For the first time since World War II, British troops are preparing to fight in Europe

British troops they prepare to fight in Europe for the first time after the Second World War.

The new chief of the British army prepared the troops for rapid mobilization towards Eastern Europe. He said it is imperative that they and their allies are “able to beat Russia in battle”.

General Sir Patrick Sanders issued a “rallying cry” to all ranks, as well as civil servants, in the form of a memorandum, arguing that the conflict in Ukraine has strengthened the Army’s central purpose of “be ready to fight and win wars on earth.”

Senior military officials said the intervention, last Thursday during their first week in office, served as a reminder to the government. invest in land capacity. Last year, Boris Johnson said that “the old concept of fighting large tank battles on the European landmass is over.”

budget reductions

The words of the British army chief seek to strengthen the ground forces, which are reduced annually in the kingdom.

Even with a war in Ukraine, the size of the British army is shrinking to its smallest size from the Napoleonic wars.

Sanders noted in his memo that he was the first chief of staff since 1941 to “take command of the army in the shadow of a land war in Europe involving a major continental power.”

He pointed “A future escalation of the conflict”. He said there was “a burning imperative to build an army capable of fighting alongside our allies and defeating Russia in battle.”

“We must now accelerate the mobilization and modernization of the military to strengthen NATO and deny Russia the opportunity to occupy more parts of Europe,” wrote Sanders, 56, who previously headed the strategic command.

Lord Dannatt, a former defense chief of staff, Sanders said “You were right to give a battle cry.”

The Russian threat

Tobias Ellwood, MP, Conservative Defense Select Committee Chairman and former Afghanistan veteran officer, said, “The penny is falling. The threat from Russia is real and existential. General Sanders is right. “

The government stressed that NATO was “a fundamentally defensive alliance”. A spokesperson said: “We are obviously working closely with the allies to deter further aggression and continue to support the courageous resistance in Ukraine.”

The army is dwindling to 73,000 menthe lowest level since the Napoleonic era, although defense spending has increased in real terms since 2016.

In 2021 it had 82,840 men, plus 3,960 ghurkhas and 29,740 reserve personnel. He actively participated in both world wars. Since then he has been greatly reduced He participated in the Gulf War, in Yugoslavia, in the Falklands and in Northern Ireland. He was recently in Afghanistan and the second Iraq war.

PB