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For any country, the shield protecting the territorial integrity of the country and the peaceful life of its citizens is the army. The army of Great Britain is referred to in various names relating to the name of the state or its royal status. The most frequently mentioned are the royal armed forces. Formally, this powerful military organization is under the control of women, since its commander-in-chief is the queen. However, in reality, the real leadership of the army is carried out by the Chief of the General Staff, who is now General P. Wall. The affairs of the army are managed by the Defense Council of the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom. An important component of the British Army is Her Majesty's Land Forces.

General information about the British army

The army of Great Britain appeared in 1707 after the annexation of Scotland and the unification of its army with the English. The new British army included the already existing English and Scottish regiments, and they were led by the War Office. In the beginning, the British Army consisted of three types of troops:

• a regular army of 80,000 soldiers;
• territorial army - 25,000 soldiers;
• volunteers.

During the period 1990-2002, the strength of the ground forces decreased from 156,000 to 115,000.

The regular British army is professional, while the territorial is only a reserve and auxiliary. The first takes part in military conflicts in hot spots as part of a multinational force and in UN operations aimed at maintaining peace. By 2020, the withdrawal of the 20,000th occupying Rhine Army from Germany is planned.
The British infantry has 36 regular and 14 territorial battalions. Of these, 17 regiments were formed, which, in addition to regular battalions, include territorial battalions.
The British cavalry now consists only of a regiment of the palace cavalry, and the remaining 8 cavalry regiments are only nominally so, since they have already become part of the royal armored corps. From the irregular army, only 4 cavalry regiments of the Yeomanry cavalry remained, but also nominally, since they were part of the same tank corps.
In the British Army, the main tactical unit is the battalion, while the administrative function and tasks of manning the units fall to the lot of the regiment. The corps have the same functions as the regiments, so they should not be confused with the similarly named operational ground units.

Types of troops

Royal Armored Corps

Currently, it includes 6 regular and yeomanry (reserve) regiments. The hull shelves are divided into 3 types:

• tank regiments are respectively armed with tanks;
• armored cavalry regiments operate reconnaissance armored vehicles;
• light cavalry regiments use armored vehicles with small arms, such as heavy machine guns.

Three regiments are conditionally called guards dragoons, two - hussars, one - dragoons, one - uhlans, and there is also a royal tank regiment. Regular troops contain three tank, three armored cavalry and three light cavalry regiments. One armored and three light cavalry regiments make up the reserve.
Separately, it should be noted the orchestra of the royal tank corps, which is subordinate to the army musical corps. In addition to the territory of Great Britain, part of the regiments of the armored corps is stationed in Germany, but by 2020 they should be returned to their homeland.

Royal Regiment of Artillery

It includes the Regiment of the Royal Artillery, the Regiment of the Royal Horse Artillery and the Special Guards used in ceremonies. The Artillery Regiment, referred to as the "Honorary Artillery Company", is the oldest active regiment in the British Army.

Royal Corps of Engineers

Ever since William I the Conqueror took over England in the 11th century, he brought with him the first military engineers. Since then, this profession has been preserved in the English army. All military personnel of this unit undergo training in sapper and engineering. Every ordinary sapper and sergeant has a second profession.

Royal Corps of Signals

Royal Corps of Electrical Engineers

These special forces of the British army provide it with communications and information exchange when planning operations and right during the fighting. It is the responsibility of the signalmen to provide the British army with the entire communication infrastructure, wherever it is at that moment. They install, configure and maintain all equipment and Information Systems, provide communication with the headquarters and operational command, conduct electronic warfare with enemy communications.

Army Air Corps

Logistics Corps

Intelligence Corps

In the British armed forces, the medical service is allocated to separate troops, which is not typical for the structure of the armies of most states of the world. Moreover, the medical troops in the British army are divided into three parts, serving, respectively, ground troops, aviation and navy. They are responsible for the treatment of all military personnel and provide support during armed conflicts.

Adjutant Corps

Department of Army Chaplains

Army Legal Service

Department of the military police at the adjutant corps

Educational and training service

Office of Personnel and Employee Support

Small Arms Training Corps

Army Physical Training Corps

Army Music Corps

The adherence to traditions in the British army is most clearly seen in such an exotic unit as the Gurkhas - this is the name of the Nepalese highlanders who fought for the British crown since the 19th century. They became famous as fearless warriors, and the kingdom still uses their services. Now they serve in the infantry, transport and engineering troops, have their own orchestra. The headquarters of the Gurks is in Waltshire.

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The armed forces of Great Britain are capable of participating in interventions together with the allies; priority direction - amphibious assault

Although the UK is a nuclear power and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, its political weight, not only on a global, but also on a European scale, is completely incomparable to what it was at least in the first half of the 20th century. In the two decades since the end of World War II, the country has lost a gigantic colonial empire, with Washington most actively involved in dismantling it. Now London is considered the most important ally of the United States, but it is impossible to call this union equal in rights even with maximum political correctness.

After graduation cold war Britain's military power also began to decline rapidly. The apotheosis of this process was the “optimization” of the armed forces (AF) in 2010, during which aircraft that had just rolled off the assembly line went under the knife, while others were sold to the United States for spare parts. At the beginning of the 90s, the British Armed Forces had 1.2 thousand tanks, 3.2 thousand infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, about 700 artillery systems and almost 850 combat aircraft. Today, all these figures have greatly decreased.

What do they consist of ground forces

The UK Land Forces are divided into three main components.

The maneuver forces (field army) include the 1st armored and 3rd mechanized divisions, theater troops (support and support command). The 1st Armored Division is deployed in Germany (headquarters is located in the city of Herford), it is supposed to be withdrawn to the territory of the UK before 2016.

The Joint Helicopter Command includes the 16th Air Assault Brigade, the Troop Support Helicopter Command, and helicopter units abroad.

Land Forces in Great Britain - 2nd, 4th, 5th Motorized Infantry Divisions, Troop Support Command in Germany, London Military District, Organized Reserve (Territorial Army).

The only tank of the British army remains the Challenger 2 (288 vehicles in service, up to 120 in storage). There are 355 Warrior infantry fighting vehicles and 126 different vehicles based on it, more than 1.1 thousand armored personnel carriers and armored vehicles (465 AFV432, 330 Spartan, 20 Stormer, 131 Viking, 70 Mastiff, 58 Warthog , 163 "Sultan").

"Challenger-2". Photo: Joerg Sarbach / AP, archive

Artillery is represented by 124 AS90 self-propelled guns, 98 LG towed guns (105 mm), 26 self-propelled mortars (81 mm) on the AFV432 armored personnel carrier chassis and 39 MLRS MLRS.

Military air defense includes 24 air defense systems "Rapier" and 43 "Starstreak" on the chassis of the armored personnel carrier "Stormer".

Army aviation - 67 attack helicopters "Apache", 54 multi-purpose "Lynx" and 34 "Gazelle".

Aviation in a state of reduction

The Air Force organizationally consists of the 1st aviation group of tactical aviation, the 2nd aviation group of auxiliary and support aviation and the 22nd aviation training group.

The main combat aircraft is the Typhoon, produced jointly with Germany, Italy and Spain. Initially, the British Air Force planned to purchase 250 of these machines, then these plans were reduced to 232, and then to 160. Now 114 Typhoons have already been received, including 22 combat trainers, and three more are in storage.

88 Tornado GR4 strike aircraft and one Tornado F2 interceptor remain in the Air Force (another 44 Tornado GR and 16 Tornado F3 are in storage, but 30 and 12 of them, respectively, are intended for disassembly for spare parts or are already in in its process), their number is gradually reduced. In addition, up to 65 Jaguars are in storage.

The Air Force is also armed with numerous auxiliary vehicles. These are AWACS aircraft - six E-3s (one more in storage). Reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft - five Sentinel-R1s, five Shadow-R1s, one BN-2, one RC-135W (there will be two more).

Transport aircraft and tankers - eight C-17s, seven Tristars, two KS2s, five KS3s, six Bae125s, six Bae146s, 24 C-130 Hercules (another 24 are in storage).

Training aircraft - 98 Hawk (13 more in storage), 41 Tucano (13 more in storage), 65 Vigilant, 69 Viking, 119 Tutor.

Helicopters - 45 Chinook, 24 Puma (another 12 in storage), 27 Merlin HC3, 25 Sea King HAR3, 5 A-109E.

