Phoney war and Blitzkrieg: the territorial army in 1939–1940
At the ‘outbreak of war in 1939, the Regular army was augmented by Territorials and militia to make up the British Expeditionary Force. By May 1940, they had suffered serious defeats which, given that the Territorials had theoretically been training for years, raised worrying questions. Here Peter Caddick‐Adams explores why the TA was in fact so unprepared for war, tracing back from its initial deployment the roots the problems encountered in. out of date equipment, training, recruitment and leadership, highlighting the dichotomy’ between peacetime and wartime ‘needs. These shortcomings were exacerbated by a lack of understanding of German strength and tactics, which contributed to the defeats encountered in Belgium. After considering the credible performance of the TA against the odds, Captain Caddick‐Adams discusses the poor financing and lack of commitment on the part of the authorities during, the 1930s. Despite these difficulties, TA units performed credibly, and with increasing importance and abilit...