Military Intelligence from Germany, 1906-1914

From August 1914 to November 1918 the British Army was engaged in a prolonged and hard-fought struggle against its German counterpart. The question of how ready the British Army was for this struggle has long been a matter of debate. This volume looks at one aspect of Britain's preparation for war, namely the assessment of the intentions and capabilities of Germany, their most probable antagonist and Europe's foremost military power. It shows that a considerable body of intelligence was sent back to London in the years immediately preceding the outbreak of war by the British officers resident in Berlin, Colonels Frederic Trench and Alick Russell. The army therefore did not lack for accurate information about its enemy when the fighting started in 1914. The competence and professionalism with which Britain's military leadership prepared for conflict and the place of military intelligence gathering within this process is thereby underlined.