Combat UAVs - 10 MQ-9 "Reaper".

There are two active US air bases in the UK - Lakenheath and Middledenhall. The 48th fighter wing (about 50 F-15C / D / E aircraft) is based on the first one, the 100th refueling wing and the 352nd special operations group (refuelers KS-135, reconnaissance RC-135, MS special forces aircraft) are based on the second -130R/N). The nuclear United States has been completely withdrawn from the territory of Great Britain.

The power of the amphibious assault has increased

The British Navy has not ruled the seas (even those directly adjacent to the British Isles) for a very long time. However, it is in them that the entire nuclear power of the country is concentrated. These are four SSBNs (nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine) of the Vanguard type with Trident-2 ballistic missiles (SLBMs) ​​(formally 16 each, but in fact there are only 58 missiles). The UK is the only country in the world that has officially made public the size of its nuclear arsenal: 160 deployed and 65 non-deployed warheads for the said 58 SLBMs. There is an active discussion in the country about how to replace Vanguards and whether it is worth doing it at all.

The British fleet is currently receiving multi-purpose nuclear submarines (PLA) of the Estiute type. Two such boats have already been put into operation, three more are under construction, two have been ordered. Five Trafalgar-class submarines also remain in service. In addition, four Resolution-class SSBNs, two Trafalgar-class submarines, six Swiftshur-class submarines, and six older types of submarines have been retired from the Navy. The command of the Navy announced a competition for the cheapest option for their disposal.

The only aircraft carrier of the British fleet remaining in service is Illustrious, however, all Harrier vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft (both ship-based and land-based) were sold to the United States for spare parts in 2011. Accordingly, the "aviation capability" of the Ilastries is a formality; it can only carry helicopters.

Two aircraft carriers of the Queen Elizabeth class are being built, which will become the largest ships in the British Navy. For them, it is planned to purchase 138 American F-35В VTOL aircraft, while only three such aircraft have been purchased so far. At present, the fate of both the new aircraft carriers themselves and their aircraft is uncertain. Moreover, escort ships will not be enough for them.

Six of the newest Daring-class destroyers have just been commissioned into the British Navy. The Navy is armed with 13 Norfolk-class frigates. In the indefinite future, it is planned to replace them with a similar number of frigates of the new project 26, but so far this program is at the discussion level.

Mine-sweeping forces include 15 minesweepers: eight of the Hunt type, seven of the Sandown type.

Submarine "Estiute". Photo: J.J. Massey/AP

With an overall significant reduction in the British fleet over the past two decades, its amphibious capabilities have increased over this period. In service there is one universal landing ship (UDC) "Ocean" (today it is the largest ship of the British Navy), two landing helicopter carriers of the Albion type, three landing transport docks (TDK) of the Bay type, in addition, the Sir Tristram TDK » is used as a training one. The Marine Corps includes three battalion groups, one naval installation defense group, one air assault group and a number of support units.

In naval aviation, after the sale of the Harriers, there were no planes left, there are only helicopters - 38 Merlins (four more in storage), 55 Sea Kings (another 27 in storage).

The Falklands will be able to defend

In general, British military capabilities for last years significantly reduced, and this process continues. However, as in the case of other NATO countries, there is no threat of external aggression for the UK. The interventionist capabilities of the British Armed Forces are still sufficient to participate in collective police and peacekeeping operations in alliance with the United States and / or European countries within the framework of NATO, the EU and the informal Anglo-Saxon alliance.

The only theoretically possible independent war of Great Britain is with Argentina for the Falklands. A sharp reduction in the number of naval personnel and, most importantly, the complete loss of carrier-based and strategic aviation (in 1982, the British, in addition to the Harriers, still had Vulcan bombers in service) significantly reduce the ability of Great Britain to recapture the islands in case they are captured by the Argentines. But in fact, there is no need for London to worry: the Argentine Armed Forces have degraded over three and a half decades, in fact, to the point of complete loss of combat capability. Therefore, the British Armed Forces can be reduced further, this does not threaten the country in any way.

In accordance with military doctrines, the construction of the armed forces of the capitalist states was also carried out.

British Armed Forces consisted of ground forces (army), naval (navy and naval aviation) and air forces. The regular armed forces were staffed by volunteers aged 18 to 25 years. In July 1939, a law on compulsory military service came into force in the metropolis, according to which all men who had reached the age of twenty had to serve for six months in the regular army, after which they were enrolled in the territorial army for three and a half years ( E. Sheppard. A Short History of the British Army. London, 1950, p. 373-375.). The dominions of Great Britain had their own national armed forces, which also consisted of three types and were staffed by volunteers. In the most important strategic points and bases of the empire, there were British units that performed police functions. All other parts of the English Empire contained colonial troops from local residents, which the government could use outside their territories. Data on the strength of the British armed forces by their types are given in table 15.

The king was nominally considered the supreme commander of the armed forces of the British Empire, in fact they were led by the Prime Minister of Great Britain, who headed the committee of imperial defense.

With regard to the dominions, the committee limited itself to general instructions on the development of the armed forces. The order of construction of armed forces of the colonies was completely determined by him. All decisions on this issue in the colonies were carried out by the respective ministers of war (army, navy and air force) through the governors general of the colonies, and in India - through the viceroy.

Proceeding from the general military doctrine, the main attention in the development of the armed forces was given to the fleet and the air force.

By the beginning of World War II, the British fleet consisted of 15 battleships and battlecruisers, 7 aircraft carriers, 64 cruisers, 184 destroyers, 45 minesweepers and coastal defense ships, 58 submarines ( Encyclopedia Britannica. Vol. 23. Chicago-London, 1973, p. 780 C.). Some ships, including 2 battleships, were reconstructed, 4 obsolete battleships could only be used for escort service. Coastal Command Aviation had 232 combat aircraft, grouped into 17 squadrons ( D. Butler. Big strategy. September 1939 - June 1941, page 46.); about 500 aircraft were on aircraft carriers and 490 in reserve ( PRO. Cab., 23/97, p. 126.).

Organizationally, the British fleet included the fleet of the mother country, the Mediterranean, the eastern and the reserve. In addition, there were fleets and formations of ships in the dominions. As part of the fleets, the ships were consolidated into squadrons of battleships, cruisers, aircraft carriers, fleets of destroyers and submarines.

Most of the mother country's fleet was based at Scapa Flow, and some of its ships were at the Humber and Portland naval bases. The West Indian station operated in the Western Atlantic (4 cruisers), and the South Atlantic station (8 cruisers) operated in the South Atlantic. The Mediterranean Fleet was based in Gibraltar and Alexandria, the Eastern Fleet was stationed mainly in Singapore. A detachment of light forces operated in the Red Sea. In addition, there was an East Chinese station (4 cruisers) in the waters of China.

The military leadership of Great Britain believed that superiority over the fleets of Germany and Italy in large surface ships would ensure the safety of sea communications, and expected to overcome the possible threat from German submarines with the help of new means of detecting them, which were introduced on the ships of the British fleet. The plans of the British Admiralty took into account that if Japan entered the war, the British fleet, located in the Far East, would be much weaker than the enemy fleet.

After the revision of the "air doctrine" in connection with the emergence of new views on the use of aviation in the late 30s, the rearmament and reorganization of the air force began. In 1936, three commands were organized in their composition: fighter, bomber and coastal ( R. Higham. Armed Forces in Peacetime. Britain, 1918-1940, p. 179.). In November 1938, Plan M was approved in Great Britain, according to which it was supposed to have 163 squadrons (2549 first-line combat aircraft) in the metropolis in the coming years, and 49 squadrons (636 aircraft) at overseas bases ( D. Butler. Big strategy. September 1939 - June 1941, page 53.).

However, Plan M could not be fully implemented, and by the beginning of the Second World War, there were 78 squadrons in the metropolis (1456 combat aircraft, including 536 bombers). About 2 thousand cars were in reserve ( R. Higham. Armed Forces in Peacetime. Britain, 1918-1940, p. 188.). The Overseas Air Force had 34 squadrons (435 aircraft), of which 19 squadrons were based in the Middle East, 7 in India and 8 in Malaya ( Ibidem; D. Richards, X. Conders. British Air Force in World War II 1939-1945. Translation from English. M., 1963, p. 45.). Bomber Command had only 17 squadrons of Whitleys, Wellingtons and Hampdens, 10 squadrons of Blenheims and 12 squadrons of obsolete Battles. By the beginning of the war, most of the fighter aviation was armed with quite modern Spitfire, Hurricane and Blenheim aircraft ( R. Bigham. Armed Forces in Peacetime. Britain, 1918-1940, p. 188.). But in general, in terms of the number and training of the flight crew, the British aviation was somewhat inferior to the German one.

