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Clausewitz's thoughts on the nature and character of war
Signifiacnc eof the battle of the somme
Clausewitz's thoughts on the nature and character of war
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Haig's Reputation as the Butcher of the Somme
In the run up to the war, Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig was appointed
the Director of Military Training. In an effort to create a reserve
standard army which could double up as a 'home front' defence force,
plus a fighting unit for use abroad, he managed to achieve this by
pushing for legislation that lead to the creation of the TA (Territory
Army) and the BEF (British Expeditionary Force) which were to be later
used in the war effort in the 'war to end all wars'. Haig is most
famously renowned for his involvement in the "hundreds of dead"
soldiers "strung out like wreckage" in the thickened barbed wire of
the failed attack of the Somme, after a relentless artillery barrage
on a fifteen mile stretch of front to the West. Continuing on from
this, he has so forth earned the sceptically based nickname "the
butcher of the Somme" as he sent so many brave, 'lions' to their death
never to see "Blighty" again. I personally belive that he was at
fault; however he doesn't deserve such a name as being a "butcher". In
this essay I will look at the evidence and arguments towards Haig
deserving such a reputation and also the facts which oppose this
motion.
"The nation must be prepared to see heavy casualty lists." This
statement by Haig himself shows the strong resemblance between himself
and a butcher by how a butcher would dismiss the meat of a lamb,
compared with the sacrificial ones which were sent over the top on the
Western Front. The "war of attrition" was for the winning so Haig's
over confidence "the men are in splendid spirits" reveals that he
seemed to not care about the fate of the ...
... middle of paper ...
...t hardened" and a basic "amateur army had learnt its
trade" in the most brutal circumstances. This serves to prove my
belief that Haig doesn't deserve being called "the Butcher of the
Somme".
In conclusion, I say that I have proved beyond doubt and assumption
that Haig doesn't deserve being labelled "the Butcher of the Somme".
This is because even though he was in charge, and so forth at the
forefront of the British "Dig for Victory" war effort, he was not at
complete fault. 19,240 soldiers died on the first day and in
subsequent days the death toll rose to 150,000 men in the Somme which
Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig is usually remembered for, however I
believe he has just been searched out as a person to blame; a
scapegoat for the whole situation of the horrific loss of life in the
foreign fields of the Somme.
Source A tells us that Haig did not care about his men and is willing
Operational leaders see how the individual components of an organization fit together and use those individuals work to make a larger outcome. When they focus on a problem, they think of what works best within the process and systems to make an impact on the situation. These types of leaders play a big part in making sure that things get done in an effective and functioning manner. According to the Army Doctrine ADP 6-0, the Army over time has strayed away from operational leaders and adapted Mission Command, which gives leaders the ability at the lowest level the capability to exercise disciplined initiative in an act of carrying out the larger mission . Mission Command is made up of the following six steps: Understanding, Visualize, Describe, Direct, Lead and Assess, in which a commander is responsible for. General Patton understood the intent of the Battle of the Bulge on different levels, he was able to form a mental image for the course of actions for the allies, enemies and lead his Army into combat while guiding his officers and soldiers to succeed in meeting his intent. The Battle of the Bulge is where General Patton gained one of his greatest military achievements by using his tactical leadership and logistical genius, which in return helped him turn around the main forces and forced the Germans to drive back in their final counter-offensive. General Patton strongly exercised Mission Command by understanding, visualizing, leading, and commanding what was known as the largest and bloodiest battle during World War II.
Stephen Ambrose speaks much on wars that America was directly or indirectly involved in. In one chapter, The Legacy of World War Two, he saw war, for the US and the Allies, in World War Two, as “not to conquer, not to enslave, not to destroy, but to liberate” (Ambrose 120) He goes on to say that “the Marshall Plan was the most generous act in human history.” (Ambrose 121) The Marshall Plan created NATO, the Berlin Air Lift and Ambrose swimming in patriotism claimed it was “the American spirit, more than American productive power, that made it so.” (Ambrose 121) He continues h...
The battle of the bulge was the final battle to defeat Nazi Germany in Europe. Russia did not have actual soldiers in the battle however, it was their strong efforts that drove Germany west enough for Great Britain and the United States to attack Germany on two sides.
Why the Battle of the Somme is Regarded as a Great Military Tragedy On 1st July 1916, General Haig prepared the battle plan for an offensive on German lines, designed to relieve the strain on French forces at Verdun and break through a strong line of German defences. While Haig would have preferred an attack further north, he was hopeful that the operation should be successful in drawing forces away from Verdun and killing as many German troops as possible as part of the “war of attrition”. The location was the Somme River. The details were worked out by General Haig and his deputy, General Rawlinson. The focus of the battle plan was a huge artillery bombardment, backed up by mines, collapsed beneath enemy territory with the aim of devastating German positions.
“The Battle of the Bulge, fought over the winter months of 1944 – 1945, was the last major Nazi offensive against the Allies in World War Two. The battle was a last ditch attempt by Hitler to split the Allies in two in their drive towards Germany and destroy their ability to supply themselves” (Trueman).
... being fierce soldiers in the British army, not only in WWI and WWII, but other wars, such as the Crimean, Napoleonic, Indian and Boer Wars.
said "Haig is brilliant up to the top of his army boots", when he was
...). The Global War On Terror: the Most Extensive . Pointer, Journal of The Singapore Armed Forces , 15-23.
entirely to blame for the failure at the Somme, and that it was not a
Haig Deserving the Title of Butcher of the Somme Not entirely. Haig only deserves the title because he is the one who put ‘the plan’ into action. He fought a war of attrition with the support of Lloyd George. The Somme was only really put into action to ease pressure on the French at the battle of Verdun. Because the Germans were bleeding the France white (Germany too incidentally, but
Benito Mussolini, was the Head of Government of Italy and Duce of Fascism also he was the prime minister of Italy; he said “Blood alone moves the wheels of history.” (World War II Tributes) Mussolini was saying that blood has many affects on American History because there were too many battles going on in the past and for those more to go. The battle of the Bulge started off with Hitler’s men who attacked the American positions on Elsensborn Ridge and Losheim Gap attempting to break through to Liège. Americans said that this battle was probably the bloodiest battle in America. The battle of the Bulge began on December 16th 1944; Hitler thought that he could take over the alliance from Britain, France, and America so he decided launching a massive attack on American forces. Many risked their lives and this was also a very bloody battle. In many cases there were a lot of people that did not know that the battle was a very bloody. The conflict of the Battle of the Bulge was very sentimental also at the same time it was very aggressive, many people lost their lives fighting over a mistake one man caused. If Hitler wouldn’t have came up with the idea of trying to take control of many countries then there wouldn’t have been men dying in this battle.
control was also a factor that can be said to make Haig a good war
of ground gained by the end of the battle. Haig lost 20,000 men in one
they led to the success of the Allied forces. It will also discuss how the