British Army Cold Weather and Mountain Warfare Training in the Second World War

Abstract

While the British Army fought the Second World War in the temperate climes of Europe, the deserts of North Africa and the jungles of Malaya and Burma it devoted considerable resources to training and equipping troops to fight in cold weather and mountain warfare. This article will review three different scenarios where the British Army sought to develop units to fight in this specialised environment, the methods they utilised, and the lessons learned from each attempt.