Originally Posted by
HMS Empire Broadsword
Koylan is the biggest Britain-Basher and much of what he says is wrong, exxadurated or just made up! By Viitoria, there were over 50,000 British troops in Spain. Earlier, ther had been around 25,000, which made the victories at Rolica and Talavera even more impressive. Wellington also often had to put up with incompetent and arrogant Spanish commanders who turne d up late for battle and their lazy, disorganised Spanish troops. Only later in the war when Spain had been given British trainng, money, weapons and powder, did they start to become an more effective fighting force.
The guerillas helped Wellsely more than the regular Iberian troops ever did, and they got much of their weapons, supplies and help from GB.
And in fact French troops in the Penninsula were usually good quality troops, under experienced and very able French commanders, who had beaten the Prussians, Russians, Austrians and whoever else countless times. They just werent good enough to beat Wellington and the British.
The British did definately NOT avoid big battles. Just go and read any account of the War, and you see the battles.
Nor were they afriad of taking losses. At Badajos in 1812, The British stormed breaches in the fortress walls and captured the city, taking over 5000 losses, mostly in the two breaches. Badajos was probably the strongest fortres in the whole war, and it was taken by British blood, bravery, and a refusal to be beaten. And that was just one of the many seiges. So dont EVER assume that Britain was afraid of takind losses or big engagements.
Dont underestimate the effect of British money and supplies to the other countries. If not, then they all would have been utterley conquered and defeated, without Britians money and supplies to keep their armies going. And can i point out, that none of the loans from Britain were ever paid back.
So not only did Britain fund the war for Russia and Austria and Prussia, it drove the French back from Lisbon in Portugal to Toulouse in France, helped by a few Spanish and Portugeese regular troops (trained, led, supplied and paid for by Britain) and a lot of brave guerillas (supplied, armed and paid by Britain).
There is no...British propaganda about the Napoleonic War. In fact, the Army's massive contribution is often overlooked and forgotten, as the Royal NAvy gets much of the credit for Trafalgar and all the other engagements. So GB gets far less credit than it deserves for the Napoleonic War, even from itself, and definately not from the other Aliied countries, who would have been conquered if not for British money and support, and a second front opened by the British in Spain.
Here is some more proof that Wellington was a first-rate genral: At the battle of assaye, in 1803, 14,000 British troops and Sepoys under the IEC defeated over 100,000 Maratha troops. Britain had 19 small cannons, the Marathas had over 100 heavy guns. Wellesly was hopelessly outnumbered in every way. But he advanced his excellent Highland infantry, up a slope, under fire from all the Marathas heavy guns, and into the hordes of Maratha infantry, who where annihalated by the Scots. So Wellington beat over 100,000 Marthas with over 100 heavy guns with 14,000 Scots and Sepoys and 19 pea-shooters. Skill or what.
Let me give you a quote of Napoleon "Give me control of the (English) Channel for 6 hours, and I shall rule the world." Britain was more important than Russia, as it was funding the rest of the allies, and it was blockading France. In the end, it was British troops, skill, ships and money, not anything else, that playd the biggest part in defeating France, KOYLAN.