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In a fascinating book by Hugh Sebag-Montefiore on the courageous men in the British
army who fought the Germans to allow the escape from Dunkirk, some of these lessons
were highlighted. (Hugh Sebag-Montefiore, Dunkirk: Fight to the Last Man (Cam-
bridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2008).)

In writing the book, the author provided significant insight into how the British and
French lost to the Germans in the European forests and battlefields. Comments taken
from diaries of the survivors provide significant insight into lessons learned by not en-
gaging in the cultural revolution that one’s new technology provides.

The British and French had new equipment, which, if properly used and embedded into
appropriate concepts of operations, might well have led to a different outcome at the
beginning of the war.

And the first lesson here is simply to develop advanced equipment is not even half the
job. First and foremost: “The campaign showed that politicians must never, even in
peacetime, deprive their armed forces of the equipment they need. Complacently as-
suming that the equipment can be manufactured once war is declared is demonstrably
unwise.” (Ibid. xiv).

A second lesson learned is that if you do not adapt your command structure to the
technology, you will lose. A theme that the author developed was that although the
French had tanks, World War I generals who simply were not able to adapt to the tactics
of armored warfare commanded them. These difficulties were aggravated a hundred
times by the style of French leadership.

The soldier who should have had most influence on the way in which the first counter-
attack was mounted was X Corps’ commander General Grandsard, who had direct con-
trol over the divisions in the Sedan sector. He was a Corps’ commander General Grand-
sard, who had direct control over the divisions in the Sedan sector. He was a general of
the old school, who had not understood that French strategy must change in line with
Guderian’s (the German general in charge of the attack) new mobile tactics. (Ibid, 100.)

Second Line of Defense Lessons Learned at Pax River
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