British Army: main branches, structure and functions

The army of any state is a shield that is designed to protect the peaceful life of citizens and the territorial integrity of the country. This social formation existed long before people invented writing, law and other forms of their activity. In other words, the culture of killing people, and it is for this purpose that armies are created, is one of the most ancient spheres of the direct functioning of society. Over the course of many centuries, the armies of all states without exception have evolved. This is also due to the history of development of a particular country. It should be noted that many cultural traditions of the troops that existed several centuries ago are still preserved in active armies. Of course, this approach indicates an established system of personnel training, as well as cohesion within the troops. But out of the entire number of armed forces of different countries, there are armies that stand out from the general background. These are the British Armed Forces today. The history of the formation of the army of this country is filled with amazing heroic deeds and valiant battles. The state's long stay in the status of a colonial empire also had a significant influence on the development of British troops. All this together makes the British Armed Forces a highly professional and mobile military formation that represents significant combat power. The structure of the troops of this state and their functions will be discussed later in the article.

General concept of the British armed forces

The British Army is a collective concept for a number of different branches of the military. That is, the term refers to all military formations of the state that are part of a single defense structure. The activities of the British Army are quite specific, taking into account some political and territorial features. In addition, the country's military formation has a long history. The army is controlled through the Ministry of Defense, the structural element of which is a special defense council. As in many progressive modern countries today, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces is the head of state. In the case of Great Britain, this is the monarch - Queen Elizabeth II.

The initial stage of development of the British armed forces

There are many historical versions about when the British Army arose. The most common opinion is that the British Armed Forces arose in 1707, as a result of the unification of England and Scotland. But some scientists are of the opinion that the starting point of the history of the army of this state is a much more ancient date. In this case, such a statement is erroneous. Since before the unification of the previously represented states, England was a series of independent countries at war with each other. During its formation, the British Army took part in a large number of wars both on the territory of its colonies and against other states. The most famous military conflicts in which the British armed forces took part are the following:

— Napoleonic and Seven Years' War.

- Crimean War.

— War against the American colonies.

— Opium Wars 1840-1860.

It should also be noted that at this stage of development the British Army has a strong navy and a small number of ground forces. Thanks to this approach to the issue of organizing troops, the empire for a long time had the status of “mistress of the seas.” It should also be noted that throughout the entire period of development, the armies of France and Great Britain constantly competed with each other. This is due not only to the dominant positions of these states in Europe, but also to national enmity.

Weapons[edit]

Infantry weapons[edit]

(link)

Lee-Enfield and high-speed shooting from it

• Musket "Dark Bess"
  . The longest-lived firearm: almost a century and a half of service, as of our date - began to serve after the Petrine Wars, ended - during the Crimean War.
• The Baker rifle
  is one of the world's first rifles adopted by regular troops. It comes with a hellish rate of fire (the Bass musket reloaded three times faster) and a fantastic firing range of 400 mV.
• Peabody-Martini
  rifle , using a Henry brace, is a single-shot rifle used by the British Army in the mid-to-late 19th century. It became notorious at the Battle of Isandlwana, where the low rate of fire of these rifles (along with everything else) allowed the Zulus to defeat the British.
• Lee-Enfield
  rifle .
  Despite her English origins, there is a gloomy Teutonic genius visible in her. 10 rounds of ammunition for a repeating rifle was a lot at that time, the shape of the bolt made it possible to shoot at self-loading speed... the sights in the style of heavy machine guns took a very long time to adjust, and when reloading, the likelihood of skinning your fingers was even higher than on classmates. Now especially loved by the Taliban along with the single-shot Martini-Henry rifle. They even still make them! L42A1
  is a sniper rifle based on the previous one. Despite all attempts, they could not sell it, limiting themselves to “gifting it” to Lebanese Christian partisans in the 1980s.

Armored vehicles[edit]

• All British artillery is proudly called the Royal Regiment of Artillery, divided into regiments
• Britain is the birthplace of tanks. Mark I
  , aka "diamond". I did a fair amount of climbing around the “lunar landscape” of the First World War. Those rhombuses on which the guns were placed were called males (Male), those for which there were not enough guns and had to be limited to machine guns were called females (Female), and those who got only one gun were called hermaphrodites. There was no turret; the weapons were placed in sponsons on the sides. And the following models of “diamonds”: Mk II, Mk III, Mk IV and Mk V. The Mk V* and Mk V** tanks could transport up to 25 paratroopers.

Aviation[edit]

• Since the First World War, the Royal Air Force has had an original system of ranks, initially called by position: captain - flight lieutenant, major - squadron leader, lieutenant colonel - wing commander, colonel - group captain. Separately, it is annoying that these ranks do not correspond to positions for a long time, and the holder of the rank of Wing Commander will, most likely, really be a squadron leader, that is, a commander.
• During World War II, the British Air Force became famous for the most advanced and high-quality engines that were installed on completely orcish irons. The result was quite at the level: “with a good engine, the gate will fly (c) Tupolev.” Due to the very powerful engines, even the not-so-perfect Typhoons and Tempests showed more than impressive speeds.
• However, not only fences flew - the Spitfire and Mosquito were distinguished by very well-thought-out aerodynamics. And the “transplant” of the British Merlin engine to the American Mustang completely turned an ordinary aircraft into a legend.

Fleet[edit]

• The British fleet was once the strongest in the world, but after World War II it shrank somewhat. However, even such a shrunken fleet defeated Argentina in the Falklands War.
• And even more so, once upon a time the British fleet existed according to a “double standard” - that is, it had to be stronger than the fleets of any two other countries combined.

Air defense and missile defense[edit]

• Britain is the birthplace of the radar network. By the time of World War II, all countries had their own radars, but it was the British who riveted a lot of what they had managed to develop and united them into a common network. The result was beyond all praise.

WMD[edit]

• Britain, together with America, made a nuclear bomb from Canadian (i.e. British) raw materials, then America abandoned Britain, taking all the developments, and even later, by 1952, Britain made its own bomb. Britain has had nuclear weapons ever since. But it was not possible to create appropriate delivery systems for nuclear warheads. Therefore, the design of Britain’s nuclear forces is as follows: home-made warheads installed on Tridents kindly provided by America.
• During the Cold War, the British Isles ranked just half a notch below Washington and New York on Soviet nuclear priority lists. But if in terms of priority the difference was half a bump, then in terms of flight time it was striking. A rocket from Teikovo (Ivanovo region) to London flies five to ten minutes (to America - half an hour). Therefore, the British had a peculiar, fatalistic attitude towards nuclear war - “if anything happens, we won’t have time to hide, but we don’t care.” By the way, they made a very good movie about what will happen after a nuclear war, where part of the consequences - in the form of attempts by the authorities to somehow improve the situation, put out fires, organize temporary camps, medical care, and so on - is shown correctly, but the second - in the form of complete degradation of people to the point that “they will rediscover the steam engine only in two hundred years” - looks far-fetched and unrealistic.

Space program[edit]

At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, the British began to think: “shouldn’t we fly to the moon?” Through brainstorming, a project was put together, fortunately remaining on the drawings, for an absolutely hellish steampunk rocket, with more than two thousand solid fuel accelerators as part of the first stage. And even with mechanical ignition and reset control. The brothers thought and thought and decided “no, this crap will explode before we launch it,” and decided not to build it. Further, something distracted them from thoughts about space all the time - first the First World War, then the communists, then the second, then the crisis, then... In short, in distant Australia there are the sad ruins of the British spaceport, from which in 1971 the only independent successful flight was made launch of the Black Arrow launch vehicle. NASA promised the British free launches on its rockets, but as soon as the Black Arrow was cancelled, it retracted its words.

