Thickening the Thin Red Line

During much of the 19th and early 20th century, the British Empire dominated the globe. This extensive Empire was maintained and expanded by a relatively small army. Native soldiers who played an essential role in military operations augmented Britain’s forces. Some of these indigenous units were extremely successful while others proved incompetent. This paper examines the history of several of these native formations and the aspects of their organization, which determined their relative success or failure. In closing, lessons are extrapolated from the British experience, which are relevant to modern-day military operations

Ancient history · British Empire · Closing (real estate · Economic history · Empire · Globe · Indigenous · Military history · Political science · Thickening · Anthropology: Ethics, History, Culture · Defense, Military, and Policy Studies · Engineering · History · Law · Military History and Strategy · Psychology