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but anyway
Edgerton lays out the case that Britain was competitive with Germany, and that its leadership was confident of victory throughout the war. There's some very interesting comparisons with German equipment, although Edgerton overreaches a bit here. We all know that British tanks were no match
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The most interesting argument is about the role of technology. Britain envisaged a technological war (attributing victory and defeat alike to superior technology) and in the end largely made it into one. Edgerton points out that
Britain might have done just as well without
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The cover blurb announces this as "an astounding work of myth busting", and indeed myth-busting is the primary focus of the book. Unfortunately, the first myth is one made completely of straw: that
Britain "fought alone". Some say that was from June 1940 (the
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and the purchase of equipment from the United States. The editors who know off the top of their head how many inches wide a
Panther was may have the hoodwink warning lights go on a few times.
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used to sink six subs in as many days in May 1944. The extent to which this
British perspective of warfare influenced American ideas is something that calls out for more exploration.
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The next is made of sticks. Some historians have alleged that
Britain had no realistic hope of defeating Germany and that the war was pure folly. I blame
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The book has much to say about the
British war economy, but if you're really interested in the subject, I would recommend
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War: What is it good for? – The role of conflict in civilisation, from primates to robots
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is the monthly newsletter of the
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Britain's War
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Global Crisis: War, Climate Change and
Catastrophe in the Seventeenth Century
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