The same cannot be said about the movies, where they dream that the first man in space was, in fact, British. But I couldn’t return because the evil Russians wouldn’t let me. But in fact, even the Indians were in space before the British (thanks to Intercosmos).

Personalities[edit]

• Adrian Carton di Viart. A true gentleman and a knight of blood. He took part in all the wars of the Empire, from the Anglo-Boer to the Second World War. Even the loss of an arm and an eye did not hinder his military career.
• Jack Malcolm Thorpe Fleming Churchill. Aka "Mad Jack"[3]. A frostbitten commando with the features of a trickster. The only Englishman in World War II to use a bow and broadsword in battle. He became famous, among other things, for the single-handed capture of an entire garrison (he simply caught the sentries one by one, and then promised to burn down the barracks with the resting fascists), the arson of the plane in which he was transported to Berlin, and the successful evacuation of an Israeli hospital from the combat zone.
• Matthew Croucher. Lance Corporal 40 Commando Squad. During a patrol in the Afghan province, he covered himself with a tripwire grenade. Survived thanks to body armor and a backpack.
• Dipprasad Poon. Sergeant of the Gurkha Royal Fusiliers. One unpleasant night, the post he was guarding alone was attacked by Afghan Mujahideen. Pun considered that he was no longer a tenant and decided to take more fellow travelers with him. As a result, he sent about 15 barmalei on a date with Allah, and killed one of them with a machine gun. He remained alive and well, for which he was awarded the “Cross for Outstanding Courage.”

Development of the army in the 20th century

Subsequent stages of the development of the British army are characterized by the participation of the state in the First and Second World Wars. Some reorganization actions were also carried out at this time. For example, in 1916, the British authorities introduced universal conscription. In addition, in 1922, the state officially abandoned the principle of “two fleets,” according to which the British Navy was supposed to have twice the size of the fleet of other major naval powers. A fairly significant fact for the development of the army of the empire was the country’s entry into NATO in 1949. This led to the participation of Great Britain in almost all major operations carried out by the bloc.

Overview of NATO armies: Great Britain, 1/III

The British Army occupies a special place in NATO. First of all, due to the high political activity of this country in the international arena. The British armed forces have taken part in almost every major armed conflict on the planet since 1945.

And the rich imperial past to this day positions the Royal Navy as second in the world, after the American. At one time, up to 2/3 of the British Army was placed under Alliance command. However, significant changes have occurred in the UK over the past time. They also affected its armed forces.

Formally, at the moment, the total strength of the British army, including aviation and navy, is about 200 thousand people: including 113 thousand in the ground forces, 52 thousand in the air force and 43 thousand people in the navy .

However, the country is currently carrying out a large-scale military reform, the attitude towards which is ambiguous even among the British themselves. Back in the early 90s of the twentieth century, the British Armed Forces had 1.2 thousand tanks, 3.2 thousand armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles, 700 artillery systems and almost 850 combat aircraft. But the optimization of the composition and cost of maintaining the British army, which began in 2010, has fundamentally reduced these figures.

In November 2010, the UK published a new national security strategy. The set of documents bears the unifying title “Strong Britain in an era of uncertainty.” It formulates the main future threats that the country will face for the period until 2022 - 2030.

The main message is the idea that after the collapse of the USSR, the likelihood of any “big war” breaking out in Europe completely disappeared. In this regard, 16 other threats took first place, among which the first degree of significance includes: international terrorism, cyber attacks, national-level disasters, natural threats, pandemics and crises in international relations.

The last point is the most curious, since, at first glance, it directly contradicts the original basic message of the document. However, the entire national security strategy is presented in the newfangled style of streamlined, outwardly loud, but internally rather meaningless formulations.

They are designed to clearly exaggerate the real meaning of the concepts involved. For example, a crisis in international relations actually means only a low-intensity local military conflict in which Great Britain will take part only as part of a coalition force.

The main regions in which the use of British military force is possible are considered to be the strip from West Africa to Southeast Asia. The main type of enemy is non-state paramilitary forces.

An advanced industrialized country with a modern high-tech army is not even considered theoretically as an enemy. Consequently, military development is carried out in accordance with ideas about the composition and nature of future threats.

British Army Lieutenant General Nick Carter

Based on the mentioned national security strategy, two fundamental documents were developed that became the basis for further military development in the country: “On Strategic Defense and Security” and the Armed Forces Reform Plan “Army 2020”, authored by Lieutenant General Nick Carter.

Formally, at the moment, “Army 2020” is still only at the discussion stage in the national parliament, but events have already begun in the country that are suspiciously similar in composition and nature to what General Carter presented to the House of Lords. Therefore, the program will be accepted and the prospects of the British armed forces should be further assessed on its basis.

British Land Forces

Since November 1, 2011, the following structure of the Supreme Command of the Ground Forces has been in force in the UK. The Chief of the General Staff (CGS for short) commands Army Headquarters, located in the city of Andover. His responsibilities include military planning in peacetime and wartime.

The Commander Land Forces has direct command of all UK ground forces, including helicopter units and the reservist component. The organization of interaction between them, as well as with the country's Ministry of Defense, is entrusted to the Assistant Chief of the General Staff.

This is not a title, this is a position. Issues of combat training and army support are in charge of the Commander Force Development and Training.

According to the UK's senior military and political leadership, such a structure should ensure improved feedback and understanding with the Ministry of Defense, as well as other government agencies. It is believed to be more effective and less costly in the current geopolitical and economic conditions.

According to the Army 2020 plan, all UK ground units are reduced to two basic components: high-intensity units (Reaction Division) and adaptive units (Adaptiv Division).

High intensity parts include:

- 1st Armored Division, which forms the basis of the so-called British Army of the Rhine, stationed in Germany with headquarters in the city of Herford. Officially, the division includes the 7th and 20th Armored Brigades, the 4th, 6th, 11th and 12th Infantry, the 1st Artillery Brigade, the 39th Royal Artillery Regiment and the 22nd Regiment communications.

The BRA was once the backbone of NATO's entire Northern Group of Forces in Europe, but those days are long gone. At the moment, the division has 70 - 75% of its regular strength in personnel and no more than 80% in standard equipment. Although it is still in Europe, half of its current strength (in total the 1st BTC numbers 20 thousand people) will be returned to the metropolis by the end of 2015, and the entire division will return to the Islands by 2022.

As the British Prime Minister said, more than 65 years have passed since the war in Europe, the Cold War ended more than 20 years ago, and there is “no need to keep expensive troops in Germany.”

Commander of the 7th Armored Brigade, Brigadier James Woodham

- 3rd Division (3rd Division) consisting of: 1st, 4th and 12th mechanized brigades, as well as the 19th “light” brigade). Today it is the most combat-ready and equipped unit in the British Army.

- 16th Air Assault Brigade, despite its name, consisting of: 5th Airborne and 24th Air Brigade. The brigade was created in 1999 in accordance with the program of reorganization of ground units in order to obtain the most highly mobile instrument. Its specialty is the landing of light infantry in the form of airborne assault forces supported by helicopter units. The brigade's staff size is 8 thousand people.

The burgundy beret is a distinctive feature of British paratroopers

- 3rd Marine Brigade (up to 3 thousand commandos) consisting of: 40th, 42nd, 45th Marine Battalions, 1st Battalion of the Infantry Regiment, 43rd Anti-Sabotage Marine Battalion, 29th artillery regiment (two batteries of L115 howitzers), 24th engineer regiment, and logistics support regiment.

