MAN SHOUTS ORDERS They became the Special Forcesof their day - the elite - but the...
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MAN SHOUTS ORDERS They became the Special Forces
of their day - the elite - but the traditional field army
was slow to embrace them. The Rifles were initially sneered at
by those in command and they were seen as oddities
by other units. In fact, Lord Cornwallis
once described the rifle itself as "a very amusing plaything". But the rifle marked a new era in
the history of warfare. From now on, armies would face off
over far greater distances. At Waterloo, Redcoats engaged
at no more than 70 yards. They could see the faces
of their enemies. They could watch them
as they reloaded. Now, new technology
increased the range of engagement. But what did that do
to our ability to kill?
of their day - the elite - but the traditional field army
was slow to embrace them. The Rifles were initially sneered at
by those in command and they were seen as oddities
by other units. In fact, Lord Cornwallis
once described the rifle itself as "a very amusing plaything". But the rifle marked a new era in
the history of warfare. From now on, armies would face off
over far greater distances. At Waterloo, Redcoats engaged
at no more than 70 yards. They could see the faces
of their enemies. They could watch them
as they reloaded. Now, new technology
increased the range of engagement. But what did that do
to our ability to kill?
Full Transcript
00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:02.048
MAN SHOUTS ORDERS
00:00:02.048 --> 00:00:05.016
They became the Special Forces
of their day -
00:00:05.016 --> 00:00:06.004
the elite -
00:00:06.004 --> 00:00:10.008
but the traditional field army
was slow to embrace them.
00:00:12.016 --> 00:00:15.004
The Rifles were initially sneered at
by those in command
00:00:15.004 --> 00:00:17.092
and they were seen as oddities
by other units.
00:00:17.092 --> 00:00:21.076
In fact, Lord Cornwallis
once described the rifle itself
00:00:21.076 --> 00:00:24.064
as "a very amusing plaything".
00:00:24.064 --> 00:00:29.000
But the rifle marked a new era in
the history of warfare.
00:00:29.000 --> 00:00:33.024
From now on, armies would face off
over far greater distances.
00:00:33.024 --> 00:00:37.088
At Waterloo, Redcoats engaged
at no more than 70 yards.
00:00:37.088 --> 00:00:40.072
They could see the faces
of their enemies.
00:00:40.072 --> 00:00:42.092
They could watch them
as they reloaded.
00:00:42.092 --> 00:00:46.088
Now, new technology
increased the range of engagement.
00:00:46.088 --> 00:00:50.032
But what did that do
to our ability to kill?
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Movie Summary
Dr Sam Willis traces the history of the weapons that have shaped Britain.
