Blaming Haig for the Slaughter of the Somme 1. Source A is a balanced source. It is from a book called Field Marshal Haig, which was written by the historian Philip Warner in 1991 makes this source Secondary Evidence because it was written some time after the war. It contains both pro Haig and also anti Haig parts. Here are some of the pro Haig points, "If the criterion of a successful general is to win wars, Haig must be judged a success". This statement praises General Haig in the
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
The Battle of the Somme, or “humanity’s bloodiest battle”, took place between July 1st and November 18th, 1916 (Wikipedia). The German Empire was pitted against the French and British Empires, resulting in over 1,000,000 men wounded or killed, 60,000 of them being on the first day of the battle. This battle was one of the largest and bloodiest battles on World War I, making it consequential to the French, British, and German Empires. Although there were many consequences of the battle the main consequences
Reasons Why the Battle of the Somme is Regarded as Such a military Tradgedy Introduction ============ The battle of the Somme was a battle that took place in Eastern France and close to the border of Belgium. The battle of the Somme got its name because it was fought along the valley of the River Somme. The battle of the Somme began on the 1st of July 1916; the aim of the battle was to try and break the stalemate and to help relieve some of the pressure on the French at Verdun. The
the Somme, July-November 1916, was the largest military encounter in history to date, involving over 1.5 million men”, says Furtado, author for History Today (10). Out of this 1.5 million, around 75 to 83 percent died or were injured by the end of the Battle of the Somme. Furtado later remarks that “...troops from Canada, Newfoundland..., South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, West Indies, India, China, Senegal, North Africa, Madagascar, Somalia, Indochina, and others” were all at the Somme (11)
Planning the Battle of the Somme On 1st July 1916, Haig and Joffre planned a joint attack on the German lines near Bapaume (although Haig would have preferred to fight further north). The action was designed to relieve some of the strain on Verdun. Haig was quite hopeful that it would break through the German lines and bring the Allies victory. Artillery Bombardment The attack was preceded by an eight-day artillery bombardment, in which 1537 British guns fired 1,723,873 rounds. The
The Battle of the Somme was one of the most famous battles that took place during World War One. Germany had believed that a war with Russia was likely to occur and if that happened then they would also come into attack from France. In order to avoid attack from both sides Germany planned to attack France first and then Russia, believing that Russia would need 6 weeks to attack them and they could defeat France in that time. This was the basis of the Schlieffen Plan. Germany attacked France through
Battle of the Somme as a Military Disaster The battle of the Somme was fought in France by the combined British and French armies against the Germans. On the 21st of February 1916 the Germans launched an attack to capture Verdun, which held a key position over the River Meuse and the Eastern front. The German offensive slowly gained ground and the desperate French pleaded for assistance from the British. In an effort to relieve the pressure on the French, the British commander in chief
Military Achievements of the British at the Battle of the Somme Post-war British folklore has deemed the Battle of the Somme a military catastrophe of the greatest kind. The image of the reckless slaughter of British troops on July 1st 1916 and the idea of "Lions being led by Donkeys"1 to their fate, which compromised of death is what resides in the minds of most regarding the Battle of the Somme. If at all a victory, it would have been classed as a 'Phyrric Victory'. On the surface it seems
Film The Battle of the Somme Compared With the Real Event Casualty figures over 60,000 by the 19th December 1915. The Battle of the Somme continues until General Haig calls a halt to the attack and even then the British have only gained 8 km and lost over 400,000 men. In August 1916, the film, 'The battle of the Somme' was released by the British government to provide a realistic source of information into what the war was really like for the General Public. Over the past decades historians
The battle of the Somme was one of the most tragic battles fought during World War I. The amount of life lost on both sides was tremendous and historians everywhere agree that this battle was one of the bloodiest battles fought. With casualties upwards of a million, it is not surprising that the Somme is often referred to as the ‘bloodbath’. Historian Martin Gilbert explores the severity of the battle in his book; The Somme: Heroism and Horror in the First World War. In his book he attempts to pay
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 Battle of The Somme The Battle of the Somme also known as the Somme Offensive was a significant battle that was fought during World War One and had a major impact on the outcome of the war. This battle was fought between 1 July 1916 to 18 November 1916 along the Western Front as well as many other battles. The British and French empires fought against the German Empire with the intention to relieve the French Army fighting at Verdun and to weaken the German Army. The location of this battle is
The Battle of The Somme The battle of the Somme also known as the Somme Offensive was a significant battle which influenced the outcome of World War One. It’s commemorated today to acknowledge the Australians who showed bravery and the sacrifices to support our country. The location took place at the western front in France on July 1st, 1916 to 18th November 1916. The soldiers in the war experienced a horrible death. The battle ended with a bloody victory for the French, 420,000 casualties for the
other, Imperialism: countries controlled by a leader, Nationalism: ones devotion to their country, Assassination: The act if murdering a person in a secretive fashion. These started conflict then eventually chaos. There's multiple reasons why the Somme started, the French were under attack at Verdun and needed some assistance, the land itself was a vantage point and it was planned as a quick way to end the war. It was deemed at the time to be one of the most important fights of the war. The British
General Haig's Background and Military Experience General Haig is one of the most important men in world war history, made famous for his tactics of the battle of the Somme, where thousands of soldiers died, apparently needlessly. In this question, I will be looking into Haig's life, and how it shaped him into the army leader in 1915. [IMAGE]Text Box: Haig at private school in 1887. He is at the extreme left of the back row. Haig was born in 1862, the youngest of eleven children, to
numerical manpower would prove to be the determining factor in victory. Both source 19.L and source 19.K explore the perceptible need of numbers initiated by officers clearly evident by the persistent of sending troops in 'line by line' at the Somme in 1916, during the peak of the 'war of attrition' in the belief that the sheer mass of resources would destroy the enemy. The tactics, which developed directly from trench warfare and the desperate attempt to break the stalemate, culminated
of the Somme Battle. In the morning, as soon as I had got up, the first Englishmen arrived, and the last did not disappear until long after sunset. Boelcke once said that this was the El Dorado of the flying men”. This was quoted from a German soldier named Manfred von Richthofen. This was how he was describing July 1st 1916 as the British forces were walking towards his position in no mans land. July 1st would go down as the bloodiest day in the British military history. Battle of Somme was one
Jünger’s message seems to relate that it is sometimes necessary to fight in the name of family and to protect one’s nation. Jünger witnessed the brutality of the war and it shook him to a point of devastation (particularly after the Battle of Somme and toward the end), but he refused to allow it to overcome him and rejoiced in the short and simple moments of beauty in life. Works Cited Jünger, Ernst, and Michael Hofmann. Storm of Steel. New York: Penguin, 2004. Print.
The Conduct of British Generals in World War One In 1914 the First World War, or the Great War, broke out in Europe. It involved the two main alliances of Europe at the time; one alliance was the triple entente with Germany, Austro-Hungary and Serbia, the other alliance, the triple alliances, had Britain, France and Russia creating a ring of steel around Germany. This war of attrition was to take the lives of 8.5 million combatants and would change the way warfare was conducted and portrayed