Was Haig really “a donkey leading lions”? General Douglas Haig was the commander of the British army during WW1. He was accused of getting soldiers killed‚ and sacrificing thousands of men just to win the war. They blamed him because he was the commander and all orders came from him or passed through him. Approximately 900‚000 British soldiers died and about 3/4 of these deaths were due to rubbish leadership. The main reason he was blame was because of bad leadership. It was said by Gary Sheffield
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The issue of Douglas Haig’s role as a general on the Western Front‚ during the Battle of the Somme in 1916‚ has been thoroughly questioned by many historians to date. Through different views and opinions‚ Haig’s skills have been both heavily celebrated and criticised. Therefore he has been viewed as both ‘Butcher of the Somme’ and the ‘Architect of Victory’‚ much evidence supporting both arguments. However the majority of people seem to favour the idea of Haig being a merciless leader‚ which is completely
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Douglas Haig: One of the “Butchers” The level of violence and loss experienced during the First World War was unlike anything that the world had seen before. The number of nations involved far surpassed any war that preceeded it. Only a handful of countries around the world were able to remain neutral‚ thereby protecting their populations from the massive losses that destroyed Europe. Technological advances in weaponary‚ new battle tactics‚ and the largest european armies ever raised were put
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Interpretation that Haig was a Butcher: Source B2 was written by P. Smith a private in the 1st Border Regiment during the Somme describes the battle from how he saw it during the battle. He described it as “pure bloody murder” on the battlefield and he goes on to say in the source how Haig should have been “hung‚ drawn and quartered for what he did at the Somme”. He also goes on later to see how “The cream of British manhood was shattered in less than 6 hours”. Source B2 is reliable because of
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Battle of Somme July-November 1916 Why did the British decide to launch an offensive on the Somme? The French were fighting the Germans alone at Verdun‚ in an attempt to retain control of the historic fortress town. The French Commander in Chief‚ Joffre‚ asked the British to mount an offensive on the nearby Somme‚ to deflect the Germans. The offensive was planned by the British Commander‚ Douglas Haig. What was the Plan? The plan was to launch a week long bombardment of the German trenches
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Battle of Amiens | Part of the Western Front of the First World War | Amiens‚ the key to the west by Arthur Streeton‚ 1918. | Date | 8–12 August 1918 (major combat) | Location | East of Amiens‚ Picardy‚ France | Result | Decisive Allied victory | | Belligerents | British Empire * Australia * Canada * United Kingdom France United States | German Empire | Commanders and leaders | Ferdinand Foch Sir Douglas Haig Henry Rawlinson Sir John Monash Sir Arthur
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AMEDD CAPTAINS CAREER COURSE GENERAL MCCLELLAN AND THE BATTLE OF ANTIETAM SUBMITTED TO MR. KEN FRANK SMALL GROUP 7 MISSION COMMAND PAPER BY CPT CHRIS KOLBOSKY AMEDD CENTER AND SCHOOL‚ FT. SAM HOUSTON‚ TX 03 FEBRUARY 2014 INTRODUCTION Building a movement always challenges the status quo. Leaders must act‚ they must willingly risk the things they love and unfortunately‚ many leaders are frozen by the lethargy of indecision i. Union General George B. McClellan‚ who was meticulous in his
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Battle of Passchendale: 1) Background: a. General Douglas Haig‚ British General‚ believed that the morale of the German army was very low - especially after the success of the Allies at the Battle of Messines. i. He thought that the Allies could use this low morale and go across Flanders without much trouble. b. British were afraid that the Russians were going to pull out soon so they had to attack soon before the German forces only had to focus on the western
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soldiers died in battle and an additional 13 million civilians lost their lives. ‘The aftermath of World War 1 marked the practical end of monarchy on the continent and of European colonialism throughout the rest of the world’ (sparknotes.com‚ 2014). World War 1 changed modern history forever. Sir Douglas Haig remains one of the most controversial figures of World War 1. Some believe he was a hero‚ however‚ in my opinion‚ General Haig is to blame for the devastating losses of several battles due to his
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The Battle of Passchendaele The Battle of Passchendaele is remembered for its atrocious conditions‚ high casualty rates and Canadian valor. Canadians‚ instrumental in securing victory‚ earned a total of nine Victoria Crosses for their courage. Located near the town of Ypres where another brutal battle occurred‚ a small town called Passchendaele sat‚ unaware of the brutal future that was to come. Although it had very little strategic value‚ General Douglas Haig of the Royal British Army was
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