In the future, two divisions will be formed into one, of some unified composition, including three “standard” mechanized brigades. Why the British focus on “standard” will be discussed below.

For now, it is worth noting that a standard brigade should consist of two motorized infantry battalions (about 400 - 460 people each on modernized Warrior infantry fighting vehicles), a tank regiment (about 600 people, 56 Challenger II MBTs), a medium reconnaissance regiment (about 500 people on promising Scout infantry fighting vehicles SV) and a mobile motorized infantry regiment (about 700 people on promising FRES UV armored personnel carriers).

The division includes separate artillery and engineering regiments, as well as a logistics support regiment. The artillery regiment (769 people) consists of a command and headquarters, a headquarters battery, two batteries of 155-mm M109 howitzers with 6 guns each, and an anti-tank battery (30 Swingfire ATGM launchers).

In fact, this unit is only called a regiment. In terms of armament, it is simply an artillery battalion, reinforced by a company of anti-tank weapons, according to old Soviet standards.

True to their name, high-intensity units are designed to "quickly respond to global threats" and conduct "high-intensity" combat operations. The total number of this component is approximately 55 thousand soldiers, sergeants and officers.

Royal Irish Regiment in Iraq

The adaptive units include seven infantry brigades stationed throughout the UK. In the future, these brigades are also expected to be brought to a “standard form” consisting of: 2 - 4 infantry battalions on light armored vehicles and MRAP-type vehicles, as well as several (up to 3) “light cavalry” or armored reconnaissance squadrons on light wheeled armored vehicles. But this point raises great doubts in view of the specifics of the organization and traditions of the British army.

The adaptive units will include the Territorial Army and reservists. It is expected that as a result of the reforms, some of the regular military personnel will be fired and replaced by reservists, whose number is expected to increase to 30 thousand people.

True, it is not yet clear how London intends to resolve the issue with employers who are not too ready to let employees serve in the Army Reserve, since the period of absence of an employee from the workplace can reach one year. Again, there is a problem with the quality of reservists.

According to reviews from the UK Ministry of Defense, at the moment only 1 out of 19 reservists is able to serve in army conditions. The military expresses hope that by 2022-2025 London will be able to achieve a level “at least like in the US National Guard,” where every tenth reservist is capable of serving in the army. But whether this can be achieved is a big question.

British reservists

The task of adaptive units is to conduct counterinsurgency and soft power operations.

The future status of the Joint Helicopter Command is not entirely clear. Formally, it includes the above-mentioned 16th Air Assault Brigade, the Troop Support Helicopter Command (two regiments of AH-64 Apache attack helicopters) and helicopter units abroad. Organizationally, the UWC is part of the Ground Forces, but the 16th Airborne Brigade belongs to the Reaction Division, and the remaining units are part of the Adaptiv Division.

Also not mentioned in the documents is the 17th Gurkha Brigade (formerly the 17th Gurkha Infantry Division), consisting of a training company and five infantry battalions, a signal regiment and a motor vehicle regiment. It is only known that after the transfer of Hong Kong to China, the Gurkha brigade stationed there was transferred to Great Britain.

Its number was reduced to 2.5 thousand people. Of the five battalions, two remained; the supply units were also severely cut. But where the brigade was deployed next is currently unknown. It is logical to assume its use as part of adaptive parts.

Her Majesty's Gurkhas with the British Expeditionary Force in Afghanistan, Gilnd Province

Ensuring the combat operations of both components will be carried out by the Unified Command of Support and Logistics Support (Forse Troop And Logistics Support), which is subordinate to up to eight different brigades: artillery, reconnaissance, engineering, medical, communications (two) and logistics support (also two).

No less mysterious is the further fate of individual British artillery regiments. At the moment, there are 10 of them, with different composition, different weapons and different numbers. It is assumed that they will be consolidated into a new artillery brigade and subordinated to Forse Troop And Logistics Support.

But for now, we can more or less confidently talk about the preservation in the future of only three artillery regiments, transferred to new unified states: three batteries of six 155-mm AS-90 self-propelled guns, one M270 MLRS MLRS battery and two platoons of Exactor Mk2 missile systems.

It is expected that such a structure will provide the ability to solve fire missions at ranges of up to 300 km. Starting from 45 km and further, targets are hit by MLRS with conventional and special long-range missiles, and up to 25 - 30 km, they are covered by cannon artillery and Exactor missile systems.

A separate difficulty of the British army is its traditions.

Author:

British armed forces in the 21st century

In the 21st century, the British army took part in the war against Afghanistan, as well as Iraq. It should also be noted that a large number of British troops were sent for the military intervention of the state of Libya, which took place in 2013. In addition, British representatives played a significant role in the implementation of Operation Serval. Thus, the British Army, which numbers 421 thousand personnel, is today one of the best military formations in the world.

UK Armed Forces Structure

The entire structure of the British army is built in such a way as to facilitate the implementation of the functions of this formation as much as possible. In addition, the state Armed Forces have some specific types of troops that have a rather interesting field of activity. Thus, the British Army, the size of which was presented above, has the following structural elements:

1. Air Force.
2. Ground troops.
3. Special Forces.
4. Medical service.

This structure, as mentioned earlier, is best suited for performing individual functional tasks. At the same time, the medical troops of the armed forces are unique in their kind. Because medical units in other world armies are not identified as a separate structural element of the Armed Forces.

Ground troops

Like the British armed forces as a whole, the ground forces also begin their history in 1707. Today, the British Army is a professional unit whose main goal is to defeat enemy personnel on the ground. The main striking force of the army, as we understand it, is the infantry. Today it includes about 36 regular battalions. In addition to this, the strength of the British Army also consists of the Armored Corps, Artillery Regiment, Corps of Engineers, Army Air Corps, Intelligence Corps and Signal Corps. Also, this type of troops includes territorial military formations, which are analogous to the national guard.

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is a key element of the British Navy. This component of the armed forces is managed by the Ministry of Defense. At the same time, there is a special Admiralty Committee within the body. It, in turn, consists of four ministers and seven professional sailors. The key tasks of the British Navy today are:

— protection of Britain’s territorial interests;

— protection of the integrity of the state;

— elimination of surface and underwater threats;

— defeat of enemy coastal fortifications;

— support of international military operations.

It should also be noted that, in accordance with its functional tasks, the Navy has special units in its structure, namely:

— submarine fleet;

— surface fleet;

— special air forces of the Navy;

- medical service.

UK's new defense strategy

“This is the end of the Royal Navy as a force capable of global operations. How can he operate without all his air reconnaissance and all but a small portion of his strike weapons?

– Peter Carrington, First Lord of the Admiralty and UK Secretary of State for Defence; quotation from the debate on Lord Shackleton's report of 22 February 1966.

After the end of the Second World War, the presence of the Royal Navy in the world steadily declined: the collapse of the empire, the coming to power of Labor proponents of the principles of demilitarization and the constant reduction in defense spending made it impossible for the Kingdom's armed forces to carry out any active activities outside state borders and within Europe. .

Now the situation is taking a different turn - Great Britain is returning to the waters of the World Ocean.

In the article “A New Age of British Hegemony,” we looked at the concept of developing England’s strategic advantage, closely linked to economics, soft power and scientific and technological superiority. London quite specifically defines the main theater of military operations of the future - it will be science, and researchers, bankers, engineers and diplomats are destined to become soldiers of this war. However, it would be naive to believe that in this regard Britain will refuse to develop its armed forces - far from it, they have a special place in this strategy...