The country's air defense plan was approved in 1938. The overall direction of air defense was carried out by a committee headed by the prime minister. The head of the air defense of the metropolis was the commander of fighter aircraft, to whom all air defense systems were operationally subordinate.

The territory of the British Isles was divided into four air defense areas: the first area covered the southeastern part of the country, the second - the southwest, the third - the central, the fourth - the northern part of the country and Scotland. In organizational terms, the air defense troops were reduced to three divisions (with the exception of fighter aircraft). One air defense division defended London, the other - the cities located in the center and in the north of the country, the third - the cities of Scotland.

The ground forces were subdivided into regular, territorial armies and reserves. Their basis was the regular army, which included all types of troops. The territorial army was a kind of reserve of the first stage and was recruited at the expense of persons who had mainly served in the regular army. The reserve consisted of demobilized officers and persons who had served in the territorial army.

In 1936, the British government began a radical reorganization of the ground forces. The focus of their construction was on motorization. The creation of the first motorized and armored units and formations began ( E Sheppard. A Short History of the British Army, p. 373-375.).

The lack of a clearly developed theory and tactics for the use of armored forces in combat operations led to the fact that before the war the British army was armed with the most diverse types of tanks in terms of their tactical and technical data. Even at the beginning of 1939, the General Staff could not finally decide what kind of tanks the army needed: it was believed that light vehicles were needed for colonial wars, and heavy vehicles for sending to France, slow-moving, well-armored vehicles for supporting infantry, and mobile war- light cruiser tanks ( S. Barnett. Britain and Her Army 1509-1970, p. 419.). Nevertheless, by the beginning of the war, the process of motorization of regular army formations was basically completed.

The territorial army, which was also entrusted with the task of air defense of the metropolis, also underwent a radical reorganization. For this purpose, 7 divisions were allocated from its composition ( ). On March 29, 1939, the British government decided to increase the number of territorial divisions from 13 to 26, as a result of which the total number of divisions of the ground forces increased to 32 (of which 6 were regular) ( S. Barnett. Britain and Her Army. 1509-1970, p. 420.). In fact, by the beginning of the war, Great Britain had 9 regular and 16 territorial divisions, 8 infantry, 2 cavalry and 9 tank brigades ( Calculated from: H. Joslen. Orders of Battle of the Seconal World War 1939-1945. Vol. I-II. London, 1960.). Territorial divisions were hastily transferred to regular states. India had seven regular divisions and a significant number of independent brigades; Canada, Commonwealth of Australia, New Zealand and the Union of South Africa - several separate brigades each.

An English infantry division in 1939 consisted of a headquarters, three infantry brigades, a mechanized regiment, three field regiments, an anti-tank artillery regiment, three anti-tank companies, and support and maintenance units. The total number of personnel was 14.5 thousand people, of which 500 officers. The division was armed with 140 armored personnel carriers, 28 light tanks, 156 tractors, 147 guns, 810 trucks, 644 light and 56 heavy machine guns, 126 mortars, 10,222 rifles, 361 anti-tank rifles and other equipment ( H. Joslen. Orders of Battle of the Second World War 1939-1945, vol. I, p. 131.).

The organization of higher formations and associations of the British ground forces by the beginning of the war had not yet finally taken shape. Due to the lack of officers, weapons, military equipment and equipment for the deployment of corps and armies, the British did not start. To assist France in repelling possible aggression from Germany, the command of the British Expeditionary Forces was created, to which the divisions scheduled for dispatch to the European continent were subordinate, as well as the command of the British Armed Forces in the Near and Middle East, at the disposal of which were allocated two infantry and one armored divisions (not yet fully manned) ( E Sheppard. A Short History of the British Army, p. 375.). The main forces of the ground forces on the eve of the war were stationed in the metropolis.

All the calculations of the British command were based on the assumption that if Germany undertook a war against France, military operations would proceed slowly. In accordance with this, the first British infantry divisions were to arrive in France only 33 days after the announcement of mobilization, two armored divisions - after 8 months, and subsequently 2-3 divisions with an interval of 6-8 months.

According to Field Marshal Montgomery, at the end of August 1939, the British ground forces were allegedly completely unprepared for large-scale military operations: they experienced a shortage of tanks, guns, had weak anti-tank artillery, imperfect communications, poor logistics, and were insufficiently trained ( The War on Land. The British Army in World War II. New York, 1970, p. 6-7.).

However, in reality, despite many omissions and shortcomings in the organization and equipment of its armed forces, Great Britain had, at the beginning of the war, large naval and air forces and some ground forces in the mother country, sufficient reserves in the empire. This allowed her, together with France and Poland, to successfully wage an armed struggle against Nazi Germany.

French Armed Forces consisted of three types: land army, air force and navy. Their organization and construction were based on official military doctrine.

In accordance with the law "On the organization of the nation in times of war" of July 11, 1938, all supreme political and military power was concentrated in the hands of the government. To solve the fundamental issues of preparing the country for war, the supreme council of national defense was reorganized, which included all members of the cabinet of ministers, Marshal Petain and the chief of the general staff, General Gamelin, and, with the right of an advisory vote, the commanders-in-chief of the branches of the armed forces and the chief of staff of the colonial troops.

IN war time to direct the armed forces in all theaters of military operations, it was planned to create a military committee. The chairman of the committee and the supreme commander was the President of the Republic.

On the eve of the Second World War, there were ministries in France: national defense, army, aviation and navy. The ministries of national defense and the army had a single governing body - the general staff, other ministries - the main headquarters of the branches of the armed forces. The chief of the general staff was at the same time the commander of the ground forces located in the metropolis and colonies.

The commanders of aviation and the navy did not report to the chief of the general staff; he only coordinated the actions of the aviation and navy with the actions of the ground forces.

According to the law "On the organization of the nation in times of war", the territory of France was divided into three fronts: northeast, southeast and the Pyrenees. The commanders of these fronts reported directly to the Chief of the General Staff ( Les evenements survenus en France de 1933 a 1945. Annexes, t. III, p. 811.).

There were 20 military districts in the country, each with 1-2 personnel divisions. In case of war, the mobilization plan provided for the deployment of 80-100 divisions of type "A" and "B" on the basis of these formations ( Division "A" was staffed by 75 percent of the personnel, the rest were reservists of young ages. Equipped mainly with modern weapons, it had a high combat capability. Division "B" consisted of 45 percent of the personnel and replenished to the norm at the expense of reservists of older ages. The armament was mostly obsolete. The combat effectiveness of such a division was low.).

The armed forces were recruited on the basis of universal military service. In 1936, the term of service was increased from one year to two, for sailors and soldiers of the colonial troops it remained the same - three years. After the introduction of a two-year service life, the French armed forces had about 700 thousand people of variable composition. In case of war, up to 6 million reservists could be mobilized. However, the contingents, from which, according to the plan, it was supposed to form numerous units and formations, did not undergo thorough combat training. Until the middle of the 1920s, retraining of those liable for military service was not carried out at all. Later, they began to be called up for training camps, which, however, were too short, and the number of called-up reservists was clearly insufficient. As a result, the reserve formations did not have high military-technical and tactical training, which had a negative impact on their combat capability.

The French armed forces in peacetime numbered over 1 million people, including in the ground forces - 865 thousand (550 thousand - the metropolitan army, 199 thousand - expeditionary forces and 116 thousand - colonial formations), in the air force - 50 thousand, navy - 90 thousand people.

By the end of August 1939, after a series of extraordinary appeals, the number of armed forces increased to 2,674 thousand people (2,438 thousand in the ground forces, 110 thousand in the air force and 126 thousand in the navy ) ( M. Gamelin. Servir. Le prologue du drama, p. 448.). The land army consisted of 108 divisions, including 1 tank, 2 mechanized, 5 cavalry and 13 divisions of fortress areas. The tank and 8 infantry divisions were not yet fully equipped by the time France entered the war.

