Bruce Gudmundsson guides us expertly through the history of the successes and failures of the British Expeditionary Force in 1916 as it struggled to form into a modern army and turn the tide of the First World War, providing an in-depth analysis of how and why the BEF was converted from an antiquated unprofessional force into the army as we know it.

Examining the tactical innovations that accompanied this change, and the conflicting strategies and tactics that it was expected to pursue, Gudmundsson examines the difficulties facing the British Army, including the integration of the three separate armies that had been mobilized for the war. Also examined are the problems encountered with the bewildering number of new technologies in use, from novelties such as combat aircraft, tanks, armored cars to trench mortars, and more than a thousand pieces of siege artillery.