After the Suez crisis of 1956, London's policy regarding the financing of the army and navy was, to put it mildly, marked by stinginess - perhaps, without the threat of invasion from the Warsaw Pact countries, the British armed forces would have been completely reduced. The only tool for operations abroad were the well-trained special forces units, which served as a conductor of the interests of the crown for more than half a century.

Britain was the first country in the world to use special forces as a tool of political influence - and it has an extremely rich history of using them. Photo source: pinterest.com

The Royal Navy, which once provided the defense of the world's largest empire, was deliberately destroyed by Labor: the first step was the already mentioned report of Lord Shackleton in 1966, which put an end to the network of overseas operational bases for the fleet. Next is a 1975 regulation establishing nuclear submarines as the backbone of the Navy's strength amid a decline in surface combatant strength. The point was the operational concept of 1981, where the main task of the Royal Navy was the protection of the Atlantic from a possible breakthrough of the USSR Navy, and the main instrument in the war at sea was considered multi-purpose nuclear submarines with torpedoes and missile weapons.

Looking at the latest news, one gets the impression that nothing has changed: Britain is again reducing its ground forces, and its tank units are on the verge of extinction...

Alas, this is just a misconception.

Dangerous misconception.

The new British defense strategy will be based on two new regulations from 2022: “Global Britain in a competitive age – The Integrated Review of Security, Defense, Development and Foreign Policy”

(Global Britain in a Competitive Age: An Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy) and
Defense in a Competitive Age
, a review presented by the UK Ministry of Defence. It is on the basis of these documents that we will begin to analyze London’s new military plans.

Strengthening global security

Perhaps, for a Russian reader, this block of British military strategy may seem extremely strange and incomprehensible - unfortunately, it just so happens that in our minds the concepts of “war” and “economy” stand somewhere unimaginably far from each other.
It is difficult to say what exactly causes such misconceptions, however, alas, as practice shows, they occur even among the highest echelons of our authorities.

The British, however, are extremely pragmatic in this matter - they are well aware of their very modest demographic resources and military capabilities, realizing that it is impossible to have any significant position in the world without having a powerful and well-protected economic base .

Without order there is no money, and without money there is no power.

“Global security is essential to an international order in which open societies and economies like the UK can prosper and cooperate, achieving common goals without coercion or interference.”

The main and primary task of the new strategy is to change the role, functionality and approach to the work of government structures: the clumsy bureaucratic apparatus of the old type is simply not able to cope with modern threats - which means it must be reformed.

The government will be transformed into a structure that is maximally focused on systemic competition with other countries. The level of non-admission to the use of military force is being reduced - it is now seen as an adequate tool for responding to threats to British interests.

It is also interesting that London admits that it is impossible to eliminate or contain every threat, especially in a world in which the boundaries of internal and international security are increasingly blurred. In response to this fact, they plan to create all the conditions to make it as difficult as possible for any harmful actions, either from unfriendly states or from any corporations or terrorist organizations.

Conceptual goals of the new defense strategy:

1. Countering threats at home and abroad.

There is a need to expand the international intelligence network, share risks and pool capabilities through collective security; the use of military forces to thwart enemy plans and contain the enemy through constant fighting abroad.

2. Resolving international conflicts and instability.

This will deprive the enemy of potential pressure points and improve international economic interaction. This is planned to be achieved by eliminating all the driving forces of conflict.

3. Strengthening UK internal security

by addressing transnational issues – international challenges and interactions should be used as the front line to combat terrorism, organized crime, radical religious groups, cybercriminals and foreign agents.

Global naval presence

This element of the new British defense strategy may cause both surprise and bewilderment, but the fact remains that the Royal Navy will once again begin to carry out missions throughout.
The reduction and optimization of the ground component of the armed forces as a whole can be associated precisely with this - London’s main non-nuclear military instruments are becoming numerous special operations forces and the fleet. This, of course, requires additional financial investments, which will be provided, among other things, by a reduced army.

It’s worth making a small digression here.

No, Britain no longer plans to take part in any global land war like World War II. For such tasks, London has a nuclear arsenal at its disposal, which will be used against any enemy who wants to encroach on the sovereignty and the very fact of Albion’s existence.

The planned number of armed forces is more than enough for joint large-scale operations with allies, participation in local conflicts and protection of the state border of Great Britain.

The nuclear deterrent force is the central component around which the entire defense of England functions - however, we will talk about them separately.

Carrier strike groups are seen as the main element of Britain's naval influence. According to the government’s plans, at least one AUG should absolutely always be in combat service, being at the forefront of confrontation with unfriendly countries such as Russia or China. However, they will work in close conjunction with allied forces - no one is mistaken about the capabilities of just one formation, and the Royal Navy will carry out tasks in constant contact with the US Navy.

For example, during the upcoming first combat service, scheduled for 2022, the aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth will visit the Mediterranean, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific region.

The Royal Navy's primary responsibility is, of course, the defense of Great Britain itself and its fourteen overseas possessions. These tasks can be described like this:

1. The Navy will continue to be active in the territorial waters and exclusive economic zone of Great Britain. The Royal Air Force will continue to provide the fleet with 24-hour operational cover, and its capabilities will be significantly expanded through the delivery of new P-8 Poseidon anti-submarine patrol aircraft, which will monitor the North Atlantic.

2. The armed forces will strengthen control over the waters of Gibraltar; The capabilities of military bases in Cyprus will be significantly expanded, which will therefore ensure long-term influence in the Eastern Mediterranean. A permanent military presence will be maintained in the Falkland Islands, Ascension Island, and the British Indian Ocean Territories; The Royal Navy will conduct patrols in the Atlantic and Caribbean regions and will conduct anti-trafficking operations and provide humanitarian disaster relief during the annual hurricane season.

3. To enhance support and assistance for British citizens abroad, the range of digital services for obtaining consular assistance will be significantly expanded. The Armed Forces will remain prepared to protect and evacuate British citizens when necessary – including through the use of military force.

The Navy is once again taking its rightful place as a conduit for Britain's political will.
Photo source: telegraph.co.uk The Royal Navy's current outlook can be summarized as follows:
1. Nuclear deterrence is the fleet's priority, but global presence is central to the new strategy.

2. The number of ships will be expanded - by 2030, Britain will have at least 20 destroyers and frigates.

3. Ensuring the protection of underwater infrastructure and carrying out deep-sea operations - in connection with this need, a new specialized vessel is being built.

4. Radical upgrade of weapons - the fleet will receive new anti-ship missiles and completely updated mine action forces, the core of which will be unmanned minesweepers.

5. The Royal Marines will be reformed, like the US Marine Corps - the goal of this event is to create a modern rapid reaction force with independent strike and defensive capabilities, capable of becoming the combat core of operations in the coastal zone.

6. In the interests of the Navy, the development of new generation frigates and destroyers will be carried out. Commissioning of ships of this type is planned after 2030.

Defense and deterrence through collective security

There is no place for solo players in the modern world, and Britain is well aware of this.
It is impossible to increase the military budget of one individual country to a level that will allow it to withstand the whole world - and why, if you have allies who are burdened with the same problems and tasks as you?

“The UK’s network of military alliances and partnerships underpins our ability to deter and defend against nation-state adversaries. This is a powerful demonstration of our collective commitment to the free association of sovereign nations and our willingness to share the burden of maintaining an open international order.”

London gives primary importance to cooperation with the countries of the NATO bloc - for individual players, however, special conditions for cooperation are provided (as, for example, with Turkey and the USA), but otherwise Britain’s policy is quite clear - it, in essence, remains the leader of the bloc among European countries , ensuring the fulfillment of their own national interests through collective defense.

