepared Field Force became apparent as war ap...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of military history 2007-07, Vol.71 (3), p.743-772
Main Authors: Philpott, William, Alexander, Martin S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air forces
Armed forces
Armies
Conscription
Defense policy
French language
Limited liability
Military history
Military policy
Military readiness
Military strategy
Nazi era
Political alliances
War
World wars
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This article examines how the French viewed British military preparations for a war against Germany in the 1930s. It focuses on declining French expectations of the effectiveness of British military support as the reality of Britain's small and ill-prepared Field Force became apparent as war approached. Nevertheless, France continued to place a high moral value on immediate British participation in the common fight, as a token of her commitment to the alliance and long-term potential. For that reason, careful monitoring of British military developments and strategic intentions remained central to France's preparations for a future war with Germany.
ISSN:0899-3718
1543-7795
1543-7795
DOI:10.1353/jmh.2007.0228