The presentation will be live and online.
The Western Front is often considered a theatre of sterile stalemate. In reality, it formed a crucible of violent military transformation, where two sides raced to adapt to the challenges of industrial war. This dynamic drove a measure/counter-measure race which not only helped determine the outcome of the conflict but also spawned a new form of modern warfare which lasts to this day.
This presentation by Dr Jonathan Boff will explore how the British and German armies learned and adapted to the changing character of war between 1914 and 1918, arguing that organisational cultures – and deep understanding of those cultures – were critical to battlefield outcomes and so victory and defeat.
Jonathan Boff specialises in the history of warfare; he is a Reader in the Department of History at the University of Birmingham and a Council Member of the National Army Museum. His current research is into the history of money during wartime in the modern world.
Members wishing to participate will need to register: details of how to register will be circulated via the WFA's newsletter 'Trench Lines'. If you are not a subscriber to 'Trench Lines' please subscribe now.
To subscribe to Trench Lines, go to the home page of the WFA web site and complete your details in the 'Newsletter signup' box.
It is also possible to register by clicking this link: Culture Clash
The talk will be undertaken using the 'Zoom' software which is freely available. It may not be necessary to load the software to your PC / iPad etc: but we would recommend doing so if you wish to participate in this event.
Please Note : > Once registrations hit capacity (we have a 500 limit on the webinars) then you won't be able to register. If this happens, you can still watch the event via the Facebook Live Stream (subject to any technical hitches) on our Facebook page. Alternatively, these are loaded to our YouTube channel where they can be watched a few weeks after the event.