British ground forces will be transformed into compact and mobile assault forces for lightning operations outside Albion.
Photo source: theguardian.com A set of actions to organize and develop collective defense:
1. Strengthening leadership among NATO members: increasing military spending by £24 billion over the next four years (current level is 2.2% of GDP). Implementation of the new “NATO Deterrence and Defense Concept”, as well as increasing the group of troops in Germany by strengthening them with special forces units and rapid response.

2. Strengthening interstate ties with members of the bloc: bilateral agreements with the USA and France (Lancaster House and CJEF), with Germany, expansion of activities within the framework of the Joint Expeditionary Forces.

3. Carrying out global modernization of the armed forces. Britain is the only country in NATO other than the US that can conduct high-tech warfare using nuclear, precision-guided and cyber weapons, as well as fifth-generation strike aircraft. A new Space Command will be created, which will be responsible for the tasks of satellite monitoring and reconnaissance, missile defense and combating the enemy’s space potential. The ground forces will be reformed and tailored to conduct highly mobile operations in the face of global opposition.

4. Development of international weapons programs - in particular, FCAS, designed to create a new generation European multi-role fighter.

5. Preparing the country to respond to threats of a global military crisis, including a nuclear one. The UK will conduct a series of national strategic level exercises to test the sustainability of the functioning of the state machine in a critical environment. Similar exercises are planned in other NATO countries.

6. Strengthening the military presence in strategically important areas, such as the Indo-Pacific region.

Conclusion

Even from such a brief analytical review, one can draw a completely unambiguous conclusion: Britain does not plan to “push elbows”, trying to wrest its place as a world superpower by force or pressure on its allies - far from it, London is increasing its political weight and significance through active work with friendly countries.
There is a place for absolutely everyone in British plans - they equally take into account the weaknesses and strengths of others, using them as a means of achieving national interests. Britain is actively preparing for a new type of war - in modern realities, a strategy based on the postulates of the Cold War is unacceptable. The era of tank armies has finally sunk into oblivion - the era of high-precision weapons, professional and compact mobile units and cyber threats has arrived.

London gives a very clear message to all adversaries - any threat to the existence of Great Britain will be met with nuclear warheads. The fleet again takes its rightful place as a conductor of political will, while the army becomes an effective and compact means, tailored to counter hybrid threats and local opponents. In essence, the British ground force is becoming a high-tech air assault force with a large number of special forces units.

Of course, the new British government strategy is extremely strong precisely because of its realism. There is no place for empty dreams and unrealistic plans - there is only exceptional pragmatism, a sober assessment of one’s capabilities and truly achievable goals.

High tech. The science. Adaptability. Demographic potential. International cooperation. Precision weapons. Mobility. "Soft" power. Hybrid confrontations.

This is the weapon of the new world.

A world that is being formed before our eyes.

UK Marine units

It should be noted that today Great Britain is one of the first countries where the Marine Corps was recognized as a completely independent branch of the military within the naval forces. The innovation was introduced by King Charles II Stuart. In 1664, he issued a decree establishing special maritime services. But these units received the greatest impetus in development during the Second World War. Then special formations were created from the Marine Corps, the purpose of which was landing on the shore, as well as sabotage activities. Today, this branch of the military plays a fairly significant role in the Navy, which was proven during the Falkland Islands War, as well as the Iraqi conflict. The structure of the Royal Marines of Great Britain includes the following units, namely:

1. Sabotage Brigade No. 3. This element, in turn, is divided into separate formations, for example: the 40th and 42nd sabotage battalions, the 539th assault detachment, etc.
2. Marine Corps Reserve.
3. Orchestral service.

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Army Organization The British Land Army was one of the smallest in Europe. Relying on their powerful navy to protect the British Isles, the British viewed the land army as an auxiliary force designed to solve local problems. The British also gave the main role in their colonial conquests to multi-gun ships and the marines on board, who had incomparably higher combat qualities than army infantry. The army men mainly carried out punitive operations and carried out police service in the colonies and in the metropolis. The army in Great Britain was staffed by volunteers; The total number of English infantry at best reached 162 thousand people. The officer corps was formed mainly from representatives of the aristocracy, whose combat experience and military-educational level was very low. These officers maintained the combat effectiveness of the English infantry mainly through cane discipline and a system of harsh punishments. According to the professionalism of British officers, the tactics of the British army were outdated and formulaic. At the same time, the English military personnel had high caste arrogance and self-confidence, fueled by the opinion that it was they who defeated Napoleon himself at Waterloo. Despite the relatively low moral and combat qualities of the British army, in terms of technical equipment it was the most modern army in the world. At that time, it was the only country that fully armed its soldiers with the latest and most powerful rifled percussion-capsule weapons; The command staff was armed with rapid-fire revolvers. Infantry weapons (army and marine) Enfield infantry rifle mod. 1853 The main weapon of the British army was the Enfield model 1853 percussion cap rifle, which I already described in the topic “Weapons of the American Civil War 1861-1865.” The Enfield appeared in the army literally on the eve of the Crimean War and in a very short time displaced the previous British rifle, the Brunswick, which had served Britain for 15 years. At least all the British soldiers going to Crimea were armed with the latest Enfield. It was a very reliable and powerful weapon. The Enfield was loaded with a .577 caliber Minié bullet, which it was capable of sending to a distance of 1700 m, and aimed fire could be fired from 853 m. This rifle was quite massive - 1397 mm long without a bayonet and 1842 mm with a bayonet. At the same time, for convenience, the axis of the bayonet was deviated from the axis of the barrel, which allowed the soldier to reload without bumping his hand against its tip. In the battles of the Crimean War, the Enfield rifle showed its best side; It was these weapons that Russian soldiers and sailors sought to capture as a trophy and turn them against the enemy.

Naval musket conversion mod. 1850 The British Marines had their own rifle, developed by the famous gunsmith George Lowell back in 1842. This weapon was shorter than a military gun (for ease of use from masts and decks) and fired an ordinary spherical (round) bullet. But in 1850, after the successful demonstration of the qualities of the French Minié bullet, the British naval command allocated funds to convert the muskets to the new ammunition. This is how the redesigned naval musket mod. 1850, which fired a Minié bullet, with which the British marines attacked Russian troops near Sevastopol and Petropavlovsk-on-Kamchatka. Infantry cleaver The bladed weapons of the English naval and army infantry (as in other European countries of that time) were cleavers - shortened half-sabers, convenient for close hand-to-hand combat. British cutlasses differed from cutlasses from other countries with a more massive and wide blade, and a rough, angular handle.

Cavalry weapons British cavalrymen were primarily armed with bladed weapons (sabers and pikes). In addition, some of the cavalrymen had an Enfield rifled carbine mod. 1853 (a shortened version of the Enfield infantry rifle model 1853 described above), and some are grape blunderbusses with a bell barrel (identical to the trombones of the French and Turks). Externally, these blunderbusses differed from the Allied ones with a more massive barrel and a wider bell (the British weapons were not distinguished by grace at all and looked rather cumbersome and rude). By the way, the musketons with a bell described here were in service not only with the cavalry, but also with the British marines, as they were very convenient and effective in boarding battles. Pistol "Tower" model 1842 By 1838, the use of pistols in the English cavalry was abolished. An exception was made only for the Uhlan regiments (ordinary Uhlans received 1 pistol, sergeant majors and trumpeters - 2 each). In the hands of the British lancers were smooth-bore percussion-capsule pistols "Tower" model 1842, designed by gunsmith George Lowell. This designer valued, above all, simplicity and reliability, and he was also a supporter of unification (standardization of calibers and parts, which facilitated the supply and repair of weapons in the field). As a result, his pistol turned out to be a very durable and reliable weapon, but the ballistic qualities of the Tower were extreme for smooth-bore weapons and were completely unacceptable for the conditions of modern times.

