The Face Of Battle : A Study Of Agincourt, Waterloo, And The Somme '

The Battle of the Somme epitomizes the harsh realities of trench warfare for the Allies and represents the negligent battle planning and technological advancements that are associated with the stalemate of World War One. Trench warfare was common across the Western Front, with similar strategies being employed by both opposing sides. Sir Douglas Haig, one of the British coordinators for the Somme offensive is blamed with an offensive strategy destined for failure. The British offensive, an utter failure, resulted in a stalemate, which was common throughout World War One. The British development of the tank, while it eventually ended the horrendous stalemate, was ineffectively used during the Somme.

MP1 One of the Carl Von Clausewitz’s central issues that describes war’s dynamic is the concept of “culminating point of victory.” Clausewitz advocated the idea that an offensive should be focused on the defender’s collapse, otherwise there is a “culminating point”, a momentum where the attacker loses his advantage for strategic victory. As he mentioned, “every attack which does not lead to peace must necessarily end up as a defense.” Military history has been enriched by battles of commanders with an overestimating self-confidence and high spirit who failed to identify this momentum. As a result, they lost the tactical advantage and they were defeated. Classical example in the World War II

Source A is somewhat useful for a historian studying the strategies and tactics used to break the stalemate on the Western Front. The source is a secondary source, as it is a history book written by British historian J M Bourne in 1989. The source recounts General Haig’s strategies and tactics, saying what the British General believed in and touching on the effectiveness of such military beliefs. While, the source is a historically book, the author’s personal bias shines through in his praise of Haig. His praise of Haig does not match with the historical evidence of what occurred at the Somme nor the general historical consensus. Therefore, Bourne’s source is useful in regards to describing the strategies and tactics that Heig believed in and

Generals Die in Bed certainly demonstrates that war is futile and the soldiers suffer both emotionally and physically. Charles Yale Harrison presents a distressing account of the soldiers fighting in the Western front, constantly suffering and eventually abandoning hope for an end to the horrors that they experience daily. The ‘boys’ who went to war became ‘sunk in misery’. We view the war from the perspective of a young soldier who remains nameless. The narrator’s experience displays the futility and horror of war and the despair the soldiers suffered. There is no glory in

General Tommy Franks defines well practiced leadership and superior intelligence for combat decision making. His personal values and character define how all Army leaders should lead their men. General Franks practices the Army Values religiously and sets an example for courage and commitment. His successful accomplishments will be addressed in this essay, including how the Warrior Ethos and Army values were displayed by his decisions.

In “The Face of Battle,” John Keegan analyzed the experiences of the individuals involved in the battles of the Somme and Waterloo; he thoroughly examined the advancements of industrialization in warfare and battle strategy between 1815 and 1916. The industrialization of modern warfare during the battle of the Somme, while progressive, was very much still in its experimental stages. While the inventions during this time period were later evolved into much more useful products, it seems as though the organized warfare in Waterloo was much more effective; the soldier’s mediocre training for the Somme was obvious in the chaotic events that occurred. While each battle was disastrous in their own ways, industrialization certainly improved means of warfare and the experience that the soldiers had.

When assessing the strategies formulated by the British Generals, the Somme is good example to evaluate. The fundamental issue with evaluating the Somme’s tactics is that it seemed to be lacking

John Keegan, the author of “The Face of Battle” is allowing the reader to view different perspective of history, from the eyes of the soldier. Although by his own account, Keegan acknowledges, “I have never been in a battle. And I grow increasingly convinced that I have very little idea of what a battle can be like.” Keegan scorns historians for pointing the finger of failure after an evolution occurs and not examining the soldier’s point of view while the battle is transpiring.

