000			03884nam a22002297a 4500
008			250616b |||||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d
020			_a9780141026107
050			_aD759 _b.E23 2012
100			_aEdgerton, David.
245			_aBritain's War Machine : _bweapons, resources and experts in the second world war / _cDavid Edgerton
260			_aUK: _bPenguin Books, _c2012.
300			_axvii, 442 p., [16] p. of plates : _bill., maps ; _c20 cm.
505			_a1. Introduction -- 2. The Assurance of Victory -- 3. Never Alone -- 4. Cronies and Technocrats -- 5. Politics and Production -- 6. Sons of the Sea -- 7. Worlds of War -- 8. Boffins -- 9. Machines and Modernities.
520			_a"The familiar image of the British in the Second World War is that of the plucky underdog taking on German might. David Edgerton's bold, compelling new history shows the conflict in a new light, with Britain as a very wealthy country, formidable in arms, ruthless in pursuit of its interests, and in command of a global production system. Rather than belittled by a Nazi behemoth, Britain arguably had the world's most advanced mechanized forces. It had not only a great empire, but allies large and small. Edgerton shows that Britain fought on many fronts and its many home fronts kept it exceptionally well supplied with weapons, food and oil, allowing it to mobilize to an extraordinary extent. It created and deployed a vast empire of machines, from the humble tramp steamer to the battleship, from the rifle to the tank, made in colossal factories the world over. Scientists and engineers invented new weapons, encouraged by a government and prime minister enthusiastic about the latest technologies. The British, indeed Churchillian, vision of war and modernity was challenged by repeated defeat at the hands of less well-equipped enemies. Yet the end result was a vindication of this vision. Like the United States, a powerful Britain won a cheap victory, while others paid a great price. Putting resources, machines and experts at the heart of a global rather than merely imperial story, Britain's War Machine demolishes timeworn myths about wartime Britain and gives us a groundbreaking and often unsettling picture of a great power in action"
520			_a"The familiar image of the British in the Second World War is that of the plucky underdog taking on German might. David Edgerton's bold, compelling new history shows the conflict in a new light, with Britain as a very wealthy country, formidable in arms, ruthless in pursuit of its interests, and in command of a global production system. Rather than belittled by a Nazi behemoth, Britain arguably had the world's most advanced mechanized forces. It had not only a great empire, but allies large and small. Edgerton shows that Britain fought on many fronts and its many home fronts kept it exceptionally well supplied with weapons, food and oil, allowing it to mobilize to an extraordinary extent. It created and deployed a vast empire of machines, from the humble tramp steamer to the battleship, from the rifle to the tank, made in colossal factories the world over. Scientists and engineers invented new weapons, encouraged by a government and prime minister enthusiastic about the latest technologies. The British, indeed Churchillian, vision of war and modernity was challenged by repeated defeat at the hands of less well-equipped enemies. Yet the end result was a vindication of this vision. Like the United States, a powerful Britain won a cheap victory, while others paid a great price."
650			_aWorld War, 1939-1945 _zGreat Britain.
650			_aWorld War, 1939-1945 _xEconomic aspects _zGreat Britain.
650			_aWorld War, 1939-1945 _xTechnology
650			_aIndustrial mobilization _xHistory _y20th century _zGreat Britain
650			_aMilitary art and science _xTechnological innovations
942			_2lcc _cBK
999			_c7032 _d7032