Vebley revolving rifle mod. 1853 To arm British mounted riflemen in 1853, gunsmith James Vebley began producing an elongated revolver with a butt, the octagonal rifled barrel of which had a length of 705 mm. It was a 5-round percussion-capsule weapon of .500 caliber (12.7 mm) weighing 2 kg. The idea of ​​lengthening the barrel and attaching a butt was not new: back in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Some cavalry pistols were subjected to similar processing, and Samuel Colt also “dabbled” in this. The disadvantage of this sample was the unreliable partitions between the chambers of the drum, which sometimes, when fired, led to the ignition of charges in other chambers (a defect quite common at that time even in Colt revolvers). To reduce the risk of damage in the Vebley revolver rifle, cutouts were made in the barrel boss so that there were no obstacles in front of the two chambers. In addition, in order to avoid losing fingers, shooters were recommended to support the weapon with their left hand not under the barrel, but to move it back to the area of ​​the trigger guard. Cavalry saber mod. 1821

Weapons of officers In the British army there was a rule according to which officers had to carry revolvers adopted by the state in the ranks, but they had the right to have any weapon of their choice outside the ranks. In war, everyone used the weapon that they personally preferred - after all, life depended on it... “Pepper shaker” The mid-19th century was the era of replacing the old single-shot self-defense weapons with multi-shot ones. Moreover, the design of the revolver was not the only version; gunsmiths were looking for other possibilities to solve the problem. This led to the appearance in Europe of another type of multi-charged weapon - the so-called pepperboxes (“pepper shakers”). Pepperboxes were a multi-barreled pistol, the barrels of which were connected into a round package rotating around an axis (like a drum in a revolver). Because of this, the weapon turned out to be overly heavy, but it was reliable and safer than the first revolvers (when all the charges were ignited simultaneously, the barrels simply “spit out” the bullets together, without breaking the frame or injuring the shooter). For this reason, Pepperboxes were very popular for a time (until revolvers improved to their safety level). The "pepperbox" example shown here is typical of the popular Pepperboxes in the UK; it was no doubt in the pockets of many British officers.

Transitional revolver Such a weapon was the first reaction of British gunsmiths to the appearance of American Colt revolvers. English manufacturers were still attached to the “pepper shakers”; Faced with the innovative, functional long-barreled Colts, they were forced to look for a way to stand up to the competition. This is how the idea came up to shorten the package of “pepper shaker” barrels to the length of the revolving drum, and attach another, long barrel to the pistol, securing it with a latch on the rotation axis. But the hammer hammer, a classic for the British, remained unchanged (this form did not allow cocking the hammer by hand, the weapon was only self-cocking). Transitional British revolvers were not produced for long; Colt's revolver turned out to be much more practical than them in operation. Nevertheless, weapons were produced and sold, and (at least theoretically) could end up in Crimea. At least, it seemed to me that this “freak” is worth talking about in order to more “convexly” present the transitional era of changing weapons.

Revolver "London" Colt "Navy" mod. 1851 Samuel Colt, who had already become a problem with his ingenuity and supplied all the countries that fought in the Crimea with his weapons, did not ignore England. For the sake of good money, this scoundrel played a cunning game with all potential opponents, taking full advantage of the corruption of officials and allowing measured leaks of information about contracts concluded with a hostile power in order to “spur” the purchase of his weapons. The result of the American's activities in England was the opening of the Colt arms factory in London (January 1853), which began producing the Navy model for the British army. True, the plant did not operate for long - in 1856 it closed, having managed to produce 42,000 “London” Colts during this time. The English gunsmiths, who came to their senses, managed to oust the dangerous competitor from the country, filling the British market with new, more advanced revolvers.

Adams revolver mod. 1851 This revolver was Colt's only competitor at the International Industrial Exhibition held in London in May 1851. The Committee on Small Arms of the British Army conducted comparative tests of both revolvers, which revealed the complete superiority of Adams over Colt (however, Colt entered service with the British army! Here they are, the machinations and bribes of the rascal Sam!..). Adams had the following advantages over Colt: a solid frame gave the weapon excellent strength (Colt's frame consisted of two halves fastened to each other, and over time it became loose, and in hand-to-hand combat, when hitting an enemy, the revolver could even crumble). Adams' self-cocking mechanism noticeably increased the rate of fire: Colt fired all five drum charges in 11 seconds, and Adams in 4! Loading the drum was also more convenient: 38 seconds for Adams versus 58 seconds for Colt. Adams was also more reliable than Colt: out of 25 shots, he did not fire a single misfire, while Colt, with the same shooting of 25 charges, “misfired” 4 times! It was also important that in order to quickly use the Colt, it was necessary to operate with two hands, while Adams shot with one hand. Despite the fact that the Colt was adopted by the British army, Adams' excellent qualities for that time also did not go unnoticed. The gunsmith received a government order and began mass production of his revolver. True, in doing so, he made a serious tactical mistake: not prepared for mass production, Adams entrusted the use of his patent to several foreign factories (including foreign ones). This move provided him with a quick influx of money, which saved the company in crisis, but at the same time created many competitors armed with the know-how acquired from him. The Adams revolver was produced in three modifications. A heavy revolver of .500 caliber (12.7 mm) was intended for cavalry, a medium revolver of .440 caliber (11.2 mm) for infantry officers (to be worn on the belt), a revolver of .380 caliber (8.6 mm) - for carrying in a pocket. Subsequently, an even lighter version of the .320 caliber (7.65 mm) appeared, also intended for pocket carry. Despite Colt's dominance in the British army, many British officers preferred the higher stopping power and better performance characteristics of the Adams revolver, and bought this weapon with their own funds. Thus, the Adams revolver was also widely used in the Crimean War and was a coveted trophy for Russian officers; at the end of the war, Russia even began producing domestic ones, copied from captured Adams (which I already talked about in the section “Weapons of the Russian Army”).

Light Infantry Officer's Saber mod. 1827

Navy officer's saber mod. 1827

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British Special Forces

If the navy is the legendary formations of antiquity, then the modern legends are the British Special Forces. Today you can find a lot of information about the activities of special units of the British armed forces. However, it is still unclear which stories are reality and which are myths. One way or another, one can judge the activities of special troops only by analyzing their functional tasks. First of all, it should be noted that in the structure of special forces military units there are only two units, namely: SAS and SBS. Each of them was formed during the Second World War. The first unit, the special air service, is an airborne military formation. In combat conditions, it performs the following functions:

- collects intelligence information about enemy forces;

— conducts counter-terrorism operations;

- rescues hostages;

- participates in direct contacts with the enemy.

Also, a specific functional task of the SAS is the training of foreign special forces fighters.

The second no less significant unit within the special forces is the special boat service. Today it is a direct competitor to the Navy SEALs of the United States of America. For the most part, SBS carries out special operations under the auspices of the Royal Navy. Recruitment comes from the Royal Marines. Very often the functions of these formations are confused with each other. However, a special boat service is engaged in sabotage and reconnaissance operations of a special nature, that is, of increased danger or complexity.

It should be noted that the activities of these units use the latest technologies and military equipment. For example, a high-quality and quite popular knife from the British Army was once invented by specialists from special units. There are also other analogues of similar specific equipment. An example of this is the “Basha” tent of the British Army, which is today used in many military formations of other countries.