France had 14,428 guns (excluding railway platforms and fortress artillery) ( Archives nationales de France. Cour de Riom. W 11 . Serie XIX, cartone 48, doc. nine.); in the land army, there were 3100 tanks ( "Revue d" histoire de la deuxieme guerre mondiale", 1964, No. 53, p. 5.), most of them were in 39 separate tank battalions ( J. Boucher. Armored weapons in war. Translation from French. M., 1956, pp. 83-86.).

The infantry divisions of both types ("A" and "B") had the same organization: three infantry and two artillery (light and medium artillery) regiments, an anti-tank division, units and subunits of support and maintenance ( Ibid., pp. 86-87.). In total, the division had 17.8 thousand people, 62 75-mm and 155-mm guns, 8 47-mm anti-tank guns and 52 25-mm universal guns.

Light mechanized divisions were reorganized in 1932 from cavalry formations. Each of them had tank and motorized brigades, reconnaissance and artillery regiments, support and maintenance units and subunits, 11,000 personnel, 174 tanks, and 105 armored vehicles (mostly obsolete designs).

The cavalry division consisted of two brigades (cavalry and light mechanized) and an artillery regiment. In total, there were 11.7 thousand people, 22 tanks and 36 armored vehicles ( La campagne de France. Mai - juin 1940, p. 21.).

The serious shortcomings in the technical equipment that existed in the French army significantly reduced its combat effectiveness. Although the armament for the most part met modern requirements, many weapons remained from the First World War. The artillery was represented mainly by a 75 mm gun, which was significantly inferior to the German 105 mm howitzer. The French heavy and high powered artillery was numerous and outgunned the corresponding German artillery.

The French Air Force, including naval aviation, consisted of 3335 combat aircraft. By the beginning of the war, their armament and organization were still in their infancy. The highest association of the Air Force was a mixed air army(there were three in total), consisting of a bomber division and several fighter brigades. In the French Air Force, fighters accounted for 36 percent, scouts for 25 percent, and bombers for 39 percent of the total aircraft fleet. The leadership of the French air force, in contrast to the German, was decentralized. Each army corps, army and front had its own aviation, which was based on airfields located in the rear areas of military formations and associations.

France possessed a significant navy, ranked fourth among the fleets of the capitalist countries. It included 7 battleships, 1 aircraft carrier, 19 cruisers, 32 destroyers, 38 destroyers, 26 minesweepers and 77 submarines ( R. Auphan, J. Mordal. La Marine Francaise pendant la seconde guerre mondiale. Paris, 1958, p. 481 - 511.).

Thus, by the beginning of the Second World War, France had significant armed forces, sufficiently equipped with military equipment and weapons, including modern ones. However, as a result of a policy that sought to direct aggression towards the Soviet Union and the betrayal of the national interests of France by her ruling circles, as well as due to serious shortcomings in the preparation of the country for war, the French armed forces inevitably had to face great difficulties in the fight against a strong enemy.

The armed forces of the United States of America consisted of the army and the navy. The Air Force was part of the Army.

The Supreme Commander was the President of the United States, who led the armed forces through the War and Navy Departments. The armed forces were recruited on a voluntary basis.

The size of the American army in 1939 was only 544.7 thousand people, of which 190 thousand were in the regular army, 200 thousand in the national guard and 154.7 thousand in the navy ( The Information Please Almanac, 1950. New York, 1951, p. 206; R. Weigley. History of the United States Army, p. 419.). The military-political leadership believed that, being at a sufficient distance from possible theaters of military operations, the United States would have time, if necessary, to quickly deploy its armed forces to the required number and enter the war at a decisive moment.

In accordance with the military doctrine of the United States, the main attention in the development of the armed forces was given to the navy, mainly powerful battleships and aircraft carriers. By the beginning of World War II, the US Navy had more than 300 warships, including 15 battleships, 5 aircraft carriers, 36 cruisers, 181 destroyers, 99 submarines, 7 gunboats and 26 minesweepers ( W. Churchill. The Second World War. Vol. I. The Gathering Storm. New York, 1961, p. 617.). The fleet also had a large number of auxiliary ships for various purposes. However, many destroyers and submarines were obsolete.

In organizational terms, before the Second World War, the ships were consolidated into two fleets - the Pacific and the Atlantic, in which there were formations of battleships, aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, submarines, auxiliary and amphibious forces. The structure of naval aviation included about 300 aircraft.

The main forces of the navy were based in Norfolk (Atlantic coast), San Diego (Pacific coast) and Pearl Harbor (Hawaiian Islands).

The US Navy was basically ready to carry out the tasks assigned to them in the defense of the American continent and to ensure the transfer of ground troops for amphibious landings on other continents.

The few ground forces consisted of the regular army, the national guard and organized reserves. The units and formations of the regular army were more prepared. The National Guard was a militia army of individual states, designed primarily to maintain internal order and was not subordinate to the federal government. The organized reserves consisted of reserve officers and persons who had served a certain period in the regular army.

On the eve of World War II, the regular army had only three fully and six partially manned infantry divisions, two cavalry divisions, an independent armored brigade and several independent infantry brigades ( M. Kreidberg, M. Henry. History of Military Mobilization in the United States Army, 1775-1945. Washington, 1955, p. 548-552.). There were 17 divisions in the National Guard. These military formations and units were combined into four armies stationed in the continental part of the country. Small garrisons of ground forces were located in Alaska, Hawaii and other Pacific islands.

In December 1936, a directive from the chief of staff of the ground forces announced the start of the development of a "plan for the mobilization of covering forces", which was completed by 1939. The plan provided for the deployment within 90 days from the date of the announcement of the mobilization of 730,000 well-equipped ground forces. Then, in a short time, the army must deploy up to 1 million people. Until 1940, all calculations for the production of weapons for the army were based on this number of ground forces ( R. Smith. The Army and Economic Mobilization, p. 54, 127 - 128.).

In the 1930s, the American army was armed mainly with light tanks. Only in 1939, taking into account the lessons of the war in Spain, did the Americans begin to create medium tanks ( R. Weigley. History of the United States Army, p. 411.).

The general leadership of aviation, which was part of the ground forces, was carried out by the Minister of War through his assistant for aviation, and operational management through the general staff. On the eve of the war, the army air force had 1,576 combat aircraft. Since the beginning of World War II, the US Congress has allocated additional funds for the development of aircraft construction. Aircraft production was planned to be increased to 5500 aircraft per year ( The War Reports of General of the Army G. Marshall, Chief of the Staff; General of the Army H. Arnold, Commanding General, Army Air Forces; Fleet Admiral E. King, Commander-in-Chief, United States Fleet and Chief of Naval Operations. Philadelphia-New-York, 1947, p. 308; The Army Almanac. Washington, 1950, p. 214.). At the same time, it was planned to train 20 thousand pilots, navigators and shooters. Air bases were built at an accelerated pace in Panama, Alaska, Puerto Rico and the Hawaiian Islands.

The air forces of the army were divided into tactical and defense of the continent. In their construction, the main attention was paid to strategic aviation, while the importance of tactical aviation was underestimated. By the beginning of the war, the United States had a good heavy bomber B-17 ("flying fortress"), but did not have equal fighters and attack aircraft necessary to support the ground forces ( R. Weigley. History of the United States Army, p. 414.). In terms of the quantity and quality of military equipment and weapons, American aviation was generally inferior to the British and German.

For the purposes of air defense, the territory of the United States was divided into four districts, in which the air force commander of these districts, subordinate to the commander of the Army Air Forces, was entrusted with ensuring the interaction of fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft artillery, air warning service and air barrage balloons.

Thus, the state of the US armed forces in 1939 basically corresponded to the requirements imposed on them by the military-political leadership. However, significant funds and time were needed to implement the plans for the deployment of the armed forces outlined by the American government.

Polish Armed Forces consisted of the ground forces and the navy. According to the constitution of 1935, the president was the supreme commander in chief, but in fact the armed forces, like all power in the country, after the death of Pilsudski were in the hands of the military and political dictator, the general inspector of the armed forces, Marshal E. Rydz-Smigly.

