The Oxford illustrated history of the British army - David G. Chandler

From pike and musket to Challenger tanks, the Napoleonic wars to the Falklands campaign, the Duke of Marlborough to Field Marshal Montgomery, The Oxford Illustrated History of the British Army charts the colourful history of the British Army from its medieval origins to the present day.;Bringing together familiar campaigns and military commanders - Waterloo and D-Day, the Duke of York and Clive of India - this compelling volume places them within their own times and discusses the politics, military strategy and economic influences of each period. What is the role of the army in peace as well as wartime? How is the army recruited? Is there a pattern to British military policy? These and other relevant questions are raised by this history. The discussions are brought right up-to-date with a look at the army of the future.;Complete with over 250 illustrations in colour and black and white, The Illustrated History of the British Army is a highly readable and thorough history which will both entertain and educate.;From the Introduction:;`One such enduring theme of continuity is perhaps the anti-militarist tradition of the British reflected as much in complaints to the Elizabethan Council about popular pastimes such as bowls preventing regular archery practice as in the relative lack of interest in defence issues in the late Twentieth Century.';`The notion of the army being a projectile fired by the Royal Navy has been an attractive one for many over the centuries.';`The army has been remarkably successful and, over the course of its official existence, Britain has lost only one major war, namely that for American Independence between 1775 and 1783. Indeed, it might be argued that Britain largely possessed a better army than it sometimes deserved.';This book is intended for military historians.