A few stereotypes[edit]

• "The king has a lot." According to legend, this is the phrase that a British captain pronounces when he sees the death of his or an allied ship.
• A key factor in the superiority of the British Army is the individual training of its soldiers. It is still considered kosher to cook sergeants for 10-15 years.
• A British officer is necessarily an officer and a gentleman. You can kill an entire regiment in frontal attacks without artillery preparation and remain a respected person, but if you poke the fish with the wrong fork, you will immediately become an outcast and an uncivilized barbarian.
• Machine guns are evil. Because the soldier would stupidly fire the entire magazine in one burst instead of counting each shot.
• The British are generally conservative. We still call all the artillery an artillery regiment, because that’s how it was established under the Supreme King Gorokh, and the tanks still have rifled guns. In the British Army you can find units with names like 14/20th Royal Hussars (equipped with tanks). Because it was once the 14th, then it was reorganized into the 20th, and in order not to lose the connection of times...

UK Medical Service

One of the features of the British armed forces is the presence of such troops as the medical service. There are very few analogues of this type of aircraft design in the world. As for the UK, in this state the medical units consist of three main components, distributed among other branches of the military, namely: army, navy, air force, etc. The service deals with the direct treatment of armed forces personnel, as well as support during military operations.

Pistols and rocket launchers | Great Britain

Webley & Scott Model 1905 pistol

Models of compact pistols 1905, 1906, 1908 were produced with minor design changes. They had blowback automatics. The V-shaped return spring is located on the handle, under the right cheek, and is connected to the bolt using a swing lever. The trigger mechanism is hammer-operated, single-action (non-self-cocking).

Webley & Scott Model 1908 pistol

Webley & Scott Model 1906 pistol

The safety is located on the left above the handle. Feeds from single-row detachable box magazines; the magazine release is located at the bottom of the handle. Sights are non-adjustable. The weapon was used by special forces and officers of the armed forces. For 1905-1939 80 thousand units were produced. Pistol performance characteristics: caliber - .32 (7.65 mm); length - 159 mm, height - 115 mm; barrel length – 89 mm; weight – 580 g; Magazine capacity – 8 rounds 7.65x17SR; initial bullet speed – 274 m/s.

Webley & Scott Model 1907 pistol without scope

The pocket pistol was a smaller copy of the Webley & Scott Model 1906 and was produced in 1907-1939. The pistols of the first releases did not have any sighting devices; later a model with a non-adjustable open sight was offered. A total of 50.3 thousand pistols were produced. Pistol performance characteristics: caliber - .25 (6.35 mm); length - 120 mm, height - 81 mm; width – 24 mm; barrel length – 54 mm; weight – 340 g; Magazine capacity – 6 rounds of .25 ACP.

Pistol Webley-Scott Mk-I Navy

The pistol was produced since 1913 for the Royal Navy. The automatic mechanism worked on the principle of recoil of the barrel with a short stroke. The hammer-type impact mechanism. The trigger mechanism is designed to fire only a single fire. The pistol is equipped with an automatic frame safety, which is located behind the handle and turns off when the handle is grasped. Strap swivel at the bottom of the handle. It could be equipped with a detachable wooden stock. The pistol was used during the First and Second World Wars, however, despite its great power, it was not particularly popular, since its mechanism was very sensitive to contamination.

Pistol Webley-Scott Mk-I Navy

In 1915, a modified model of this pistol was adopted for service with the designation “Webley & Scott Mk-I No. 2”. The pistol received an additional safety lock that fixed the hammer in the fully cocked position, a special rotating rear sight designed for shooting up to 200 meters, and on the outside of the handle there were grooves for attaching a detachable butt. In total, at least 190 thousand copies were produced. Pistol performance characteristics: caliber 11.43 mm; length – 216 mm; barrel length – 127 mm; weight without cartridges - 1,120 g; magazine capacity - 7 rounds; sighting range - 45 m; initial bullet speed – 320 m/s.

At the top are silent pistols, a Welrod Mk-II pistol in 7.65 mm caliber. Below - Mk-I 9mm caliber

The pistol was a manually reloaded magazine weapon and was produced in 1942-1945. It was intended to arm special services, reconnaissance, sabotage and airborne units. With each shot, the bullet must pierce through the separators, which is why the service life of their set is calculated at no more than 15 shots, after which the effectiveness of the silencer sharply decreased. The cartridges were fed from detachable box magazines, which also served as a handle for holding the weapon (for which a rubber casing was put on the magazine in its lower part). Single action trigger mechanism. At the rear of the magazine receiver there is an automatic safety switch that can be turned off by the firing hand. The sight is fixed, with luminous inserts. The pistol was also produced in the USA. A total of 16.8 thousand units were produced. Performance characteristics of the Mk-II/Mk-I pistol: weight without cartridges – 1090/1500 g; length – 310/360 mm; magazine capacity - 8/6 rounds; sighting range - 12-15 m; initial bullet speed – 210 m/s.

Signal pistol Webley & Scott No. 1 Mk-III sample 1916

Signal pistol Webley & Scott No. 1 Mk-III model 1911

Webley & Scott No. 1 Mk-V flare pistol with barrel flare

Flare pistol Webley & Scott No. 1 Mk-V classic version

The rocket launcher was produced since 1911 with a brass barrel and frame, which was broken in half for loading. After modernization in 1916. the pistol received a bell on the barrel. Since 1918, the pistol began to be produced with a steel barrel and frame under the designation No. 1 Mk-V. The pistol was produced by at least five factories in England. In total, at least 5 thousand copies were produced. A significant part of the rocket launchers survived until World War II. Performance characteristics of the rocket launcher: caliber – 25.4 mm; length – 204 mm; barrel length – 102 mm.

Webley & Scott Flare Gun No. 2 Mk-I

Webley & Scott Flare Gun No. 3 Mk-1

Model No. 2 Mk-1 with a steel barrel and frame was produced since 1916. Model No. 3 Mk-1 - with an aluminum barrel and frame was produced since 1938. To load the rocket launcher, the barrel was broken in half. Black bakelite handles. In total, at least 20 thousand copies were produced. Performance characteristics of the rocket launcher: caliber – 37 mm; length - 185 mm; barrel length – 93 mm; weight – 1.4 kg; firing range - 2 km.

Webley & Scott Flare Pistol No. 4 Mk-I

The 37 mm rocket launcher was intended for use in aircraft, tanks and armored vehicles.
It was produced throughout the war. Share to:

Air Force

One of the professional branches of the British Armed Forces is the Royal Air Force, that is, aviation. It should be noted that the organization of this element of the armed forces is compact. Because the entire air force is united into three groups. They, in turn, number about 34 thousand personnel. All air groups are designed to eliminate enemy air and ground forces. In its activities, the British Air Force uses both domestic and foreign equipment. Mostly aircraft manufactured in the USA and the European Union predominate.

British Army. Weapons, equipment

In their activities, members of the British Armed Forces use world-famous prototypes of this or that equipment. For example, the British Army uniform is distinguished by its practicality and high quality. It is perfect for combat missions. In addition, the military uniform of this state has good camouflage characteristics. For example, British Army trousers provide excellent protection from dampness and other negative environmental factors. Therefore, they are very popular among military personnel of foreign forces. In addition, the British Army membrane trousers are made of a material that allows the body to breathe. At the same time, they do not get wet.

Of course, there are other examples of quality equipment. As practice shows, almost all military ammunition made in the UK is excellent for constant and fairly harsh use. For example, a British Army jacket in tandem with trousers will keep a soldier dry and warm in almost any conditions. Other types of equipment are also in good demand on the market. These include, for example: radio communication devices, survival kits, British Army backpack, etc. The armament of troops is of great importance. Of course, a high-quality British Army bag is a fairly important element, but weapons certainly play a more significant role. Today, the UK military uses L85A2 rifles with telescopic sights, as well as Glock 17 and Sig Sauer P226 pistols.

