<P> The pre-war British Army was trained and equipped to be a small , mechanised , professional army . Its main function was to garrison the British Empire . It became evident early in the war that its initial structure and manpower was woefully unprepared and ill - equipped for a war with multiple enemies on multiple fronts . The British Army , an all - volunteer force until 1939 , was small in comparison to its enemies at the start of the Second World War in 1939 , as it had been in the First World War . By the end of the Second World War , however , over 3.5 million men had served in the British Army . </P>
<P> The pre-war British Army was trained and equipped to be a small , mechanised , professional army . Its main function was to garrison the British Empire . It became evident early in the war that its initial structure and manpower was woefully unprepared and ill - equipped for a war with multiple enemies on multiple fronts . The British Army , an all - volunteer force until 1939 , was small in comparison to its enemies at the start of the Second World War in 1939 , as it had been in the First World War . By the end of the Second World War , however , over 3.5 million men had served in the British Army . </P>
how many troops did great britain have in ww2
how many troops did great britain have in ww2
over 3.5 million men
over 3.5 million men