General haig battle of the somme. July 1, 1916, The Battle of the Somme: General Haigâs Murderous âGreat Push Forwardâ 2022-10-06
General haig battle of the somme Rating:
6,1/10
591
reviews
General Douglas Haig was a British Field Marshal and the commander-in-chief of the British Army during the First World War. He is most famously known for his role in the Battle of the Somme, one of the largest and deadliest battles of the war.
The Battle of the Somme was fought in 1916, primarily on the Western Front in France. It was a joint effort between the British and French armies, with the goal of breaking through the German lines and ending the stalemate of trench warfare. Haig was the overall commander of the British forces, and he oversaw the planning and execution of the battle.
Haig faced a number of challenges in the lead-up to the battle. The British Army was still in the process of expanding and training new soldiers, and Haig faced criticism for the high number of casualties suffered by the British forces in previous battles. He also faced resistance from some of his own generals, who were skeptical of his plan for the Somme and preferred a more defensive approach.
Despite these challenges, Haig persisted with his plan for the Somme. On July 1, 1916, the British and French armies launched a massive assault on the German lines, with over 100,000 soldiers going over the top on the first day alone. The fighting was intense, with both sides suffering heavy casualties. The battle continued for four and a half months, with little ground gained by either side.
Haig's leadership during the Battle of the Somme has been the subject of much criticism and debate. Some have argued that he was responsible for the high number of casualties suffered by the British forces, and that his tactics were outdated and ineffective. Others have defended Haig, pointing out that he was operating in a difficult and complex situation, and that he was under immense pressure to deliver a victory for the Allies.
In the end, the Battle of the Somme did not achieve its strategic goals. The German lines were not breached, and the battle ended in a costly stalemate. However, it did serve as a turning point in the war, as it demonstrated the sheer scale and intensity of the fighting on the Western Front, and it helped to pave the way for future Allied victories.
Despite the controversial nature of his leadership, General Douglas Haig remains an important figure in the history of the First World War. His role in the Battle of the Somme, for better or for worse, will always be remembered as a defining moment in the conflict.
Battle of the Ancre
Three counter-attacks made on the evening of the 3rd September against our troops in Guillemont all failed with considerable loss to the enemy. The first and second systems each consisted of several lines of deep trenches, well provided with bomb-proof shelters and with numerous communication trenches connecting them. Haig, Douglas, first Earl Haig 1861â1928 Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn January 2011ed. A necessary preliminary, therefore, to an assault upon it was to secure the spur and the Sailly-Saillisel heights. The blood of the nations was poured into conditions of such horror and violence.
July 1, 1916, The Battle of the Somme: General Haigâs Murderous âGreat Push Forwardâ
German planes saw the British preparing for attack so this gave the Germans new ideas on how to defence the trenches and this was not Haigs fault. It was very good of him and I am certain I have a good friend and staunch ally⌠thanks to his strong character and personality. On several occasions he had seen how opportunities in France and Belgium were not fully exploited because attacks were not ambitious enough. Our footing on the crest of the Le Transloy Spur was extended and secured, and the much contested tangle of trenches at our junction with the French left at last passed definitely into our possession. Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television.
General Douglas Haig's Victory In The Battle Of The Somme
The German Army at Cambrai. The French Army is moving rapidly and in great force to our support. I was, therefore, well content with the situation on this flank. On our right the enemy was driven from his last foothold in Trones Wood, and by 8. The expression on the mans face is shocked and bewildered.
Sir Douglas Haig's second despatch (Battle of the Somme)
XXI 1 : 80â101. More than one hundred and twenty miles of water mains were laid, and everything was got ready to ensure an adequate water supply as our troops advanced. Over 500 prisoners were taken in the operations of the 9th September and following days, making the total since the 1st July over 17,000. By the end of May the pressure of the enemy on the Italian front had assumed such serious proportions that the Russian campaign was opened early in June, and the brilliant successes gained by our Allies against the Austrians at once caused a movement of German troops from the Western to the Eastern front. The History of the 51st Highland Division, 1914â1918.
There is no other course open to us but to fight it out. A man who gained his ends by trickery of a kind that was not merely immoral but criminal. Next day, Falkenhayn ordered the 7,080 BEF casualties, 5,533 losses were incurred by the 1,600â2,000, with 150 taken prisoner. He has never seen, indeed could never have imagined, such a magnificent display of gallantry, discipline and determination. The health of the troops has been most satisfactory, and, during the period to which this despatch refers, there has been an almost complete absence of wastage due to disease of a preventable nature. This is one of the occasions where doubt has been cast on the authenticity of Haig's diary.
He was also a celebrated commander of the Boer war, but the Africans were weaker and were poorer equipped. Retrieved 22 June 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2015. Against Joffre's wishes, Haig abandoned the offensive north of the road, to reinforce the success in the south, where the Anglo-French forces pressed forward towards the German second line, preparatory to a general attack on 14 July. That explains why Rawlinson advocated pausing after capturing the first position while the artillery was dragged forward.
Rawlinson, in his original plan, had favoured a 48â72 hour bombardment, over the alternative, a hurricane onslaught lasting just five to six hours. The only to have won this battle, was Lions Led by Donkeys Essay Example In 1916 witnessed the commencement of the battle of the Somme. Why was Haig a bad general? Those calls have invariably been met with conspicuous success, and no service has shown a more whole-hearted and untiring energy in the fulfilment of its duty. The Guardsmen: Harold Macmillan, Three Friends, and The World They Made. They had driven him back over a distance of more than a mile, and had carried four elaborately fortified villages.
Keegan then moves through the main phase of each battle, attempting to make sense of the major events, providing the frame and context necessary in order to begin considering the combatants: how the soldiers felt before the battle, what actually happened when the troops engaged, focusing-in on what these nuanced psycho-sociological details provide. The number of prisoners passed back at the close of the 5th July had already reached the total of ninety-four officers and 5,724 other ranks. The objectives on the British front included the villages of Morval, Les Boeufs and Gueudecourt, and a belt of country about 1,000 yards deep curving round the north of Flers to a point midway between that village and Martinpuich. The advance to the support trench was contested all morning, with German bombers counter-attacking towards Star Wood. Indeed, the Great War witnessed too many other similar cases of generals â not only in the British but also in the French, German, and Russian armies â nonchalantly ordering attacks that amounted to a death sentence for tens if not hundreds of thousands of their own men, for example in the Battles of Tannenberg 1914 and the Chemin des Dames 1917.
