Was haig a butcher or war

The attack was less successful than Neuve Chapelle as the forty-minute bombardment only field guns and heavy guns was over a wider front and against stronger defences; Haig was still focussed on winning a decisive victory by capturing key ground, rather than amassing firepower to inflict maximum damage on the Germans.

Was haig a butcher or war

A plan he envisaged for mobilising the Indian army to send to Europe in the event of war there was vetoed by Viceroy Lord Hardinge.

The British and the French had squandered millions of men in futile offenses.

On several occasions mounted troops were brought up in anticipation of the breakout that, of course, never occurred. This may have made Rawlinson reluctant to stand up to Haig thereafter. Turner and R. He must be held accountable for the battles of the Somme and Passchendaele, but he must by the same token be given credit for the final victory. Haig also managed to capture 70 square miles of enemy territory, and drove the Germans off French soil, thus succeeded in pursuing the set objectives. Cavalry man A Presbyterian and firmly believing that God was on his side and therefore his decisions had to be right, Haig insisted on full frontal attacks, convinced that victory would come by military might alone. On 1 September, Lord Kitchener intervened by visiting French and ordering him to re-enter the battle and coordinate with Joffre's forces. Monro commanding 2nd Division , Brigadier-General J. Sir John French was forced to resign as CIGS, after having made the error of putting in writing a promise that officers would not be required to coerce Ulster; Haig respected Hubert Gough's principled stand but felt French had allowed himself to be used as a political tool by H. The attack was less successful than Neuve Chapelle as the forty-minute bombardment only field guns and heavy guns was over a wider front and against stronger defences; Haig was still focussed on winning a decisive victory by capturing key ground, rather than amassing firepower to inflict maximum damage on the Germans. As a result, at the Somme, Haig often made decisions based on out-of-date information.

Also, she lacked originality, as the source mentioned quoted the works of Gary Sheffield, and he might also be biased. Subsequent relations between the two men were not to be so cordial.

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The great commanders of history fascinate us, and we read their biographies looking for one or more character attributes we believe accounted for their success. InHaig was one of the founders of the Royal British Legion, becoming its first president, a post he held until his death, and helped introduce the poppy of remembrance into Britain.

Haig again told him that French should have been sacked in August Some writers at that time were hired by the Haig family to published books describing and commenting on the good deeds General Haig had demonstrated in the Sommes.

General haig good or bad leader

Haig, a man of few words and long silences, distrusted and despised politicians and journalists; unlike, say, Montgomery in the next war, he had no gift for public relations. This was not an emotion he felt. Hannibal, daring. It may have looked like a victory for the Allies but the reality was quite different, as subsequent operations against the line in would show. Then—BEF commander Sir John French was exhausted, demoralized and lacked confidence in himself and that of his immediate subordinates. Some writers at that time were hired by the Haig family to published books describing and commenting on the good deeds General Haig had demonstrated in the Sommes. The first day It is well-known that, by the end of the first day of fighting on the Somme, few objectives had been secured while 19, British soldiers were dead.

Haig evidently believed that will and resolve could carry any obstacle. Although Sir John French praised Haig's leadership of his corps, Haig was privately contemptuous of French's overconfidence prior to Mons and excessive caution thereafter.

Sir douglas haig good or bad

The man had a thing for horses, which is understandable in one who had been a cavalry officer during the infancy of the internal combustion engine. Over the course of the battle, about one million men were killed, wounded or captured. These people who fall into the Butcher group tended to think negatively of Haig, reviewed on the mistakes and lethal flaws he had made within the Battle of the Sommes, rather than revise the positive points about him, one of which would be actually winning the war. Despite not originally wanting the offensive, Haig had persuaded himself that decisive victory was possible, and it may be that French wanted to keep control of the reserve to stop them being thrown into battle needlessly. Haig travelled to London on French's behalf 23 November to consult Kitchener about the plan to expand the BEF and reorganise it into two armies. Swathed in sublime self-confidence, he always promised great success and, as events unfolded, changed the definition of success. Subsequent relations between the two men were not to be so cordial. Any Tommy could have told them that shell fire lifts wire up and drops it own, often in a worse tangle than before.

Kitchener met with Haig first and then with French. There was a section of the Sommes, and obviously, she had incorporated Haig in it.

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Since there was no wonder-weapon which could achieve victory there was no alternative but to wear the enemy down. Haig envisioned a vital role for the horse in his masterpiece, the Somme offensive. Many of the Generals and leaders have perpetual quarrels with General Haig and hated him even before the Battle of the Somme even occurred. Yet within a few years, Haig was no longer regarded as the architect of victory in the greatest and most terrible war the British Army had ever fought. This certain event had ignited the spark of vengeful hatred within Laffin, so he became biased and bombarded Haig through his book. The two corps were supposed to meet at Le Cateau but I Corps under Haig were stopped at Landrecies , leaving a large gap between the two corps. Even mud and machine guns. Haig's preference was to regain control of the Belgian coast by attacking in Flanders, to bring the coast and the naval bases at Bruges, Zeebrugge and Ostend a view also held by the Cabinet and Admiralty since into Allied hands and where the Germans would also suffer great loss if they were reluctant to retreat. Prudence becomes irresolution. For Britain and France the Western Front was where the war would have to be won. At one point Haig mounted his white horse to encourage his men, who were retreating around Gheluvelt, although in the event the town had just been recaptured by a battalion of the Worcesters before Haig's ride. There is nothing edifying in the biography of, say, Ambrose Burnside or any of the Union generals tormented by Stonewall Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley. Sir John French was forced to resign as CIGS, after having made the error of putting in writing a promise that officers would not be required to coerce Ulster; Haig respected Hubert Gough's principled stand but felt French had allowed himself to be used as a political tool by H.

He was popularly portrayed as a hero and given money and titles, but never another job. He drove on his subordinates, including Ivor Maxse, when he thought them lacking in "fighting spirit".

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Was Haig 'A Butcher'?