English Army was weak, or?

Question: English Army was weak, or!?

German Army was much stronger!. WW2Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

Compared to the German Army, the British Army is actually very small!.

The British have always been a seagoing nation and a maritime people and it was the job of the Royal Navy to defend the island of Britain, which it had done well for hundreds of years!.

At the outbreak of war in 1939 the Home Fleet RN was based mainly at Scarpa Flow way north and out of range of enemy bombers!.

Had the Germans been foolish enough to try to cross the English Channel, the Royal Navy Home Fleet would have sailed south and been in the English Channel at full speed [35knots] with at least six capital ships, capable of destroying the German Navy within a day or two at most!.

Indeed by 1942 most of the German Fleets' [Kriegs Marine] Pocket Battleships had already been destroyed by the RN!.

HMS Victory fires full broadside salute to Lord Nelson on the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar!. Nelson and the RN took on the entire might of the fleets of both France and Spain and won!. Lesson, never do sea battles with the British!.
http://www!.youtube!.com/watch!?v=uiRbJRNKy!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Germany started expanding their army earlier!.

German population is nearly twice the size of British, so you can expect their army will be larger!.

There is something else, too!. In WWI, the highest British casualties were incurred by junior officers - exactly the men who would have been the Generals in WWII!. When Churchill raged against his Chief of staff, the latter confided to his diary that the worst thing was that there was a grain of truth in it, because the best men had been killed 25 years before!.

It was not the same on the German side because as a military nation with conscription, it suffered the highest casualties in NCOs!.

I'd appreciate a source for the quote about give me German officers etc - it sounds fake to me!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

It wasn't difficult for Germany to create a very strong army considering it was a dictatorship, the government made slaves out of the Jews and other people they deemed undesirable and forced them to work rebuilding the military!. Furthermore the Nazis stole from anyone they pleased in order to finance the rebuilding of the army!. All this and the right side still won!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The answer is a lot more complicated than that!. Look at what happened to the UK armies in the far east on surrender to Japan!. Then look at what they did fighting back!. That is easy to say in hindsight!.

You also have to consider tactics used and that Germany practiced in the Spanish Civil war!. Doesn't help though, that Heinz Guderian published tactics and no one listened (or read)!. Then you have a political background where people were appeasing but at least to some extent the UK was re arming!. Germany had been doing that for years despite a treaty saying not to!.

The desert war was a winner!. Italy invaded!. Now go forward a few years and see what happened on D Day!. Fortress Europe was invaded!. The German army could not defend its gains!. OK, we had help, lots of it!. But it was still a world wide effort not just a European effort!.

Sorry for the jumbled ramble but another thing that springs to mind!. Air superiority!. We had that as well on the way backWww@QuestionHome@Com

The Germans had the best army in WW2 when you take into account equipment , training and tactics!.
Hitler's interference was the biggest problem also their lack of surface ships to match the Royal Navy and the shortage of heavy bombers!.
The problem was that they got involved in a fight against three major powers at the same time and that was just too muchWww@QuestionHome@Com

Who beat whom!?
The British Military had not planned the War in secret, hence they were not ready!.
The Germans, despite every advantage, still managed to lose!.
Answer your own question now!.

Interestingly, the British held off the Germans for YEARS! What does that say!? The Germans ran over Poland in a month (or week) depending on your position!. Then the Phony War!. Then they rolled over France and the Low Countries in short order!. Throw in Finland, etc!. All lost very quickly to the German Blitzkrieg!.
Now - The GALLANT British, who were practically down to their last plane and pilot - not to mention they TRIED to help the French initially, but couldn't get out of France's mad rush to the sea at Dunkirk, were also fighting in Africa and the Pacific Theater!.
I'd say that, at that time, the British Military was the finest in the World!. Despite Germany cheating - the Brits handed them their arses!.

Tedward - remember Patton read both Guderian AND Rommel!. He sure wasn't stupid!Www@QuestionHome@Com

At the start of both world wars 1 & 2, Germany had the best army in the world!.
The best trained, best equipped and extremely well led!.
But as in both wars, it was eventually ground down into a mere fragment of what it was at the start of either war!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

You mean the British Army!? At the outbreak of WWII, it was indeed not a force to be reckoned with!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Quote: by Hitler give me German officers and British Tommie's and i will rule the worldWww@QuestionHome@Com

Germany is much bigger than Britain, and can put more men into its armed forces!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

You mean the British Army!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

England hasnt had an army since 1801 Www@QuestionHome@Com