The Indian Army on the Western Front
India's Expeditionary Force to France and Belgium in the First World War
2014
First Published
3.33
Average Rating
348
Number of Pages
Part of Series
The Indian army fought on the western front with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) from 1914 to 1918. The traditional interpretations of its performance have been dominated by ideas that it was a failure. This book offers a radical reconsideration by revealing new answers to the debate's central questions, such as whether the Indian army 'saved' the BEF from defeat in 1914, or whether Indian troops were particularly prone to self-inflicting wounds and fleeing the trenches. It looks at the Indian army from top to bottom, from generals at headquarters to snipers in no man's land. It takes a global approach, exploring the links between the Indian army's 1914–18 campaigning in France and Belgium and its pre-1914 small wars in Asia and Africa, and comparing the performance of the Indian regiments on the western front to those in China, East Africa, Mesopotamia and elsewhere.
Avg Rating
3.33
Number of Ratings
6
5 STARS
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4 STARS
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Author
George Morton-Jack
Author · 2 books
George Morton-Jack studied history at Oxford University and wrote his first book for Cambridge University Press. He has travelled widely in Asia and Africa, visiting several of the far-flung corners where the Indian soldiers served, from China and Tibet to Kenya and Tanzania. He currently lives in London.
