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Battle of the somme military tradgedy
Why Haig was to blame for the mismanagement of The Somme
What was haig's role in the somme
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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 that wasn't the plan) and the British (Haig) were forced into making an ill planned attack which cost them greatly as everyone knows. Haig was under great pressure so he’s decisions may be not have been rational. One of the main events of the battle was the Artillery attack. It was supposed to happen to allow the soldiers to leave the trenches. Germany had to withdraw troops from the attack on Verdun to meet the threat posed by the Somme offensive. The British marched across no-mans land as the attack moved forward. As a result keeping the Germans in their trenches, and retreating/dying. As soon as the bombardment stopped the Germans realised it had allowing the German machine gunners to allow the destruction they did, and also bring up some heavy/medium/light artillery to hit no-mans land. In this battle 425 thousand British troops were killed and 500 thousand German soldiers were killed. The Somme was a huge military disaster from most points of view though. But it served its purpose. ‘The cost of victory was appalling, but Haig’s military methods were in line with the ideas of the time’. This suggests that what Haig did was what other commanding general’s would have done and so it was not all entirely his fault because it was the ‘normal’ thing to do. He made it difficult for people to tell him bad news about the battle. This was a big mistake and it meant that anyone trying to tell him something would be afraid of the way he would react. They would distort the news to make it sound like the battle is going better than
Gage was the one to be a soldier who hated war. Thomas Gage took part in the battle of Culloden, the French and Indian War, and in the conquest of Canada. He witnessed the British defeat at Fontenoy which changed his outlook of battles. “He was the younger son of an aristocratic Anglo-Catholic family with its seat at Firle Place, Susses, in the south of England” (Fi...
“The war correspondent is responsible for most of the ideas of battle which the public possesses … I can’t write that it occurred if I know that it did not, even if by painting it that way I can rouse the blood and make the pulse beat faster – and undoubtedly these men here deserve that people’s pulses shall beat for them. But War Correspondents have so habitually exaggerated the heroism of battles that people don’t realise that real actions are heroic.”
demonstating his carelessness over casualtiles, Passchendaele proved Currie’s concern for he preservation fo the lives of the men under his command; indeed, Currie’s actons throughout th war stand as strong evidence of his desire, and ability, to win battles only at the least possible cost. A lot of Canadians, veterans and conscripts alike, had little regard for General Currie. Passchendaele convinced many of them that victory was his old consideration.
Source A tells us that Haig did not care about his men and is willing
After each confrontation where casualties occurred Chamberlain was sure to visit with each individual soldier or group of soldiers and be certain they didnt need the attention of a doctor. He also took time to get to know his men and build relationships with them. Through this act Chamberlain gained more respect, even, than Lee because his soldiers not only knew who they were fighting for, but also knew that if they died fighting for him they would die in honor under the command of a caring and passionate man. To be a good soldier you must love the army. But to be a good officer you must be willing to order the death of the thing you love. This is a very hard thing to do. ~Robert E. Lee (The Killer Angels Pg. 191)
He noticed that things were being done differently from the other setups, which had been false. This time they were packing more ammo and the commander came out to see them off. The troops were being sent in because warlords were allowing their people to starve to death. The world had sent food, and the warlords hoarded it. The world has decided to stop this.
To illustrate, according to Churchill, it indicates the worst side of World War I as how it was the most damaging and cruel war of humanity because it was global and wounded most people. Moreover, it confused the thought of how the war started, who was responsible for the war, and how it ended up, and no one still got a right answer, but the previous war was not cruel that kill most of the people around the world. It was well known who started the war and whose fault it was. Also, Generals in WWI were not participating directly with their soldiers and were sitting far from the wars with having information through telephones. Therefore, they had less effects on their soldiers, and the armies did not get encouragement from their Generals as in the previous wars had, such as the physical battle of Hannibal and Caesar, Turenne and Marlborough, Frederick and Napoleon. Another point of view in the essay is that Generals as Napoleon have hard work to do in order to attack a place. For instance, they should organize their armies, have better tactics and plans, know how to defeat themselves, know the right time of attacking, and make big decisions. Hence, it is the deal of thousands of men’ life including the General himself in the previous wars, but the World War I was only the armies and citizens as well were the victims, so Generals were disappearing. That’s why
Although, World War II lasted 6 years, the Battle of the Bulge with its planning, skills, and landings marked the “beginning of the end.” The Battle of the Bulge started on December 16, 1944 and was a last ditch attempt started by Adolf Hitler to separate Britain, France, and America into two. Hitler was sure that the Allies- Britain, France, and America- were not strong enough for the German forces and that he could disperse their coalition and cut off the Allies. Adolf’s plan was to launch an immense attack using three armies. He wanted to abolish, or take a huge port, of Ahtwerp which is where the Allies got a large portion of their supplies. While his plan was a very illogical plan, he believed that it would work. Germany had been in a retreat since D-Day and was looking for some way or somehow to defeat to Allies (Trueman),
General Patton was a devoted student of history, a poet, a humble man who was very unsure of his own abilities, a man who could bust into tears at any given moment, and could be charming or quite insulting all in the same hour. His reckless, outspoken manner gained him friends and enemies of equal determination. General Patton was not only extrovert of public perception but he also had an intensely private side. He was a man who trained himself for greatness with a determination matched by no other Allied General of World War Two. During the war, Patton led U.S. troops in Morocco, Tunisia, and Sicily, then took command of the Third Army, leading the troops through the German lines at Normandy to traverse France and eventually into the heart of Germany. His toughness on enemies as well as his own forces earned him the name “Old Blood and Guts.” General George Smith Patton’s leadership and tactics were the best of any Allied general of World War Two.
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.
One of the most famous Pals Battalion was the Bradford Pals who were in the battle of Somme. They Were all from the town of Radford and over 200 of them left school at Radford High to join the military. The Battle of Somme as recalled by members of the battalion, “ We were wiped out door to door.”1 There were many casualties and only 146 men remained from the 800 men that went into battle with the Bradford Pals. They were just brave volunteers from Bradford who were up against the most trained fighting force in Europe. The German troops were thouroughly trained and were entrenched with machine guns that could cut down British soldiers as they crossed the fields in battle. Despite the large loss of life the Bradford Pals have not been forgotten and are in fact one of the most well known Pals Battalions who ever fought for the British.
said "Haig is brilliant up to the top of his army boots", when he was
1 - I believe that Eric Hobsbawm has the most convincing thesis because I agree with him. Each country at the time was on a “mad rampage” for resources and supplies. While conquering countries, they didn’t realize that they don’t have any right to take over places such as Africa where most people are unable to fight back and can’t do anything about it. If you think about it, all these countries can’t just take over the world, they will run into each other, which they end up doing so causing tension to build up over time. This tension can easily led to a war eventually.
The Battle: The Story of the Bulge is not a book about how the American’s used sheer numbers and force to overcome the Germans. It is a story of how the GI, who was independent, cocky, and had poor garrison etiquette, overcame the odds and became an unlikely strong adversary thus winning the battle. I can relate to the GI because I find myself at times to be cocky and not always wanting to take orders I don’t agree with. I think this relation helped me to understand some of the emotions the soldiers expressed throughout the
All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Remarque, is a classic anti-war novel about the personal struggles and experiences encountered by a group of young German soldiers as they fight to survive the horrors of World War One. Remarque demonstrates, through the eyes of Paul Baumer, a young German soldier, how the war destroyed an entire generation of men by making them incapable of reintegrating into society because they could no longer relate to older generations, only to fellow soldiers.