Was Haig a Butcher or War Winner?

The Battle of the Bulge also known as “Ardennes Offensive”, started on December 16, 1944. The Battle of the bulge, is significantly known as what ruined the German army and brought about the end of the war. The battle got its name from poorly protected stretch of hilly, woody forest “bulge” that Germans made between its allies. Hitler used this area of 80-mile dense forest, believing that his forces would be able to surround and cut off

The First Battle of the Marne was the first major battle of World War I. Fought in September of 1914, the battle marked the end of the German advance toward Paris and the beginning of trench warfare. The battle exhibited a number of firsts in the history of warfare, motorized movement of troops and interception of radio communications. It indicated that the war would not be a quick victory for Germany (Klein, 2014). Joseph Joffre, the French Commander in Chief, exhibited ingenuity and leadership to yield a significant victory while the Helmuth von Moltke the younger, the German chief of staff, demonstrated a failure of mission command resulting in defeat.

Another source which supports the interpretation that British generals were incompetent is source B1. John Laffin worked as a tour guide in Australia. His parents both served witht he Australians in Gallipoli and France as nursing cops. Even though he didn’t have a history degree, he was a military historian who earned his living taking people on battlefield tours. He researched the war from the soldier’s viewpoint and wrote a successful history book titled “British Butchers and Bunglers of World War One” – a very emotive polemic title - which released to the public in 2003. The book aims to expose the guilt of ‘uncaring and stupid’ generals. The passage from the book says that Haig and other stupid generals must be blamed for ‘wilful blunders and wicked butchery’ and that there can never be forgiveness for their ‘sheer incompetence’. This source lacks reliability as it has been written in confidence with other sources he has researched online. Laffin only presents one side of the argument and doesn’t discuss the situation in Verdun. The passage of the book was written in 2003 – 80 years later from World War 1. However, his job as a tour guide in battlefields gives him an advantage over other historians. This source is supported by other historians (B8 an B1) and soldiers (B2). This interpretation is contradicted by sources like (B14).

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.

I suppose what the books says about me is that I’m a history nerd, and it's true to a point. I really enjoyed world history last year, so to get two perspectives from the war was awesome to me. There also seemed to be a lot of philosophical questions scattered around the book, things that made you want to put down the book, and think about. “It’s not a person you wish to fight, Madame, it’s a system. How do you fight a system”(269). This quote was one of many that really had me think, not only about the question, but about how the characters felt or thought. What I got from this quote is that people don’t really want to

The Battle of the Marne, Plan 17 and the Race to the Sea and the defensiveness of

Well, to start off with the Battle of Somme was ultimately won by the Germans. This is so because they had the more powerful military. According to documents B and C the Germans won the first day of the Battle. In document C he says “the youth of England bled to death.” Describes machine gunfire. and how “Belt after belt was fired…”. I also think that the German won because the British had started the Battle and whoever starts it usually loses. From the beginning the British did not achieve a breakthrough that penetrated the German lines and, end the war. From my knowledge, the Germans were able to contain the British offensive with locally available reserves, but didn't transfer any troops. Also the British suffered extremely heavy casualties,

The battle of Somme took place during the 1st of July and the 18th of November 1916 in the region Somme department of France, on both banks of the river of Somme. It was during the time of the First World War that Newfoundland was still under the power of the British Empire. Britain declared war on Germany in August of 1914. This was the beginning of Newfoundland's first regiment. There was a great response from Newfoundland with many proud Newfoundlanders ready to serve in the war. There was such a huge demand that from a population of 240,000 that more than 12,000 people joined up for the regiment. When war had been declared an enormous amounts of soldiers were being killed and the rapid progression of military warfare such as tanks, grenades and mines were being introduced promptly in large numbers. In order to end this war, generals came up with the conclusion of making what they called the "Big Push" which was the joining of the British and French troops against enemy Germany. These troops would start the assault at the Somme. This would be the Battle of Somme near Beaumont Hamel that the first Newfoundland Regiment would partake in. On the morning of July 1st thousands of British and French troops marched towards No Man's Land, within half an hour of walking to their destination, the troops were dramatically decreasing in soldiers

This may be due to the author’s own opinion or even the research McCullough did. McCullough may have read so many first hand accounts of General George Washington and other American leaders, such as Henry Knox and Nathanial Greene, that he formed an opinion of the war even before writing the novel. McCullough may have emphasized so deeply while reading the accounts of these men that he felt he needed to portray them as well and as detailed as he could and make the character understand them, resulting in making the other leaders seem almost inferior. This may also simply be a lack of first hand accounts on the British and Hessian side that were available to McCullough.

The first day of the battle of the Somme was a dreadful scene but a victory for the Germans.According to Document B: George Coppard (British soldier) ,it states that ,” Hundreds of dead,many of the British 37th Brigade..Quite as many died on the enemy wire as on the ground,like a fish caught in the net...The Germans faith in the wire had paid off.” This evidence shows that a lot of the British army had died due to the German’s barbed wire and as a result is was an horrendous scene to look at.Also written in Document C: Ottis Lais(German soldier),it states that,”As the destructive British shell rushed towards our artillery which was firing courageously..the british keep charging forward...Despite the fact that hundreds are already lying dead

In the book it states on page 22,“‘You can’t order me anymore, Father I’m a man.’ ‘A man? Your a boy, Sam, a boy dressed up in a gaudy soldiers suit.’ Oh he sounded bitter. ‘Father--’ ‘Go, Sam get out of my sight. I can’t bear to look at you anymore in that vile costume. Get out. And don’t come back until you come dressed as my son, not as a stranger.’”(Collier and Collier) The war is tearing the Meeker family apart, Mr. Meeker had just kicked his son out of his house calling him a stranger. The war is making them disagree and thus making them split up. The war has forced people to choose sides. When they do, they disagree to what side is better. A quote that also justifies the claim that war is vicious is on page 71 when it states, “‘Father, why can't I carry messages for Mr. Heron? You're on the Tory side, too.’ ‘Because I said so.’ ‘That's no reason,’ I said. He stared at me. ‘If you don't stop arguing with me, I'll thrash you, Timmy.’ ‘I don't care,’ I said. ‘If we're supposed to be Loyalists, we should help--’ He slammed his fist down on the table and then jerked his thumb toward his chest. ‘I'll manage the politics in this family,’ he said. ‘Father--’ ‘Timothy, goddamn it I'm going to--’”(Collier and Collier) Tim and his father are arguing about Tim delivering a message. If the war could not have occurred and Tim had to deliver a message it would not be a big deal, but because of

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.

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.

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 battle fought in World War 1. The battle of the Somme began when the French army required help from the British army to help fight the battle, Battle of Verdun, against the Germans. Britain went to the River Somme which distracted Germany so the German army divided in order to fight the Battle of the Somme and the Battle of Verdun at the same time. The battle of the Somme was fought by the British Empire against the German Empire. The British Empire was led by General Douglas Haig. General Douglas Haig was the senior officer and he led the western front from the late 1915 until the end of the war. General Douglas Haig served as the commander of the British Army for 3 years (1918-1921). Sadly 10 years after the war Haig passed away. The phrase ‘butcher of the Somme’ was given to General Douglas Haig. The phrase is given to General Douglas Haig as many people believe that he was responsible for the deaths of many innocent soldiers. The phrase ‘butcher of the Somme’ means how many soldiers died during the battle of the Somme due to the tactics General Douglas Haig used. Is General Douglas Haig a hero or butcher?