There was nothing wrong with learning from others' advanced experience. The mistake was that several of those in charge of reform happened to be elitists—and Francophiles.
Because it differed from the mainstream military thinking of Britain and France, Archduke Charles's military doctrine went unrecognized for a considerable time. No matter how successful skirmish lines proved to be, they still stubbornly pursued formation tactics.
Even though the Austrian Empire's army had by then been equipped with such a devastating weapon as the Lever-action Rifle, its fundamental doctrine remained line tactics.
Had it stopped there, Franz would merely have called these people inflexible mediocrities.
But beyond that, what these elite Francophiles taught was not merely British and French tactical theory, but British and French ideas and styles of conduct as well.
Of course, if they had simply copied everything wholesale, like the Japanese navy learning from the British navy, the problem would not have been so severe.
Yet the reality was that these people were learning from their idealized Britain and France. The most direct manifestation was that Austrian military academy students had to spend enormous amounts of time studying the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Battlefield Etiquette, as well as how to become gentlemen.
When Albrecht angrily piled these materials onto Franz's desk, Franz could scarcely believe his eyes. He was beginning to regret not having attended military academy himself; otherwise, he certainly would not have allowed something so absurd to happen.
Most crucially, that so-called Battlefield Etiquette could not be found in Britain at all. It had been entirely reverse-engineered by this lot from British and French war novels and a handful of rumors.
"How did these people get in? None of the previous military reforms managed to touch them?"
Franz could not help voicing the question.
"Franz,