| Summary/Abstract |
This article examines the British Expeditionary Force’s (BEF’s) use of field fortifications at the Battle of the Aisne in September and October 1914. It concludes that the BEF implemented a tactically robust and effective field works system that it quickly adapted to suit the unprecedented conditions of the battle. Thus, the army was more prepared for the combat realities of 1914 than much of the scholarship since the 1970s has implied. The BEF, however, struggled to apply the lessons of the Aisne in Flanders in late October 1914, portending the learning curve that characterized tactical development in 1915–18.
|