Drill and discipline, are what make it possible for a victory in battle. If warriors going into battle are not accurately trained in the practice of drill and discipline it can result in a mere senseless blood brawl ending with large amounts of casualties and grave losses. In the battle of Agincourt 1415 is was a battle between King Henry V of England whom wanted to reclaim lands both “won and lost during the previous century” from France which was under the rule of King Charles VI although the army outnumbered the English, it was in this battle the French suffered many casualties due to poor strategy. In the battle of Waterloo 1815 two hundred years later it was a battle between the English army commended by the Duke of Wellington and

Having proposed that military history has been failing in its duty, Keegan then continues to demonstrate how it should be done. The battles of Agincourt, Waterloo, and the Somme are the main interests of the book; these battles took place centuries apart and all involved British armies. He examines, in detail, which aspects of war changed or remain constant between the three battles. Keegan brilliantly and

The Battle of The Somme was the most significant battle in World War I because the tactics used on both the offensive and defensive side caused one of the bloodiest battles in military history. The Battle of The Somme was an enormous battle that lasted from July 1st, 1916, all the way to November 18th, 1916. The Battle of The Somme is also known as the Somme Offensive and was actually one of the bloodiest military battles in history. On just the first day, the British had already lost over 57,000 men. In the battle the British, later to be joined by the French as well, intended to take down the Germans on the Somme River, deep in northern France. By the time the battle ended in November, the British had suffered around 420,000 casualties, and the French lost about 200,000.

From 1914 to 1918, Allied Generals fought tirelessly on the sadistic and brutal Western Front. Though many famous historians such as Geoffrey Norman and Dr. Gary Sheffield have a variety of different opinions on the vast topic, one cannot specifically argue over the countless lives lost at the Battles of Somme and Passchendaele. Many allied generals were ineffective during World War I due to the lack of methodical war tactics such as attrition and inefficiency in modern-day fighting. Furthermore, allied leaders ultimately overcame many fallacies and fought brilliantly during the Last One Hundred Days, warranting their triumphant victory.

The British launched The Battle of the Somme to achieve two objectives. The first and most important goal was to relieve pressure on the French Army at Verdun, and the second was to inflict as heavy a loss as possible on the German Armies. The Battle of the Somme had to be fought to save the French Army from the crucifixion of Verdun. The head of the French Army, General Fock, and some leading British commanders did not believe this battle would help, but political masters in London and Paris supported the campaign. For many years The Battle of the Somme received much criticism for the way the battle was fought based on the number of casualties.

In those early July days the Isle lost 9 men on the Somme and close neighbours, Misterton and West Stockwith lost five! One of those was David Brannick from West Stockwith who was just 16 years old. He had enlisted as a ‘boy soldier,' the view being ‘if he’s keen enough, he’s old enough!’ Later, when John Lovelace showed the film - The Battle of the Somme, it brought home to many the grim reality of the war and the challenges men faced. It was a graphic record and did not avoid the realities of the fighting, the crumpled dead and the helpless wounded. Its effect was to strengthen further the resolve of families to ‘see this thing through.’ Private Frank Webster of Crowle summed it up in a letter home when he wrote, ‘ It is common knowledge that England was unprepared for such a campaign as this is, but she has similarly proved it was not beyond her power to rise to greatness when things were required and now that the Allies have started their offensive and that the ultimate climax is a matter of conjecture in England, the unanimous opinion (I might say certainty) out here is that Germany is beaten already. It is a question of time and place where we shall hear from what remains of the Fatherland

The Second Battle of the Ypres is my most horrifying experience to date in the Great War. I was the part of the Canadian forces in defence of the Gravenstafel Ridge, and this was the place that the Germans first used “gas warfare” against us. At first, I had no idea what it is; I had never even heard of something called gas before that day. When we saw a pale green cloud moving toward our trenches, we thought that the Germans were moving behind a smokescreen. We only found out the Germans’ true intention when the gas finally reached out trenches. The Algerian French forces fled immediately, leaving a huge gap in the defensive, but we stood our ground, as we had no protections, the gas was slowly asphyxiating us. Perhaps it is luck, or perhaps