So, in the article we looked at the features of the British armed forces. It should be noted that today the armed forces of this state are among the strongest on Earth. But let's hope that it will not be possible to clearly see the full power of the British army.

Weapons of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition - a selection of photographs

Today is May 9 - Victory Day over the fascist invaders. It was a victory deserved at the greatest price - the cost of millions of human lives. Millions of Soviet, American, and British soldiers fought in the war. Soldiers from other countries also joined the fighters. What did the soldiers go into battle with? What weapons were used for war by fighters from different countries?

This festive selection is dedicated to the small arms of soldiers from the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition.

The content of the article

USSR

• Supreme Commander-in-Chief: Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (Dzhugashvili)
• Beginning of the war with the Wehrmacht troops: June 22, 1941

Rifles and carbines

Model 1891 Mosin rifle. "Three-line". The main small arms of the USSR infantry units of the first period of the war was certainly the famous three-line rifle - the 7.62 mm rifle of S.I. Mosin, modernized in 1930. Its advantages are well known - strength, reliability, ease of maintenance combined with good ballistic qualities, in in particular, with a target range of 2 km.

SVT-40. "Sveta". At the end of the 30s, the outstanding Soviet weapons designer F.V. Tokarev developed a 10-round self-loading rifle cal. 7.62 mm SVT-38 , which after modernization received the name SVT-40 . It “lost weight” by 600 g and became shorter due to the introduction of thinner wooden parts, additional holes in the casing and a decrease in the length of the bayonet. A little later, a sniper rifle appeared at its base. Automatic firing was ensured by the removal of powder gases. The ammunition was placed in a box-shaped, detachable magazine.

Submachine guns

PPD-40. The Great Patriotic War was the time of the final transition from rifles to automatic weapons. The Red Army began to fight armed with a small number of PPD-40 submachine guns designed by the outstanding Soviet designer Vasily Alekseevich Degtyarev. At that time, PPD-40 was in no way inferior to its domestic and foreign counterparts.

PPSh-40. "Papa." The creator of the PPSh-40 , designer Georgy Semenovich Shpagin, was faced with the task of developing an extremely easy-to-use, reliable, technologically advanced, cheap to produce mass weapon. From its predecessor, the PPD-40 , the PPSh inherited a drum magazine with 71 rounds. A little later, a simpler and more reliable sector horn magazine with 35 rounds was developed for it. The weight of the equipped machine guns (both versions) was 5.3 and 4.15 kg, respectively. The rate of fire of the PPSh-40 reached 900 rounds per minute with an aiming range of up to 300 meters and the ability to fire single shots.

PPS-42. In the summer of 1942, the young designer Alexey Sudaev presented his brainchild - a 7.62 mm submachine gun. It was strikingly different from its “bigger brothers” PPD and PPSh-40 in its rational layout, higher manufacturability and ease of manufacturing parts using arc welding. PPS-42 was 3.5 kg lighter and required three times less manufacturing time. However, despite its quite obvious advantages, it never became a mass-produced weapon, leaving the PPSh-40 . However, according to some opinions, the PPS-42 is the best submachine gun of the Second World War.

Machine guns

DP-27 light machine gun. "Degtyarev". By the beginning of the war, the DP-27 light machine gun (Degtyarev infantry, 7.62mm caliber) had been in service with the Red Army for almost 15 years, having the status of the main light machine gun of infantry units. Its automation was powered by the energy of powder gases. The gas regulator reliably protected the mechanism from contamination and high temperatures. The DP-27 could only fire automatically, but even a beginner needed a few days to master shooting in short bursts of 3-5 shots. Ammunition of 47 rounds was placed in a disk magazine with a bullet towards the center in one row. The magazine itself was mounted on top of the receiver. The weight of the unloaded machine gun was 8.5 kg. An equipped magazine increased it by almost another 3 kg.

Pistols

TT-33. "Totoshka." The TT pistol was developed for the 1929 competition for a new army pistol, announced to replace the Nagan revolver and several models of foreign-made revolvers and pistols that were in service with the Red Army by the mid-1920s. The German 7.63×25 mm Mauser cartridge was adopted as the standard cartridge.

Great Britain

• Supreme Commander: Winston Churchill
• Beginning of the war with the Wehrmacht troops: September 3, 1939

Rifles and carbines

The Lee-Enfield is a family of bolt-action rifles that were the primary small arms used by the British Empire and Commonwealth forces in the first half of the 20th century. The Lee Enfield was the standard British army rifle from its introduction into service in 1895 until the late 1950s, when it was replaced by the L1A1 .

Submachine guns

STEN

- English
submachine gun , created in 1941. It was the most popular submachine gun of the British army and its dominions during the Second World War. Was in service with the British army until the early 1960s.

Machine guns

Bren

(
Br
no
En
field) - English
light machine gun , modification of the Czechoslovak ZB-26 machine gun Development of the Bren began in 1931. In 1934, the first version of the machine gun appeared, which was called ZGB-34. The final version appeared in 1938 and was put into production. The new machine gun got its name from the first two letters of the names of the cities of Brno and Enfield, where production was launched. The BREN Mk1 by the British troops on August 8, 1938.

Revolver

"Anfield"

(eng.
Enfield No. 2
) -
a revolver , widely used during the Second World War by the British armed forces. There are versions No. 2 Mk-I* and the later No. 2 Mk-I**. Remained in service until the 1960s. Their production for official use continues to this day in different parts of the world.

USA

• Supreme Commander: Franklin Roosevelt
• The beginning of the war with the Wehrmacht troops: from December 7, 1941

Rifles and carbines

M1 Carbine

(full name -
US Carbine, Caliber .30, M1
) - an American light military self-loading carbine from the Second World War, the most popular small arms of this period. In Russian literature, the M1 Carbine is sometimes mistakenly called “baby Garand” or “Garand carbine,” but such names are not found in American sources.

Springfield M1903

(Springfield Model 1903, formally
United States Rifle, Caliber .30, Model 1903
) is an American repeating rifle. The rifle was officially adopted by the US Army on June 19, 1903; in 1936, the M1 Garand self-loading rifle was officially adopted as the standard army rifle, but by the time the United States entered World War II, half of the infantry personnel were armed with M1903 repeating rifles.

Submachine guns

Thompson submachine gun. "Tommy Gun"

is an American submachine gun developed by
Auto-Ordnance
in 1920 and actively used during World War II. The Thompson M1928A1 submachine gun was adopted by the American army. It differed from the M1928 model by the presence of a wooden fore-end instead of an additional pistol grip. At the beginning of 1942, a new M1 model was created - lightweight and easier to manufacture and maintain in war conditions.

Machine guns

Browning M1918.

The full name
Browning Automatic Rifle
or the abbreviation
BAR
(from English - “Browning Automatic Rifle”) is an automatic rifle or light machine gun designed by John Moses Browning. The Browning M1918 was designed specifically for infantrymen going on the attack. The machine gun could be worn on a belt, and it could also be fired from the hip (in conditions of trench warfare, the technique of shooting on the move was implied to be necessary for a soldier).

Pistols

M1911

— self-loading pistol chambered for .45 ACP. Developed by John Moses Browning in 1908 under the name Colt-Browning (US Patent 984519, Feb. 14, 1911). The pistol was in service with the US Armed Forces from 1911 to 1985, and is still authorized for use today.

This selection will be regularly updated with new models of weapons with which soldiers went into battle during the Second World War.