The army and navy were recruited on the basis of the law on universal conscription adopted on April 9, 1938. As of June 1, 1939, the armed forces of Poland numbered 439,718 people, of which 418,474 were in the ground forces, 12,170 in aviation and military navy - 9074 people ( This number does not include parts of the Border Guard Corps. The border troops consisted of regiments and brigades. In May 1939 they numbered 25,372. Calculated on the basis of monthly reports on the actual state of the Polish Armed Forces: Centralne Archiwum Wojskowe. Departament Dowodztwa Ogolnego MS Wojsk., t. 4393. L. dz. 8838/tj. z dn. 14.8.1939; Akta Departamentu Art. MS Wojsk., t. 11, Akta gisz, t. 287-667, 960.). The number of trained reserves reached 1.5 million people ( W. Iwanowski. Wysilek Zbrojny Narodu Polskiego w czasie II Wojny Swiatowej. T. I. Warszawa, 1961, str. 66.).

In social terms, the Polish army in the vast majority (about 70 percent) consisted of peasants with a small stratum of workers. Up to 30-40 percent were representatives of national minorities (Ukrainians, Belarusians, Lithuanians and others). The recruitment system for the armed forces had a pronounced class character and was designed to make them an obedient weapon in the struggle against the revolutionary movement and in the war against the Soviet socialist state.

The ruling circles of Poland for a long time educated the army in a spirit of hostility towards Soviet Union and the working people of Poland itself. The troops were often used to suppress the revolutionary uprisings of the masses of Poland, the national liberation movement of Belarusians, Ukrainians and Lithuanians. Separate garrisons had special units specially designed for these purposes ( S. Rowecki. Walki uliczne. Warszawa, 1928, str. 286.).

The Polish bourgeoisie counted on a carefully thought-out system of indoctrination of personnel to ensure the reliability of their armed forces, to protect them from the penetration of revolutionary ideas and sentiments.

The system of training and education of soldiers and officers was aimed at smoothing out the existing contradictions between the social composition of the army and its purpose, isolating the soldiers from the masses, distracting them from politics, dulling class consciousness and turning them into blind executors of the will of the ruling classes. Having declared the army out of politics, the military leadership forbade soldiers and officers to be members of political parties, participate in rallies, meetings and other social and political events and campaigns ( See art. 55 § I Dekretu about sluzbie wojskowej oficerow. Warzawa, 1937.). The reactionary government mercilessly persecuted military personnel for participating in the revolutionary movement and persistently inspired them with the supposedly established by God and religion need to protect the bourgeois-landlord system of Poland, blindly obeying its laws.

The main organizing force Polish army was an officer and non-commissioned officer. The officer corps was almost entirely selected from persons belonging to the ruling and privileged strata and classes. The leading role in the army among the Polish officers belonged to Pilsudchik, mostly former legionnaires. In 1939, out of 100 generals, 64 were legionnaires, more than 80 percent of the positions of army inspectors and commanders of corps districts were staffed by Pilsudski's associates ( P. Stawecki. Nastepcy commandanta. Warszawa, 1969, str. 76.). The most important command positions in the army were occupied by people whose military knowledge did not go beyond the experience of the anti-Soviet war of 1920. It was Pilsudchiki who were the most outspoken bearers of the bourgeois-landlord ideology and policy of the reactionary regime in the army.

Since the Polish military doctrine considered the future war as predominantly continental, the main role in it, and consequently in the development of the armed forces, was assigned to the ground forces. The ground forces included infantry, cavalry, border guard corps, and aviation.

The ground forces were based on infantry divisions, distributed over corps districts ( The corps districts, which were military-administrative units in peacetime, were disbanded during the war.). The infantry division consisted of three infantry regiments, a light regiment and a heavy artillery battalion, support and maintenance units. It numbered up to 16 thousand people. Compared to the German infantry division, it did not have enough artillery (42-48 guns and 18-20 mortars, mostly of obsolete designs). The division had 27 37 mm anti-tank guns, significantly fewer than in the German division. The air defense was also weak - only four 40-mm anti-aircraft guns.

Polish military theory considered the cavalry as the main means of maneuvering to achieve decisive goals. The cavalry was supposed to make up for the lack of technical vehicles in the army. It was she, the "Queen of the Army", who was entrusted with the task of breaking the enemy's will to resist, paralyzing him psychologically, and weakening morale.

All cavalry formations were consolidated into 11 brigades; the staff strength of each brigade was 3427 people. Unlike infantry divisions, the staffing of cavalry brigades during the war period remained almost the same as in peacetime. The strike force of the cavalry brigade was small: its firepower was equal to the strength of the fire volley of one Polish infantry regiment ( T. Rawski, Z. Stupor, J. Zamojski. Wojna Wyzwolencza Narodu Polskiego w latach 1939-1945, str. 104.).

The armored forces included: a motorized brigade (formed in 1937), three separate battalions of light tanks, several separate reconnaissance tank and armored car companies, as well as units of armored trains.

The motorized brigade consisted of two regiments, anti-tank and reconnaissance battalions, as well as service units. It numbered about 2800 people. The brigade was armed with 157 machine guns, 34 guns and mortars, 13 reconnaissance tanks ( E. Kozlowski. Wojsko Polskie 1936-1939, str. 172.). For the duration of the war, the brigade was reinforced by a tank battalion from the reserve of the main command and other units.

In total, in the Polish armed forces in July 1939, there were 887 light tanks and tankettes, 100 armored vehicles, 10 armored trains ( Centralne Archiwum Wojskowe, Akta DDO MS Wojsk., t. 27.). The main part of the tank fleet, according to its tactical and technical data, was unsuitable for effective use in combat conditions.

Military aviation consisted of six aviation regiments, two separate aeronautical battalions and two naval aviation divisions. In total, by the beginning of the war, there were 824 combat aircraft of all types in the air fleet ( E. Kozlowski. Wojsko Polskie 1936-1939, str. 238; Mala Encyklopedia Wojskowa. T. 2. Warszawa, 1970, str. 693-694.), most of them were inferior to the aircraft of the main European states in their flight performance. In 1939, Polish-made elk-type bombers with higher flying qualities entered service, but by the beginning of the war there were only 44 of them in the troops.

Aviation was intended primarily to escort infantry and tanks in battle and cavalry in its raids. However, in all cases, the role of army aviation was reduced mainly to shallow reconnaissance of the enemy, and in some cases - to bombing attacks on his troops. The use of aviation for independent operations was not actually envisaged. The capabilities of bomber aircraft were underestimated, they were not given due attention ( See A. Kurowski for the general directive of the Chief of Staff on the use of aviation. Lotnictwo Polish w 1939 Warszawa, 1962, str. 333-335.).

The naval forces were subdivided into the navy (ships) and coastal defense. They included 4 destroyers, 5 submarines, a minelayer, 6 minesweepers and 8 coastal defense battalions armed with 42 field and 26 anti-aircraft guns ( A. Rzepniewski. Obrona Wybrzeza w 1939 r. Warszawa, 1970, str. 134-143, 241-242; M. Porwit. To omentarze do historii polskich dziatan obronnych 1939 roku. Cz. I. Warszawa, 1969, str. 65.).

The fleet was not ready to perform tasks in the war against Nazi Germany. It lacked vessels for operations in coastal waters, there were no escort ships. In shipbuilding, the main attention was paid to the construction of expensive heavy ships. The Polish command did not attach much importance to the problem of defending bases from land and air.

Conducted by the main headquarters in 1935-1936. An analysis of the combat effectiveness of the army in comparison with the armies of the USSR, Germany and France showed that the Polish armed forces were at the level of 1914 and lagged far behind in all key indicators.

The plan for the modernization and development of the army developed in Poland, designed for six years (1936-1942), provided for a significant strengthening of the main types of armed forces, the expansion of the country's industrial and raw material base, the construction of defensive structures, etc. ( Z. Landau, J. Tomaszewski. Zarys historii gospodarczej Polski 1918-1939. Warszawa, 1960, str. 166-191; Zeszyty science. wap. Seria economiczna. Warszawa, 1970, no. 13, str. 158-165.). However, the absence of a pre-established unified concept for the development and modernization of the army ultimately led to the implementation of only individual measures of this plan.

During the first three years of the implementation of this plan, there was only a slight quantitative change in the armament and equipment of the army, but the proportions of the combat arms remained the same. All types of weapons and military equipment, with the exception of the materiel of the navy, were largely worn out and obsolete. There were not enough aircraft, tanks, field artillery and small arms.

Thus, the size and organizational structure of the army, its weapons, the system of recruitment, training and education of personnel did not meet the requirements of preparing the country for defense in the conditions of the impending war.

