[quote=Pepperm1nts]
I'm not grasping at straws. I'm repeating what you said earlier. You suggested that the UK and France ought to make orders to turn their resources into military equipment. If you're so quick to suggest that, why should it only apply to them? You ought to have to make silly orders too.
[/quote]

Because the default posture of the French, British and other governments is "Making automatically equipment inferior to Prussia". They don't have the factories or knowhow or werewithal or what to emulate the needle gun and Krupp steel cannon. Prussia is buying winter clothes equivalent to the British and French.