The British Army on the Western Front

This chapter begins with the British Expeditionary Force's (BEF) experience with doctrinal learning. It analyses how the prewar British Army practiced moderately centralized command and control. The BEF increased control over tactics and operations from early 1915 until at least mid-1916. The BEF also lacked a doctrinal assessment mechanism for the first half of the war and maintained a loose grip over training. The chapter then shifts to discuss the establishment of a formal assessment mechanism, called the Training Branch, in February 1917. It explores how the BEF's command practices, assessment mechanism, and training systems changed over the course of the war. Ultimately, this chapter looks at a causal link that existed between the British Army's organizational structure and practices and its ability to learn. The chapter then investigates how the Training Branch enabled the BEF to systematically capture, test, analyze, and disseminate new ideas.