On the eve of the Second World War, the most aggressive grouping of imperialist states (Germany, Italy, Japan) adopted the doctrine of total "blitzkrieg" war. This doctrine provided for the mobilization of all the resources of the state and the infliction of sudden lightning strikes on the front and rear of the enemy in order to achieve victory at the very a short time. The early militarization of the economy and all public life, the use of surprise in treacherous attacks, bestial cruelty, the establishment of a "new order" in the world, and colonial slavery for the vanquished were placed at the service of this strategy.

Another grouping of capitalist states (England, France, USA, Poland), which had a huge economic potential, was guided by military doctrines that were more inclined towards a strategy of attrition. As a result, the economic and financial possibilities of England, France and the USA were not used to train the armed forces to the same extent as was done in the countries of the fascist bloc.

German Fascist war machine was much better prepared for World War II. Hitler's army, which received high professional training and had an experienced, carefully selected command staff, equipped with the latest military equipment and weapons for that time, posed a mortal threat to humanity.

British ground forces

The British Army is the largest branch of the Royal Armed Forces. They number 102 thousand people and are designed to solve a wide range of tasks in the conduct of hostilities both according to national plans and as part of the combined armed forces of NATO, the European Union response forces and other multinational formations, as well as to participate in peacekeeping and humanitarian operations. In addition, units and subunits of the ground forces can be involved in assisting civilian authorities in localizing the impact of man-made and natural disasters, as well as in eliminating their consequences.

Structure of the British Army

The country's ground forces consist of regular troops and a reserve. According to their mission, regular troops are subdivided into mobile forces, a joint helicopter command, as well as a command for training and improving the combat capabilities of ground forces.

Maneuvering forces(field army) are the most combat-ready component of the ground forces. They are intended for action outside the metropolis according to national plans and as part of multinational groupings. Formations and units of the field army are staffed by 85-95% of personnel, weapons and military equipment - by 100%.

Joint Helicopter Command includes all helicopter units and units of the national armed forces, as well as the 16th air assault brigade. Its main task is to ensure the mobility of ground forces units during various operations and combat support for their use.

Combat Capabilities Training and Improvement Command is intended mainly for the organization of recruitment, training, comprehensive support and combat training. It includes: recruitment and initial training centers, training centers vocational training and training grounds, the military academy of the ground forces (Sandhurst), units of logistic support of the ground forces.

According to their functional purpose, the ground forces of Great Britain are divided into the following types of troops: motorized infantry, armored units, army aviation, artillery and air defense units, engineering troops, rear troops of the ground forces, as well as military police and military medical service of the ground forces.

In total, the ground forces are armed with 345 tanks; PA guns - 266, MLRS - 42 and mortars - 2,563; ATGM - 900; missile launchers - 253; armored combat vehicles - 2,603; combat helicopters - 294 units.

Currently, there are 36 battalions in the British regular troops: mechanized (they are armed with the Warrior infantry fighting vehicle); motorized infantry (armored personnel carriers "Saxon" and "Spartan"); light and airborne.

The combat capabilities of the ground forces of the United Kingdom are represented by 11 armored regiments of regular troops (weapons are Challenger 2 main battle tanks), as well as 15 artillery and air defense regiments (AS 90 self-propelled howitzers, transportable 105-mm howitzers, GMLRS multiple launch rocket systems, air defense systems "Sgarstrik" and "Rapier", UAV "Hermes").

Five army aviation regiments provide ground support on the battlefield. They are armed with Apache, Lynx, Gazelle, Chinook and Puma helicopters.

Corps of Engineers represented by 14 shelves equipped with special machinery and equipment. In addition, the ground forces include 12 communications regiments, 17 logistics regiments and eight military medical service battalions.

Units of the ground forces of Great Britain, according to the existing system of maintaining combat readiness, do not have places of permanent deployment. In practice, this means carrying out the redeployment of battalions to training centers with a frequency of 2-2.5 years. The retraining period takes about 12 months. Thus, out of 36 infantry battalions of regular troops, five to seven units are not capable of fulfilling their tasks in full.

Ground forces reserve consists of a regular reserve and an organized reserve (in English terminology - a territorial army).

Regular reserve includes former regular troops who are periodically involved in retraining and, in the event of mobilization, may be called up for military service.

Territorial Army (TA) consists of military personnel who have signed a contract for service in the reserve. TA is designed to solve the following main tasks: training of personnel and the formation of units as a component of regular troops performing combat missions to protect national and allied interests outside the country; resupplying with trained personnel of cadre units and subunits of regular troops on the territory of the country, as well as replenishing losses incurred during the conduct of hostilities; development of relations with the civilian population and local authorities in order to provide assistance in emergency situations and popularize service in the armed forces of Great Britain.

The territorial army is made up of contract reservists and has two tank, 14 infantry and one reconnaissance mechanized battalion, five artillery and two regiments of army aviation, as well as units and subunits of combat and logistics support (10 engineering battalions, 11 communications regiments and 16 logistic regiments), in which reservists receive military training.

In addition, a component of the territorial army is the reaction force (about 7 thousand people), designed to participate, together with the police and special services, in conducting anti-terrorist operations on the territory of the country, assisting civilian authorities in eliminating the consequences of large-scale terrorist acts of various nature (including using means of mass destruction), man-made disasters and natural disasters.

In peacetime, 6-7% of the total number of reservists are periodically involved. With the start of the war in Iraq, this figure increased to 15%.

According to the established historical tradition, which emerged as a result of the military reform carried out in 1881, which adopted the so-called Cardwell system, there are regiments in the British Armed Forces - territorial recruitment centers with their own names. These parts can be classified on a territorial basis ("Guards", "Scottish", "Queens", "Kings", "Prince of Wales", "Light").

These formations perform exclusively administrative functions and are not intended to solve operational problems. Each center staffs several regular army battalions that bear its name.

Governing bodies. The direct command of the ground forces is carried out by the chief of staff of the ground forces (Andover, Hampshire). He is responsible for organizing the daily activities of regular troops and reserve components, preparing and conducting the defense of the mother country, assisting civilian authorities in maintaining public order and in dealing with the consequences of man-made accidents and natural disasters. He is also responsible for the comprehensive provision of subordinate units with weapons and military equipment, the allocation of troops to the coalition groups of NATO, the EU and their transfer.

Troops are led by the chief of staff of the ground forces through the commander of the ground forces (army) and the adjutant general. The commander of the ground forces, in turn, reports to the commanders of the maneuver forces, the joint helicopter command and the command of training and improving the combat capabilities of the ground forces.

The 1st Armored Division (deployed in Germany) and the 3rd Mechanized Division, as well as the Ground Forces Support and Supply Command (theatre of war troops), are subordinate to the commander of the maneuver forces (field army), which is responsible for directing units and units of combat and logistics support.

The Commander of the Joint Helicopter Command is in charge of the Troop Support Helicopter Command, the 16th Separate Air Assault Brigade (in operational terms), as well as separate helicopter squadrons and army aviation units stationed outside the metropolis.

The commander of the forces for training and improvement is entrusted with the responsibility for the comprehensive organization of the service of personnel, as well as for providing him with all types of allowances. In addition, his subordinates carry out the selection of soldiers and officers for retraining and advanced training, organize educational processes in military educational institutions and set tasks for the development of doctrinal and conceptual views on the development of ground forces in research centers.

The adjutant general manages units and personnel that perform such auxiliary functions in the ground forces as financial, pension and medical support, military service, legal protection, and psychological assistance. The regional forces, the command of personnel, the service of military chaplains, the legal service and the military police are subordinate to him.

The 2nd, 4th and 5th motorized infantry divisions, subunits and units of the London Military District, the command to support British troops in Germany, the organized reserve and the cadet corps are subordinate to the commander of the regional forces.

The personnel command is engaged in the recruitment of personnel, the conclusion of primary contracts, the initial military training of recruits in training centers ground forces.

The procedure for the preparation and passage of military service by officers, sergeants and enlisted personnel of the British Armed Forces is regulated by numerous guiding documents, the main of which are: "Royal Law on the British Armed Forces", "Manual on the order of service for officers in the British Armed Forces", "Manual for commanders on leadership personnel", "Overview of the training system for personnel of military educational institutions in the UK".

