Cowards?

This is coolbert:

From a Daily Mail article by Mr. Max Hastings in 2009:

"After a series of military defeats even Churchill started to fear that our Army was simply too yellow to fight"

The English perceived by some during that period of the Second World War [WW2] as a bunch of yellow-bellied cowards not willing to fight the Axis forces, and even when in mortal combat, not showing that necessary resolve, quite inept and un-professional, pathetic?

Especially so in the aftermath of Singapore, Tobruk, Dieppe, the Channel Dash!

This too from Mr. Hastings. Those troops in contact with the Axis forces in north Africa particularly defeatist, terrible when contrasted with the highly motivated and ably led German contingents of the Afrika Korps.

"As for the rear echelons in North Africa, these were a disgrace. Among staff officers at headquarters in Cairo, a sybaritic lifestyle flourished, reminiscent of the 'cha‚teau generalship' of World War I."

Sybaritic: "1. pertaining to or characteristic of a sybarite; characterized by or loving luxury or sensuous pleasure: to wallow in sybaritic splendor."

"Among the men, sloth and corruption flourished. Tens of thousands of British soldiers in base camps were allowed to pursue their own lazy routines, selling stores, fuel and even trucks for private profit."

Pilferage and theft of war munitions and military stores by supply, service and logistical personnel seems to be a common during WW2? The black market provided a means for poorly paid troops to become if not rich at least wealthy? Even IF AT THE EXPENSE OF THEIR OWN COMPATRIOTS AND OFTEN IN LEAGUE WITH LOCAL CRIMINAL ELEMENTS!

The English did it, the Americans did it, I suppose just about everyone did it. Any devoted reader to the blog know of an exception to the rule?

Mr. Hastings not only on this single occasion disparaging those troops of England and the British Empire. Also did the same for the Australians as was the topic of a previous blog entry.

As to the question of the English being a bunch of yellow-bellied cowards unwilling to fight for their own survival. NO! Emphatically NO! For a period of time during WW2 the British stood more or less alone arrayed against the Axis and held the line and did so quite bravely.

coolbert.