The Infantry Cannot Do with a Gun Less

Sanders Marble's "The Infantry Cannot Do with a Gun Less: The Place of the Artillery in the BEF, 1914-1918" breaks new ground by documenting the role of infantry in what is most often considered to be an artillery war. By showing that gunners in WWI conceptualized their role as a supporting arm, part of a 'fire and movement' structure designed to move other arms forward, Marble posits that artillery was only one element of a larger production. Marble's work meshes with histories on the institutional development of the BEF during WWI and shows that while the artillery's tools and methods changed almost beyond recognition, the arm's place in the army's military culture remained consistent, never asserting the French paradigm of 'artillery conquering, infantry occupying'.