To enter the military service, persons who have reached the established age initially apply in writing or orally to the information point or to liaison officers with civilian educational institutions, receive the necessary forms and documents to fill out, as well as advertising literature. In addition, visits to training centers of combat arms (forces) and services are organized for them. After that, they are sent to the selection committee (existing with each type of aircraft), where they undergo an interview, tests, a military medical examination and a physical endurance test for three days. Based on the test results, the selection committees offer candidates a branch of service (service), conclude a contract and distribute them to military educational institutions and training centers.

The process of preparing for service in the chosen specialty includes three stages.

The first stage (lasting up to 14 weeks on average) involves training in the basic disciplines necessary for each soldier. With recruits, classes are held in physical and fire training, the study of legislation, the development of psychological stability. Enlisted personnel undergo initial military training at the Basington and Harrogate training regiments, as well as at the Catterick Army Training Center, and candidates for officer rank - at the place of basic training - at Sandhurst School.

The purpose of the second stage is the acquisition of professional knowledge and skills in accordance with the specialty. The rank and file, who completed the course of a young fighter, is sent to one of the training centers (TC). Cadets of military colleges and schools who have undergone full combined arms training on the basis of their educational institution and received an officer's rank upon graduation also undergo final professional training at the training center.

UC graduates are sent to serve in units and subunits of military branches, where for at least six months, together with their unit, they work out issues of combat coordination.

Throughout the entire period of service in the active army, the military personnel of the British Armed Forces periodically undergo retraining at the training center or at courses at the military college in accordance with their specialty or before being assigned to another position (the third stage of training). In this case, the duration of retraining can reach several months.

An important stage in the training of specialists in the interests of the Ministry of Defense is the practical development of acquired knowledge and skills in the field. For these purposes, a network of training grounds for various purposes is on the balance sheet of the military department.

For the quartering of formations and units of the ground forces at the points of deployment, the UK uses military camps. The basis of the barracks fund is military camps with a capacity of about 2 thousand people, each of which provides accommodation for one or three units of the regiment (battalion) type of regular staff.

Campuses of the ground forces are geographically located, as a rule, near settlements, railways and highways and have a developed infrastructure. On the territory of most of them there are headquarters and one-two-, three-story barracks buildings, one or two or more parks of equipment, parking areas, communication centers, radio relay stations, helipads and other structures.

Storage and maintenance of weapons are carried out in equipment parks equipped with garages (boxes), repair shops and open areas.

An important factor in attracting specialists to active military service in the ground forces, as well as increasing the motivation of military personnel to continue their service, is the availability of a decent housing stock. Thus, the command of the ground forces believes that it is necessary to modernize the housing stock, but the completion of work is expected no earlier than 2020. Particular attention is paid to the formation of "supergarrisons" (more than 5 thousand military personnel) with modern infrastructure. It is planned to soon form "super-garrisons" in the following areas of the country: Salisbury Plain, Aldershot, Colchester and Catterick/York. First of all, it is planned to redeploy brigades of the command of the mobile forces of the ground forces to these garrisons. Until that moment, in accordance with the Program for the modernization of the personnel accommodation system, it is planned to maintain the existing housing stock at the required level.

The operational and combat training of the ground forces of Great Britain is carried out according to the national, joint plans of the Armed Forces of the NATO member countries and the general plans of the alliance's OBP. The main forms of operational training for joint commands and national staffs are command and staff exercises, command and control exercises, military special and mobilization exercises, drills and combat readiness checks.

According to the plans of the Allied Commands of NATO, the combat training of the units of the ground forces of Great Britain is aimed mainly at preparing troops (forces) for participation in multinational groupings in limited (local and regional) military conflicts of varying intensity.

During the exercises, the main attention is paid to the issues of transferring participants to a high degree of combat readiness, transferring units to the operational area, organizing stable radio communications, coherent actions of military personnel in units, as well as interaction with direct support aircraft and helicopters. In addition, measures are being worked out to search for and evacuate victims on the ground, to decontaminate, decontaminate and sanitize the area, weapons and military equipment and personnel.

In the interest of participating in the EU response force, the combat training of units of the UK ground forces is aimed at conducting multinational relief operations in the event of emergencies and natural disasters.

During the exercises, the following issues are worked out: the creation of a joint grouping of units of the armed forces of the participating countries; conducting search operations by aviation forces when performing single and group flights; the implementation of the evacuation of the civilian population in the event of a crisis; organization and provision of first aid to victims; coordinating the actions of heterogeneous search and rescue forces; interaction with civil departments and services, governmental and non-governmental organizations; organization of management and communication.

The combat training of units of the ground forces of Great Britain according to joint plans with the armed forces of other states is carried out within the framework of the concept of a common EU policy in the field of security and defense. During the exercise, the issues of forming search and rescue units, working out methods of using aviation in search and rescue operations, organizing interaction between search and rescue units of different nationalities during joint operations, conducting search and rescue operations at night, organizing interaction, management and communications.

According to the national plans, the combat training of the British ground forces is aimed at improving the methods of using troops (forces) in armed conflicts of varying intensity, as well as in the course of anti-terrorist, peacekeeping, humanitarian, environmental and search and rescue operations.

The training of personnel of subunits to conduct combat operations in various conditions of the situation is carried out within the framework of standard tactical exercises and, as a rule, culminates in the organization of a complex operational-tactical event. The following issues are worked out during the exercises: bringing participants to a higher degree of readiness; loading special forces into helicopters; the rise of army aviation into the air; formation in battle formations and exit to designated areas, reconnaissance of the situation; providing combat cover during the landing of special forces; planning and conducting anti-terrorist, anti-sabotage and sabotage operations in the area of ​​oil platforms (rigs) in the North Sea; ensuring the safety of operations, including at night; management of the activities of aviation and ground forces units from ground-based OS; ensuring stable radio communications.

Thus, in the process of operational and combat training of the ground forces of Great Britain, about 40 types of exercises are conducted annually. Such intensity ensures the improvement of the skills of command personnel and staffs in managing subordinate formations and units in various conditions situation and allows you to maintain the combat readiness of ground forces at a high level.

Prospects for the development of the British ground forces

In October 2010, the UK Government developed and presented to Parliament a concept paper under the general title of UK Security in an Age of Uncertainty. They consider the status and prospects for the development of the country's armed forces, reflect the main tasks and determine the directions for reforming the national ground forces.

According to these documents, the ground forces are entrusted with the following tasks:
– participation in peacekeeping and humanitarian operations;
– conducting short-term operations of a limited scale;
– participation in large-scale operations as part of national and coalition groupings of heterogeneous forces (troops);
- protection of the metropolis and overseas territories of Great Britain.

In order to increase the effectiveness of solving the above tasks, a large-scale reform of the structure of the British ground forces is planned. As part of it, it is planned to form mobile expeditionary troops that meet modern requirements for conducting combat operations and are balanced in terms of combat capabilities. It is assumed that a significant increase in the capabilities of the units of the ground forces of the United Kingdom will be achieved by changing the organizational structure of the regular and reserve components, modernizing tactical, operational and strategic command and control systems, as well as equipping the troops with promising types of weapons and military equipment.

First of all, it is planned to reduce the management bodies of the divisional level. Probably, one of the divisional headquarters of the mobile troops will be used as a command and control body at the operational-tactical level. The other headquarters of the division will be used as a reserve command and control body. At the same time, the possibility of its rapid deployment as an additional control body for national and coalition contingents of troops in the conduct of hostilities is envisaged.

In order to increase the combat readiness and mobility of units, the regular forces of the ground forces are planned to be transferred to a brigade structure. In this regard, it is planned to form five multi-purpose teams of up to 6.5 thousand people each, formed on a modular basis. The specific composition of the brigades, which will include mechanized, light infantry, artillery units and units of combat, technical and logistics support, will be determined depending on the tasks to be solved. At the same time, armored units will also be attached to them as they optimally combine the firepower and mobility necessary for performing certain tasks. In addition, the 16th air assault brigade will remain unchanged in the ground forces. One of the multipurpose brigades and the 16th Air Assault Brigade will be maintained at a high degree of combat readiness to deal with suddenly emerging tasks.

By 2015, the number of regular ground forces is planned to be reduced by 7,000 people. It is also expected to reduce the number of types of heavy weapons. In particular, the number of main battle tanks will be reduced by 40% (to 210 units), 155-mm self-propelled artillery guns - by 35% (to 87 units).

In accordance with the plan for the construction of the British Armed Forces, by 2015, the light infantry battalions of the ground forces, which form the basis of the expeditionary forces, will be armed with mobile highly protected automotive and light armored vehicles (armored vehicles Pinzgauer, Mastiff, Jackal, Coyote) , "Panther" and light armored command and staff vehicles FCLV). In this regard, the ground forces continue the process of withdrawing surplus weapons and military equipment from combat strength with their subsequent sale to third countries, disposal and equipment from one category to another (into AFV-like).

The reorganization will also affect the regional forces of the ground forces. Instead of three headquarters of regional divisions and the London Military District, a command of regional forces will be created, and the number of headquarters of regional brigades will be reduced from ten to eight.

The ground forces will maintain a presence in Gibraltar, Cyprus, the Falkland Islands, and training centers in Canada, Kenya and Brunei. The military base of the British troops in Germany will be closed, and all units from its territory are planned to be withdrawn by 2020.

Taking into account the experience of the war in Iraq, programs will be carried out to re-equip the troops with new communication and combat control systems Bowman, Kormoran and Falcon, respectively, at the tactical, operational and strategic levels.

Work will continue on programs to create a 155-mm light self-propelled artillery mount LIMAWS and a light armored command vehicle FCLV. In addition, it is planned to adopt new-generation Javelin anti-tank missile systems to replace obsolete Milan ATGMs, high-precision long-range weapons - guided artillery shells with a firing range of up to 60 km and create tactical missiles with a launch range of up to 150 km. The capabilities of army aviation will increase - 12 new helicopters will be delivered and 21 transport Chinooks will be modernized; AW-159 Wild Cat multi-purpose helicopters were put into service by 2015 and 22 Lynx AN.9 attack helicopters were upgraded; the service life of Puma helicopters has been extended until 2022.

In order to increase the firepower of the artillery of the ground forces, it is planned to adopt a guided multiple launch rocket system (GMLRS - Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System), capable of delivering strikes with guided munitions (Loitering Munitions) at a distance of up to 70 km.

The adoption of new armored vehicles of medium tonnage, including engineering vehicles "Terrier" and reconnaissance "Scout", as well as multifunctional auxiliary vehicles FRES UV, which should further form the basis of the fleet of light armored vehicles of the British Army, will increase the mobility of units and provide the ability to their transportation over long distances.

Reducing the number of heavy armored vehicles (Challenger-2 tanks, Warrior infantry fighting vehicles, AS 90 self-propelled guns) will save money on the introduction of new advanced models of equipment.

The combat capabilities of the units will help improve the accuracy of weapons based on intelligence obtained using the Watchkiper UAV; availability of portable and installed on vehicles reconnaissance complexes and devices; the use of mobile reconnaissance systems to ensure the security of forward operating bases, systems for protecting personnel from non-directional (accidental) fire (artillery and mortar).

In the future, by 2020, the UK ground forces will have the ability to conduct the following operations:
- small scale (up to 2 thousand military personnel) for a limited time;
- medium-scale (up to 6,500 military personnel) to stabilize the situation with the support of the Air Force and Navy;
- long-term large-scale maneuvering forces (up to 30 thousand military personnel) with the formation of a marching headquarters for commanding the forces of the British Armed Forces or multinational forces at the theater level.

Thus, according to British military experts, the new structure of the country's ground forces will be the most suitable for solving current and future tasks.

Apparently, because of the "connected" state structure Great Britain, its armed forces have several names. Most often, the British Army bears the name of the British Armed Forces, there are also the names of the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom, the British Armed Forces, as well as Her Majesty's Armed Forces or simply the Royal Armed Forces.

The last name is generally accepted. All this most powerful fighting machine of England is controlled by a woman, her command at the present time belongs to Queen Elizabeth II. In addition, the army has its own "prime minister" in the person of the current commander.

Therefore, the direct command of the armed forces of England is carried out by the Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Peter Wall. The department that directly deals with military affairs is Department of the Defense Council of the Ministry of Defense of England.

The daily task of the British military is to protect all territories belonging to the United Kingdom. In addition, the army participates in various operations conducted under the auspices of the UN or NATO, which includes the UK.

At the end of the last century, the participation of Her Majesty's troops in matters of regulating the political issues of the European Union was added to these duties.

For these purposes, the British army sends troops with a total number of up to 12.5 thousand soldiers.

History of the British Army

The historical record shows that British army originates in 1707. It was at this time that England and Scotland united, and immediately after all the relevant documents were signed by both sides, it was decided to create the British Armed Forces, which subsequently covered themselves with military glory.

With its centuries-old experience and excellent traditions, the army of the United Kingdom owes its participation in the wars that took place both on the territory of Europe and in the numerous overseas colonies of the British Empire.

This includes such epochal battles as battles within Seven Years' War, the Napoleonic Wars, the Crimean War, as well as during the First and Second Opium Wars, which England waged against China.

The British military went to protect state interests even when it was necessary to suppress uprisings, as well as unrest among the civilian population. Especially often such methods of military influence were used against Irish terrorists.

According to a long established tradition, the British army consists of both naval and land forces, as well as an air fleet..

The British war machine reached its peak in the 1920s. Then the British Empire was the most extensive country in territorial terms, which was known to human civilization. Then England owned a fourth of the earth's land, and every third inhabitant of our planet was among the British subjects!

Participation in armed conflicts

British servicemen have participated in wars and military conflicts on various continents, and from war to war, the professionalism of Her Majesty's Armed Forces has become higher and higher.

The British military participated in the suppression of the Chinese uprising, the Boer War, as well as in both world wars. As you know, after the seizure of power in Russia by the Bolsheviks, the British army fought against the USSR, although, for the sake of justice, it should be noted that military intervention those years ended for the British in complete defeat.

In September 1945, British soldiers landed on the shores of Malaysia, when part of the population of this country demanded independence with secession from the British Empire.

In 1949, British troops joined NATO.. During the period 1950-1953, Her Majesty's troops took part in the Korean War. Nuclear weapons were first adopted by the British military in 1952, in this regard, England became the third power, losing the palm to Russia and the United States.

In 1956, British troops took part in stabilizing the crisis that arose in the Suez Canal area., and in 1964 a unified structure of the British Defense Department was created, which included the naval, air and land forces of Her Majesty.

In 1982, the baptism of fire of the British troops in the Falkland Islands took place, and 1991 - in the Persian Gulf.

1999 was the year of the participation of the British military in the Yugoslav company, where they fought against the Serbs as part of the NATO corps and earned the impartial status of aggressors.

Unfortunately, there are also many other cases in history when military personnel pay for the incompetent actions of top politicians. Sometimes at the cost of their own blood.

The beginning of the 21st century was marked for the military of England by participation in the Afghan company. As part of the so-called ISAF forces, the British contingent (the second largest in the region, after the American troops) is trying to contribute to the process of stabilizing the world's most unruly territory.

Interestingly, about a century ago, the same British military prudently left Afghanistan, considering efforts to establish stability in the region futile.

As part of NATO forces, British military units invaded Iraq, however, one of the first Britain announced the withdrawal of its troops from this country. The next region where the intervention of the British was required, as part of the NATO bloc, was Libya.

In 2013, the British army took part in Mali (Operation Serval), at the level of logistics. Prime Minister James Cameron responded categorically to the French government's call for help: England would not use military force in this operation!

Small but advanced

The English army is small in size (it ranks 28th) - it consists of 180 thousand people.

Nevertheless, all over the world it is the British army that is considered the most advanced and armed with the latest science and technology.

The military spending of this Great Britain is the second largest among other world powers. The English fleet is also considered the second largest (91 ships with crews and marines have a total of 35,470 people).

The ground army resource is about 100 thousand people, the flight units include 45210 people. Women in the British army - about 9 percent.

The composition of the British infantry includes armored, artillery troops, corps of engineers and communications, intelligence and logistics, as well as special unit where priests serve. There are lawyers, teachers and even personnel officers in the British troops.

A separate story requires the elite of the British army - Gurkas. These Nepalese highlanders have been fighting under Her Majesty's banner since the 19th century. Britain still uses the services of these fearless warriors. Nepalese warriors make up the infantry, engineering and transport troops of England, they even have their own orchestra. The headquarters of the Gurks is located in Waltshire.

Video about the elite of the British Army - Gurkov: