NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig

Field-Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, KT, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCIE, ADC (June 19, 1861 – January 29, 1928) was a British soldier and senior commander (Field Marshal) during World War I. He commanded the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) during the Battle of the Somme and the 3rd Battle of Ypres. His tenure as commander of the BEF made Haig one of the most controversial military commanders in British history. Douglas Haig may refer to: Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, a British Earl and a Field Marshall during the First World War Club AtlÃ©tico Douglas Haig, a football club from Argentina Douglas Haig (actor), a American actor of the 1920s and 1930s Category: ... is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1861 (MDCCCLXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Field Marshal Douglas Haig New image from [[1]] This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... For other uses, see Edinburgh (disambiguation). ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Year 1884 (MDCCCLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Field Marshal (sometimes incorrectly spelled Marshall) is a military officer of the highest rank, one step above a full General, Army General or Colonel General. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar (see: 1917 Julian calendar). ... Combatants British Empire: United Kingdom British India Australia[1] Egypt Italy[2] Belgium[3] Mahdist Sudan Commanders Charles George Gordon â€ Herbert Kitchener Muhammad Ahmad Abdullah The Mahdist War was a colonial war of the late 19th century. ... Combatants British Empire Orange Free State South African Republic Commanders Sir Redvers Buller Lord Kitchener Lord Roberts Paul Kruger Louis Botha Koos de la Rey Martinus Steyn Christiaan de Wet Casualties 6,000 - 7,000 (A further ~14,000 from disease) 6,000 - 8,000 (Unknown number from disease) Civilians... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... Badge of a Companion of the Order of the Bath (Military Division) Ribbon of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath (formerly The Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath)[1] is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on May 18, 1725. ... Queen Victoria founded the Royal Victorian Order. ... The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Victoria in 1877. ... Badge of a Companion of the Order of the Bath (Military Division) Ribbon of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath (formerly The Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath)[1] is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on May 18, 1725. ... Badge of a Companion of the Order of the Bath (Military Division) Ribbon of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath (formerly The Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath)[1] is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on May 18, 1725. ... Queen Victoria founded the Royal Victorian Order. ... James VII ordained the modern Order. ... For other Orders see Order of Merit (disambiguation). ... Field Marshal Viscount Slim in his Field Marshals uniform, holding a marshals baton. ... James VII ordained the modern Order. ... Badge of a Companion of the Order of the Bath (Military Division) Ribbon of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath (formerly The Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath)[1] is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on May 18, 1725. ... The Order of Merit is a British and Commonwealth Order bestowed by the Monarch. ... Queen Victoria founded the Royal Victorian Order. ... The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Victoria in 1877. ... An aide-de-camp (French: camp assistant) is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state. ... is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1861 (MDCCCLXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Note: This article is about the military usage of the word marshal. For other usages, see the end of this article. ... â€œThe Great War â€ redirects here. ... The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was the British army sent to France and Belgium in World War I and British Forces in Europe from 1939â€“1940 during World War II. The BEF was established by Secretary of State for War Richard Haldane following the Second Boer War in case the... Combatants British Empire Australia Canada New Zealand Newfoundland South Africa United Kingdom France German Empire Commanders Douglas Haig Joseph Joffre Max von Gallwitz Fritz von Below Strength 13 British & 11 French divisions (initial) 51 British and 48 French divisions (final) 10. ... Passchendaele village, before and after the Battle of Passchendaele The Battle of Passchendaele, otherwise known as the Third Battle of Ypres, was one of the major battles of World War I, fought by Canadian soldiers against the German army near Ypres (Ieper in Flemish) in West Flanders, northwestern Belgium over...

Early life

Haig was born in Edinburgh, the son of John Haig, who was head of the family's successful Haig & Haig whisky distillery. Haig attended Clifton College and unusually for a British officer at that time attended University, studying at Brasenose College, Oxford 1880-1883. He left without a degree, which was not uncommon for "gentleman" undergraduates and perhaps also as he would otherwise have been too old to enroll for officer training in the Royal Military College in Sandhurst in 1883, from which he graduated the following year. For other uses, see Whisky (disambiguation). ... An 1898 etching of the College Close Clifton College (grid reference ST569737) is a coeducational public school in Clifton, Bristol, England. ... For the community in Florida, see University, Florida. ... and of the Brasenose College College name The Kings Hall and College of Brasenose Latin name aula regia et collegium aenei nasi Named after Bronze door knocker Established 1509 Sister college Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Principal Prof. ... The Royal Military College can refer to: Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario, Canada Royal Military College, Duntroon in Campbell, Canberra, Australia Royal Military College, Sandhurst in Camberley, Surrey, United Kingdom [(Royal Military College, Sungei Besi, Selangor, Malaysia)] This is a disambiguation page â€” a navigational aid which lists...

He was then granted a special nomination to the British Military Staff College, despite being colour-blind. He was commissioned into the 7th (Queen's Own) Hussars the following year and promoted to lieutenant shortly afterwards. Color blindness in humans is the inability to perceive differences between some or all colors that other people can distinguish. ... A British Hussar from the Crimean War Hussar (original Hungarian spelling: huszÃ¡r, plural huszÃ¡rok, Polish: Husaria) refers to a number of types of cavalry used throughout Europe since the 15th century. ... Lieutenant is a military, naval, paramilitary, fire service or police officer rank. ...

Career

Haig first saw overseas service in India, in 1887, where he was appointed as the regiment's adjutant in 1888, giving Haig his first administrative experience. Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. ...

He saw his first active service in Kitchener's Omdurman Campaign in 1898, where he was attached to the cavalry forces of the Egyptian Army, acting as Chief of Staff to brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Robert George Broadwood. Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, ADC, PC (24 June 1850 â€“ 5 June 1916) was an Anglo-Irish British Field Marshal, diplomat and statesman popularly referred to as Lord Kitchener. ... Combatants United Kingdom Egypt Mahdist Sudan Commanders Horatio Kitchener Abdullah al-Taashi Strength 8,200 British, 17,600 Sudanese and Egyptian soldiers 52,000 warriors Casualties 48 dead 434 wounded 9,700 killed 13,000 wounded 5,000 captured At the Battle of Omdurman (September 2, 1898) an army commanded... Not to be confused with Golgotha, which was called Calvary. ... The Egyptian Army is the largest service within the Egyptian military establishment. ... Lieutenant Colonel (Lieutenant-Colonel in English from the French grades spelling) is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine corps and air forces of the world, typically ranking above a Major and below a Colonel. ... Robert George Broadwood (CB) (born 1862 â€“ died 1917) was a cavalry officer in the British Army, attaining the rank of Lieutenant General. ...

He served in the Boer War in further administrative positions with the cavalry, acting first as the Deputy Assistant Adjutant General in 1899. Haig was employed briefly as Chief Staff Officer to Major-General John French during the Colesburg operations, then as Assistant Adjutant General of the Cavalry Division. He was mentioned in despatches four times. His service in South Africa gained him prominence and the attention of French and Kitchener, both of whom would have important roles in World War I. Combatants British Empire Orange Free State South African Republic Commanders Sir Redvers Buller Lord Kitchener Lord Roberts Paul Kruger Louis Botha Koos de la Rey Martinus Steyn Christiaan de Wet Casualties 6,000 - 7,000 (A further ~14,000 from disease) 6,000 - 8,000 (Unknown number from disease) Civilians... Major General or Major-General is a military rank used in many countries. ... The Earl of Ypres John Denton Pinkstone French, 1st Earl of Ypres, KP, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCMG, PC (28 September 1852â€“22 May 1925) was a British Field Marshal, the first commander of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in World War I. Biography Born in Ripple in Kent, the son... Mentioned in Dispatches (MID) is a military award for gallantry or otherwise commendable service. ... â€œThe Great War â€ redirects here. ...

In 1901, he became the commanding officer of the 17th Lancers, which he commanded until 1903. He was appointed Aide-de-Camp to King Edward VII in 1902, remaining in this position until 1904. After leaving the 17th Lancers, Haig returned to India after Lord Kitchener was appointed Commander-in-Chief, India, and became Inspector-General of Cavalry. Haig's war service had earned him belated but rapid promotion: having been a captain until the relatively advanced age of thirty-eight, within five years in 1904 he had become the youngest major-general in the British Army at that time. Official name The 17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridges Own) Colonel-in-Chief Duke of Cambridge Colonel-of-the-Regiment Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig Motto Or Glory Nicknames Binghams Dandies The Death or Glory Boys The Horse Marines The Tots The White Lancers Anniversaries Balaklava (20... An aide-de-camp (French: camp assistant) is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state. ... Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 â€“ 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, of the British Dominions beyond the Seas, and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death on 6 May 1910. ... The list was taken from only one source [1]. Some checking had been done but the dates and the links to names need further work. ... In a civilian or military administration, an Inspector General is a high ranking official charged with the mission to inspect and report on some bodies in his field of competency. ... Major General or Major-General is a military rank used in many countries. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ...

The following year, Haig married Hon. Dorothy Vivian, a daughter of Hugh Vivian, 3rd Baron Vivian and lady-in-waiting at the court of King Edward VII; they would have four children - Alexandra (born 1907), Victoria (born 1908), George (born 1918), and Irene (born 1919). George Alexander Eugene Douglas Haig, 2nd Earl Haig, Viscount Dawick, Baron Haig, and Chief of the Name and Arms of Haig, 30th Laird of Bemersyde, OBE was born 15 March 1918. ... Irene Astor, Baroness Astor of Hever (7 October 1919-2001) was the widow of Gavin Astor, 2nd Baron Astor of Hever. ...

Haig returned to Britain in 1906 as the Director of Military Training on the General Staff at the War Office]. During this time, Haig assisted Secretary of State for War Richard Haldane in his reforms of the British Army, which was intended to prepare the army for a future European war. He took up the post of Director of Staff Duties in the War Office in 1907. A second return to India came in 1909, when he was appointed as Chief of the Indian General Staff. He was appointed GOC Aldershot from 1912 to 1914 and Aide-de-Camp to King George V in 1914. Old War Office Building, seen from Whitehall, London - the former location of the War Office The War Office was a former department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1963, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence. ... The secretary of war in cabinet position was Henry Knox. ... Richard Burdon Sanderson Haldane, 1st Viscount Haldane, (July 30, 1856 - August 19, 1928), was an important British Liberal politician, lawyer, and philosopher. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... Old War Office Building, Whitehall, London - the former location of the War Office The War Office was a former department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1963, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence. ... In the military systems of many countries, the Chief of the General Staff is the professional head of that countrys General Staff. ... General Officer Commanding (GOC) is the usual title given in the armies of Commonwealth (and some other) nations to a general officer who holds a command appointment. ... For other uses, see Aldershot (disambiguation). ... George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 â€“ 20 January 1936) was the first British monarch belonging to the House of Windsor, which he created from the British branch of the German House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. ...

In the Army Manoeuvres of 1912 he was decisively beaten by Sir James Grierson despite having the odds in his favour. Grierson died of natural causes before having a chance to command in the First World War. The Army Manoeuvres of 1912 was the last exercise of its kind conducted by the British army before the outbreak of the First World War. ... Sir James Moncrieff Grierson (27 January 1859â€“17 August 1914) was a British Soldier, reaching the rank of Lieutenant General. ...

World War I

Upon the outbreak of war in August 1914, Haig helped organise the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), commanded by Field-Marshal John French. As planned, Haig's Aldershot command was formed into I Corps, giving him command of half of the BEF. The British I Corps has a long history, and was in existence as an active formation in the British Army for longer than any other corps. ...

Tensions quickly arose between Haig and French. Haig and Lord Kitchener, who was now Secretary of State for War, clashed with French over the positioning of the BEF. French argued to the war council that it should be positioned in Belgium, where he had confidence in the country's many fortresses, while Haig and Kitchener proposed that the BEF would be better positioned to counter-attack in Amiens, stating that the BEF would have to abandon its positions in Belgium once the poorly-equipped Belgian Army collapsed, forcing the BEF into retreat with the loss of much of its supplies. During a royal inspection of Aldershot, Haig had told King George V that he had "grave doubts" about French military competence. The secretary of war in cabinet position was Henry Knox. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Amiens is a city and commune in the north of France, 120 km north of Paris. ... Flag of Belgium The Land Component, formerly the Belgian Army, is the land-based armed force of the Belgian Armed Forces. ...

The BEF landed in France on 14 August and advanced into Belgium, where John French intended to meet General Lanrezac's French Fifth Army at Charleroi. During the advance the BEF experienced their first encounter with the Germans at Mons on 23 August. The Germans were bloodied in the battle but the BEF began a withdrawal after Lanzerac ordered his army into retreat exposing the BEF's right flank. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (740x900, 71 KB)Map showing the course of the Race to the Sea during 1914 following the Battle of the Aisne. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (740x900, 71 KB)Map showing the course of the Race to the Sea during 1914 following the Battle of the Aisne. ... Combatants Belgium British Empire Australia[1] Canada[2] India[3] Newfoundland[4] New Zealand[5] South Africa[6] United Kingdom France and French Overseas Empire Portugal[7] United States Germany Commanders No unified command until 1918, then Ferdinand Foch Moltke â†’ Falkenhayn â†’ Hindenburg and Ludendorff â†’ Hindenburg and Groener Casualties ~4,800... Please wikify (format) this article as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... The French Fifth Army was a famous fighting force that participated in World War I. Under its enthusiastic and offensive-minded commander, Louis Franchet dEspÃ¨rey, it led the decisive attacks which resulted in the spectacular victory at the First Battle of the Marne in 1914. ... Charleroi (Walloon: TchÃ¥lerwÃ¨) is the first city and municipality of Wallonia in population. ... Combatants United Kingdom German Empire Commanders Sir John French Alexander von Kluck Strength 4 divisions 8 divisions Casualties 1,600 5,000 (estimate) The Battle of Mons (Dutch name for Mons is Bergen) was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force in World War I. // Following the surrender... is the 235th day of the year (236th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The retreats of I and II Corps had to be conducted separately because of the Mormal Forrest. Both corps were supposed to meet at Le Cateau but I Corps under Haig got no further than Landrecies, leaving a large gap between the two corps. Haig's reactions to his corps' skirmish with German forces at Landrecies led to him sending an exaggerated report to John French, causing French to panic. The following day 26 August, Horace Smith-Dorrien's II Corps had to make a stand at Le Cateau unsupported by Haig. This battle further delayed Germany's advance. The French commander Joseph Joffre had ordered his forces to retreat to the Marne on 25 August, compelling the BEF to undertake a lengthy and arduous withdrawal to conform to the French movements. Sir John French's faltering belief in the competence of his Allies caused further indecision and led to him deciding to pull the BEF out of the war by withdrawing south of the Seine. Lord Kitchener intervened on 1 September, making a visit to dissuade French and order him to continue cooperation with Joffre's forces. The stand to defend Paris began on 5 September, in the Battle of the Marne. The BEF weren't able to participate in the battle until 9 September. The battle ended the following day; the German advance was defeated, prompting them to initiate a withdrawal to the Aisne that signified the abandonment of the Schlieffen Plan. The ForÃªt de Mormal (Forest of Mormal) is a forest in France, near the Franco-Belgian border. ... Landrecies is a commune of the Nord dÃ©partement, in France. ... is the 238th day of the year (239th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... General Sir Horace Lockwood Smith-Dorrien General Sir Horace Lockwood Smith-Dorrien (May 26, 1858â€“August 12, 1930) was a British soldier and commander of the British II Corps of the BEF during the Great War. ... The British II Corps was formed in both World War I and World War II. During WWII its first assignment was to the British Expeditionary Force where it was commanded by Alan Brooke (from whose name it took its insignia of a red leaping salmon upon three wavy blue bands... On the 25th of September, 1914, the British, French & Belgians retreated from the Battle of Mons & set up defensive positions in Le Cateau. ... Joseph Jacques CÃ©saire Joffre (12 January 1852 - 3 January 1931) was a Catalan French general who was Commander-in-Chief of the French Army between 1914 and 1916 during World War I. He is most known for regrouping the retreating allied armies to defeat the Germans at the strategically... Marne is a department in north-eastern France named after the Marne River which flows through the department. ... is the 237th day of the year (238th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the river in France. ... This article is about the capital of France. ... is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Combatants France United Kingdom German Empire Commanders Joseph Joffre John French Helmuth von Moltke Karl von BÃ¼low Alexander von Kluck Strength 1,071,000 1,485,000 Casualties Approximately 263,000: 250,000 French casualties (80,000 dead) 13,000 British casualties (1,700 dead) Approximately 250,000 total... is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Aisne is a department in the northern part of France named after the Aisne River. ... Alfred Graf von Schlieffen For the French counter-plan, see Plan XVII The Schlieffen Plan was the German General Staffs overall strategic plan for victory on the Western Front against France, and was executed to near victory in the first month of World War I; however, a French counterattack...

Following defensive successes at Battle of Mons and Ypres (1st Battle of Ypres), Haig was promoted to full General and in December 1914 the I Corps was expanded into the British First Army of which Haig received command. British stretcher bearers recovering a wounded soldier from a captured German trench during the Battle of Thiepval Ridge, late September 1916, part of the Battle of the Somme. ... British stretcher bearers recovering a wounded soldier from a captured German trench during the Battle of Thiepval Ridge, late September 1916, part of the Battle of the Somme. ... The Battle of Thiepval Ridge was the first large offensive mounted by the British Reserve Army of Lieutenant General Hubert Gough during the Battle of the Somme. ... Combatants United Kingdom German Empire Commanders Sir John French Alexander von Kluck Strength 4 divisions 8 divisions Casualties 1,600 5,000 (estimate) The Battle of Mons (Dutch name for Mons is Bergen) was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force in World War I. // Following the surrender... Geography Country Belgium Community Flemish Community Region Flemish Region Province West Flanders Arrondissement Ypres Coordinates , , Area 130. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

In December 1915, Haig replaced French as Commander-in-Chief of the BEF, with French returning to Britain. Haig had been intriguing for the removal of French as commander of the BEF and had told King George V that French was "a source of great weakness to the army and no one had confidence in him any more". In 1916 he directed the British portion of a major Anglo-French offensive, the British offensive at the Somme, in which the forces under his command sustained around 400,000 casualties taking little ground but inflicting casualties on the German Army it could ill-afford. Haig's tactics in these battles were considered controversial by many, including the then Secretary of State for War Lloyd George, who felt that he incurred unnecessarily large casualties for little tactical gain. At this stage Lloyd George was not able to intervene in strategy, as the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Sir William Robertson, had been given direct right of access to the Cabinet, so as to bypass Lloyd George's predecessor Kitchener. Commander-in-Chief (in NATO-lingo often C-in-C or CINC pronounced sink) is the commander of all the military forces within a particular region or of all the military forces of a state. ... George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 â€“ 20 January 1936) was the first British monarch belonging to the House of Windsor, which he created from the British branch of the German House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. ... Combatants British Empire Australia Canada New Zealand Newfoundland South Africa United Kingdom France German Empire Commanders Douglas Haig Joseph Joffre Max von Gallwitz Fritz von Below Strength 13 British & 11 French divisions (initial) 51 British and 48 French divisions (final) 10. ... David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, OM, PC (17 January 1863 â€“ 26 March 1945) was a British statesman who was Prime Minister throughout the latter half of World War I and the first four years of the subsequent peace. ... Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS) was the title of the professional head of the British Army from 1908 to 1964. ... For other persons named William Robertson, see William Robertson (disambiguation). ... Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, ADC, PC (24 June 1850 â€“ 5 June 1916) was an Anglo-Irish British Field Marshal, diplomat and statesman popularly referred to as Lord Kitchener. ...

On 1 January 1917, Haig was made a field marshal. The King (George V) wrote him a handwritten note ending: "I hope you will look upon this as a New Year's gift from myself and the country". ^[1] However, Lloyd George, who had become Prime Minister in December 1916, infuriated Haig and Robertson by placing Britain's forces under the command of the new French Commander-in-Chief Robert Nivelle at a stormy conference at Calais. The failure of the Nivelle Offensive in April 1917 (which Haig had been required to support with a British offensive by Allenby's Third Army at Arras), and subsequent French mutiny and political crisis, discredited Lloyd George's plans for Anglo-French co-operation for the time being. Note: This article is about the military usage of the word marshal. For other usages, see the end of this article. ... George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 â€“ 20 January 1936) was the first British monarch belonging to the House of Windsor, which he created from the British branch of the German House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. ... The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is, in practice, the political leader of the United Kingdom. ... Robert Georges Nivelle (October 15, 1857 - March 22, 1924) was a French military commander during World War I. Born in Tulle, France, to a French father and English mother, Nivelle graduated from the Ã‰cole Polytechnique in 1878 and served in Indochina, Algeria, and China as an artillery officer. ...

The second half of 1917 saw Haig conduct another major offensive at Passchendaele (3rd Battle of Ypres); Haig had hoped to break through and liberate the North Sea coast of Belgium from which German U-Boats were operating, but like the Somme Offensive the previous year Passchendaele saw huge casualties for very little territorial gain, although arguably inflicting losses on the Germans which contributed to their ultimate defeat. (When he asked the Canadian Corps commander Arthur Currie to capture Passchendaele Ridge during the final month of the battle, Currie flatly replied "It's suicidal. I will not waste 16,000 good soldiers on such a hopeless objective".^[2]; the casualties were almost exactly in line with Currie's prediction.) Although Lloyd George was unhappy about Haig's operations, it was still considered unthinkable for politicians to overrule the generals' professional monopoly over strategy. Passchendaele village, before and after the Battle of Passchendaele The Battle of Passchendaele, otherwise known as the Third Battle of Ypres, was one of the major battles of World War I, fought by British, ANZAC, and Canadian soldiers against the German army near Ypres ( Ieper in Flemish) in West Flanders... Passchendaele village, before and after the Battle of Passchendaele The Battle of Passchendaele, otherwise known as the Third Battle of Ypres, was one of the major battles of World War I, fought by Canadian soldiers against the German army near Ypres (Ieper in Flemish) in West Flanders, northwestern Belgium over... General Sir Arthur William Currie General Sir Arthur William Currie, GCMG, KCB (December 5, 1875 â€“ November 30, 1933) was the first Canadian commander of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (a corps of four divisions) on the Western Front during World War I. Currie was among the most successful generals of the...

The final months of 1917 also saw a tank breakthrough at Cambrai, whose gains (after the church bells had been rung in England in celebration) were retaken within days by the Germans using their new stosstruppen tactics. The uninspiring results on the Western Front in 1917 were thrown into unwelcome contrast by Allenby's capture of Jerusalem in December 1917, a propaganda coup from a campaign which Haig and Robertson had regarded as a waste of resources (Allenby had in fact been sent out to the Middle East after his failure at Arras earlier in the year). By the end of 1917 Lloyd George felt able to begin to assert his authority over the generals. Haig was required to dismiss his Chief of Staff, Lieutenant-General Lancelot Kiggell (who had allegedly broken down in tears and asked "Did we really send men to fight in this?" on seeing the mud at Passchendaele) and his intelligence chief, Brigadier-General Charteris, whose overly-optimistic estimates of German losses had been a source of inspiration during Haig's offensives. Robertson had arrived at Haig's Headquarters with orders (signed by the Secretary of State for War) for these officers' dismissal in his pocket in case Haig refused to do as he was asked. Early in 1918 Robertson was himself forced to resign over his reluctance to accept that the newly set-up Supreme Allied War Council at Versailles should have power to dictate to the British CIGS (Lloyd George had also secured the resignation of the other service chief, First Sea Lord Admiral Jellicoe). Haig's predecessor Sir John French was invited to give the Cabinet a "second opinion" of Haig's strategy, although in the event he had few positive suggestions to make and seemed to the Cabinet Secretary Maurice Hankey to be full of "hatred, envy and malice". The Cabinet Minister Jan Christiaan Smuts was sent to France to take discreet soundings among the Army Commanders to see whether any of them were willing to replace Haig - none of them were. Lloyd George was later to be accused (in the famous Maurice Debate in the House of Commons) of hoarding troops in the UK at this time to make it harder for Haig to launch major offensives, thus allegedly contributing to the debacle of March 1918. The Stormtroopers were special military troops which were formed in the last year of World War I as the German army developed new methods of attacking enemy trenches, called infiltration tactics. Men trained in these methods were known as in German as Sturmmann (literally storm man or assault man but... The First Sea Lord is the professional head of the British Royal Navy. ... Admiral of the Fleet Lord Jellicoe as a Captain. ... Jan Christiaan Smuts, (May 24, 1870 - September 11, 1950) was a prominent South African statesman and soldier. ...

In 1918, Germany, her Western Front armies reinforced to a strength of almost 200 divisions by the release of troops from the Eastern Front, launched major offensives in the west, enjoying great initial success, albeit with greater superiority of men and guns than Haig had ever had for his own offensives. The first of these, Michael on 21 March 1918, almost destroyed Gough's Fifth Army, and threatened to split the British forces apart from the French Armies; Haig, whose own reserves had been massed in the north because of the danger of a German breakthrough reaching the Channel Ports through which his armies were supplied, accused the French Commander-in-Chief, Pétain, of being "in a blue funk" as he threatened to retreat on Paris, and was at last forced to accept the appointment of a Frenchman, Ferdinand Foch as Allied Generalissimo (Supreme Commander), with power to commit reserves of all nationalities wherever he saw fit. During the second German offensive, Georgette in Flanders, Haig issued his famous order that his men must carry on fighting "With Our Backs to the Wall and believing in the Justice of our Cause". Ironically these two German offensives swept over the very ground (the Somme and Passchendaele respectively) which Haig's own offensives had gained at such cost in previous years. A third major German offensive against the French on the Aisne in May overwhelmed a British corps which had been sent there to refit after Michael. Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph PÃ©tain (24 April 1856 â€“ 23 July 1951), generally known as Philippe PÃ©tain or Marshal PÃ©tain, was a French general, later Chief of State of Vichy France (Chef de lÃ‰tat FranÃ§ais), from 1940 to 1944. ... Ferdinand Foch OM GCB (October 2, 1851 â€“ March 20, 1929) was a French soldier, military theorist, and writer credited with possessing the most original and subtle mind in the French Army in the early 20th century. ...

By the summer the German offensives were losing momentum, and in July and August the Germans were defeated, by Franco-American forces at the Second Battle of the Marne, and by Rawlinson's British/Australian/Canadian Fourth Army at Amiens. The latter victory, at which tanks were extensively used, was described by Ludendorff as "The Black Day of the German Army" after the mass surrenders of German troops which were seen. Haig's forces had much success between then and the end of the war, storming the Hindenburg Line on October and advancing into Belgium, almost as far as Brussels. There is some dispute over how much direct operational control Haig maintained at this time, Tim Travers in particular arguing that he allowed his Army Commanders (Plumer, Byng, Horne, Birdwood and Rawlinson) a very free hand, whilst at the same time Ferdinand Foch, whose role had initially been confined to advice and deployment of reserves, was exerting ever-greater influence over strategy. However, the forces under Haig's command achieved impressive results: whereas the French, American and Belgian armies combined captured 196,700 prisoners-of-war and 3,775 German guns between July 18 and the end of the war, Haig's forces, with a smaller army than the French, engaged the main mass of the German Army and captured 188,700 prisoners and 2,840 guns - around half of these British prisoners were captured by cavalry. The military historian, Gary Sheffield, called this, the so-called Hundred Days' Offensive 'by far the greatest military victory in British history'.^[3] Ferdinand Foch OM GCB (October 2, 1851 â€“ March 20, 1929) was a French soldier, military theorist, and writer credited with possessing the most original and subtle mind in the French Army in the early 20th century. ... is the 199th day of the year (200th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Dr Gary Sheffield is a British academic and military historian. ...

Later life

After the war, Haig was created 1st Earl Haig (with a subsidiary viscountcy and a subsidiary barony) and received the thanks of both Houses of Parliament and a grant of £100,000 (1919). Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1300x874, 232 KB)Unveiling the National War Memorial, St. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1300x874, 232 KB)Unveiling the National War Memorial, St. ... Unveiling the National War Memorial in St. ... St. ... Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday that is observed on the last Monday of May (observed this year on 2007-05-28). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (800x800, 392 KB)[edit] Summary Earl Douglas Haigs grave and that of his wife at Dryburgh Abbey below a cross similar to those used above WWI graves in France Source: WyrdLight www. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (800x800, 392 KB)[edit] Summary Earl Douglas Haigs grave and that of his wife at Dryburgh Abbey below a cross similar to those used above WWI graves in France Source: WyrdLight www. ... The title Earl Haig was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1919 for Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig. ... For other uses, see Baron (disambiguation). ... GBP redirects here. ...

From July 1919 to January 1921, Haig was Commander-in-Chief of the Home Forces in Great Britain. After ceasing active service, he devoted the rest of his life to the welfare of ex-servicemen, travelling throughout the British Empire to promote their interests. He was instrumental in setting up the Haig Fund for the financial assistance of ex-servicemen and the Haig Homes charity to ensure they were properly housed; both continue to provide help many years after they were created. He was involved in the creation of the Royal British Legion, which he was president of until his death and was chairman of the United Services Fund from 1921 until his death. The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... see also Haig Homes The Haig Fund (more properly the Earl Haig Fund) is a charity set up after World War I to assist ex-servicemen. ... Haig Homes is a charity founded in 1928 to provide housing for ex-servicemen in the United Kingdom and Channel Islands. ... Categories: Stub | British Army | Royal Air Force | Royal Navy ...

He maintained ties with the British Army after his retirement; he was honorary colonel of the 17th/21st Lancers (having been honorary colonel of the 17th Lancers from 1912), Royal Horse Guards, The London Scottish and the King's Own Scottish Borderers. He was also Lord Rector and, eventually, Lord Chancellor of the University of St Andrews. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... For other uses, see Colonel (disambiguation). ... The 17th/21st Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1922 to 1993. ... The Royal Horse Guards (RHG) was a Household Cavalry regiment of the British Army. ... Kings Own Scottish Borderers cap badge and tartan The Kings Own Scottish Borderers was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. ... The word rector (ruler, from the Latin regere) has a number of different meanings. ... The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor and prior to the Union the Chancellor of England and the Lord Chancellor of Scotland, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom, and its predecessor states. ... St Marys College Bute Medical School St Leonards College[5][6] Affiliations 1994 Group Website http://www. ...

Ranks

Haig's funeral

Haig died, aged 66, on 29 January 1928 and was given a state funeral on 3 February.^[4] "Great crowds lined the streets ... come to do honour to the chief who had sent thousands to the last sacrifice when duty called for it, but whom his war-worn soldiers loved as their truest advocate and friend."^[4] The gun-carriage that carried the Unknown Warrior to his grave and, in active service, had borne the gun that fired the first British shot in World War I took the field-marshal's body from St Columba's Church, Pont Street, London, where it had been lying in state, to Westminster Abbey. Three royal princes followed the gun-carrriage and the pall-bearers included two Marshals of France (Foch and Pétain).^[4] The cortege was accompanied by five guards of honour at the slow march, with reversed arms and muffled drums: two officers and fifty other ranks from each branch of the British armed forces (Royal Navy, the Irish Guards, and the Royal Air Force); 50 men of the 1st French Army Corps; and 16 men from the Belgian Regiment of Grenadiers.^[4] After the service at the Abbey, the procession re-formed to escort the body to Waterloo Station for the journey to Edinburgh where it laid in state for three days at St Giles Cathedral.^[4] He was buried at Dryburgh Abbey in the Scottish borders, his grave marked by a simple standard Commonwealth War Graves Commission white headstone. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The British tomb of The Unknown Warrior holds an unidentified British soldier killed on a European battlefield during World War I. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, London on November 11, 1920, the earliest such tomb honoring the unknown dead of World War I. Even the battlefield the Warrior came... â€œThe Great War â€ redirects here. ... The Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster, which is almost always referred to by its original name of Westminster Abbey, is a mainly Gothic church, on the scale of a cathedral (and indeed often mistaken for one), in Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. ... Ferdinand Foch OM GCB (October 2, 1851 â€“ March 20, 1929) was a French soldier, military theorist, and writer credited with possessing the most original and subtle mind in the French Army in the early 20th century. ... Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph PÃ©tain (24 April 1856 â€“ 23 July 1951), generally known as Philippe PÃ©tain or Marshal PÃ©tain, was a French general, later Chief of State of Vichy France (Chef de lÃ‰tat FranÃ§ais), from 1940 to 1944. ... For other uses, see Waterloo station (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Edinburgh (disambiguation). ... St Giles Cathedral A prominent feature of the Edinburgh skyline, St Giles Cathedral decorates the midpoint of the Royal Mile with its rounded hollow-crown tower. ... Dryburgh Abbey was founded in 1152 by Premonstratensian monks, on a site perhaps made sacred by Saint Modan around 600. ... The Azmak Cemetery, near Suvla Bay, Turkey, contains the graves of some of the soldiers who died during the Gallipoli Campaign. ...

Controversy

After the war Haig was often criticised for issuing orders which led to excessive casualties of British troops under his command, particularly on the Western Front, earning him the nickname "Butcher of the Somme". Haig's critics include many younger officers who served in the First World War, making the criticism that they "fail[ed] to understand" the actual combat conditions of the war ring hollow - Haig himself never actually visited the main front though in his dispatches he described the appalling conditions of the Somme accurately.^[5] The military historian Basil Liddell Hart, who served as an officer in nearly all of the British Western Front offensives during the war, accuses Haig of ignoring reality in his 1918 offensive. Western Front was a term used during the First and Second World Wars to describe the contested armed frontier between lands controlled by Germany to the East and the Allies to the West. ... EXAMPLE:Laughbox,Blondie,BamBam,Pinkie,etc. ... The military historian Basil Liddell Hart. ...

The assault on Haig's reputation began with the memoirs of the politicians. Winston Churchill, whose "World Crisis" was written during Haig's lifetime (and whose own record as a war strategist in 1915 perhaps left something to be desired), likened him to a surgeon who had to act dispassionately for the long-term good of the patient, no matter how messy were the short-term means, although in another passage he accused him of blocking enemy machine-gun fire with "the breasts of brave men".

Lloyd George pulled fewer punches in his War Memoirs, published in 1936 when Haig was dead and Lloyd George no longer a major political player. In Chapter 89 he poured scorn on Haig's recently-published diaries (clearly "carefully-edited" by Duff Cooper), and described Haig as "intellectually and temperamentally unequal to his task", and "second-rate" (compared to Foch - p2014) although "above the average for his profession - perhaps more in industry than intelligence". He attributed his own "distrust of his capacity to fill such an immense position" to Haig's lack of clear grasp even of the Western Front (likening him to "the blind King of Bohemia at Crecy"), let alone the needs of other fronts, and his inability, given his preference for being surrounded by courteous "gentlemen", to select good advisers. He also criticised Haig for lacking the personal magnetism of a great commander, for his intrigues against his predecessor Sir John French, his willingness to scapegoat Hubert Gough for the defeat of March 1918, and his claims to have subsequently accepted the appointment of Foch as Allied Generalissimo, a move to which Lloyd George claimed Haig in fact to have been opposed. On another occasion he is said to have described Haig as "brilliant - to the top of his boots". Lloyd George's biographer John Grigg (2002) attributes his vitriol to a guilty conscience that he had not intervened to put a stop to the Passchendaele Offensive.

Today, after decades in which Haig's name has been blackened in popular culture (see below), many still regard Haig as an inept commander who exhibited callous disregard for the lives of his soldiers, repeatedly ordering tens of thousands of them to supposedly useless deaths during battles such as Passchendaele. As recently as 1998 a major tabloid newspaper celebrated the anniversary of the Armistice by calling for the demolition of Haig's statue on Whitehall. Writers who make such blanket charges are often those of a populist bent, eg. John Laffin ("British Butchers and Bunglers of World War One") and John Mosier ("The Myth of the Great War"). Norman Stone describes Haig as the greatest of Scottish generals, since he killed the highest numbers of English soldiers at any front in history, perhaps a slightly facetious point as Scotland in fact suffered one of the highest proportionate losses of any Allied nation (Niall Ferguson - "The Pity of War"). Passchendaele village, before and after the Battle of Passchendaele The Battle of Passchendaele, otherwise known as the Third Battle of Ypres, was one of the major battles of World War I, fought by British, ANZAC, and Canadian soldiers against the German army near Ypres (Ieper in Flemish) in West Flanders... Norman Stone (1941-) is a British historian of modern Europe, especially Central and Eastern Europe. ... Niall Ferguson Niall Ferguson (b. ...

Paul Fussell, in "The Great War and Modern Memory," writes that "although one doesn't want to be too hard on Haig ... who has been well calumniated already ... it must be said that it now appears was that one thing the war was testing was the usefulness of the earnest Scottish character in a situation demanding the military equivalent of wit and invention. Haig had none. He was stubborn, self-righteous, inflexible, intolerant -- especially of the French -- and quite humourless ... Indeed, one powerful legacy of Haig's performance is the conviction among the imaginative and intelligent today of the unredeemable defectiveness of all civil and military leaders. Haig could be said to have established the paradigm."^[6] Paul Fussell (born 1924, Pasadena, California) is a cultural historian and a professor emeritus of English literature of the University of Pennsylvania. ...

Others^{[citation needed]} gave him much praise. General of the Armies of the United States John Pershing remarked that Haig was "the man who won the war". Brian Bond, in his 2002 book The Unquiet Western Front: Britain's Role in Literature and History, says: "Perhaps, however, it is a mark of a civilized, liberal society that it hugs and cherishes its defeats, dwells obsessively on the worst combat conditions and on casualties and cannot forgive Field Marshal Haig for being victorious." General of the Armies of the United States is the highest possible rank in the United States military hierarchy, equal to a Generalissimo. ... John Joseph Black Jack Pershing (September 13, 1860 â€“ July 15, 1948) was an officer in the United States Army. ...

The most ardent of Haig's defenders was the military historian John Terraine, who published a biography of Haig (The Educated Soldier) in 1963, in which he claimed Haig was a "Great Captain" of the calibre of the Duke of Marlborough or the Duke of Wellington. Terraine, taking his cue from Haig's own "Final Despatch" of 1918, also argued that Haig pursued the only possible strategy given the situation the armies were in; that of attrition which wore down the German army and delivered the coup de grâce of 1918. Gary Sheffield has claimed that although Terraine's arguments about Haig have been much attacked over forty years, Terraine's thesis "has yet to be demolished".^[7] John Terraine is the name of the editor who edited General Jacks Diaries. ... John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (26 May 1650 â€“ 16 June 1722) (O.S)[1] was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs throughout the late 17th and early 18th centuries. ... Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS (c. ... Dr Gary Sheffield is a British academic and military historian. ...

Haig's defenders also argue that the British and Dominion forces under his command were adaptive users of new tactics and weapons during the war and that some of Haig's critics - who remain obsessed with the tank and the machine gun - fail to understand that throughout World War I, battles were dominated by artillery and the struggle to coordinate infantry and artillery attacks. His critics would respond that Haig failed to appreciate even the critical science of artillery or supporting arms, and that he was "unimaginative". The results of the battles of 1915 and 1916 - Loos and the early stages of the Somme - do indicate some truth to this criticism - that even the most basic support of infantry was typically lacking, either in volume or method of deployment. But there is some debate as to whether this is Haig's fault entirely, or whether he is blamed for the mistakes of his subordinates. Scholars such as Tim Travers (The Killing Ground; "How the War was Won") make detailed critiques of the British forces' speed of adapting new technology and techniques of warfare.

A more balanced view of Haig has been recently proffered by Australian historian Les Carlyon - that while Haig was slow to adapt to the correct use of artillery in sufficient quantities to support infantry attacks, and was generally sceptical that the science of such doctrine had much place in military theory, he was fully supportive of excellent corps and field commanders such as Herbert Plumer, Arthur Currie and John Monash, who seem to best grasp and exercise these concepts especially later in the war. Carlyon also points out that there is a case to answer for his support of more dubious commanders such as Ian Hamilton, Aylmer Hunter-Weston, and Hubert Gough^[8]. Les Carlyon was born in northern Victoria, Australia in 1942. ... Herbert Onslow Plumer (1857-1932) was a British colonial official and soldier. ... General Sir Arthur William Currie General Sir Arthur William Currie, GCMG, KCB (December 5, 1875 â€“ November 30, 1933) was the first Canadian commander of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (a corps of four divisions) on the Western Front during World War I. Currie was among the most successful generals of the... Sir John Monash General Sir John Monash, GCMG, KCB, VD (27 June 1865 â€“ 8 October 1931), Australian military commander of the First World War, was born in Melbourne, Victoria, to parents of Prussian-Jewish origin (the family name was originally spelled Monasch). ... Sir Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton (January 16, 1853 - October 12, 1947) was a general in the British Army and is most notably known for commanding the ill-fated Mediterranean Expeditionary Force during the Battle of Gallipoli. ... Hunter-Weston at VIII Corps headquarters, Cape Helles, 1915. ... Sir Hubert de la Poer Gough (August 12, 1870–1963) was a British World War I general who commanded the British Fifth Army from 1916 to 1918. ...

Haig is sometimes criticised for his faith in cavalry. In fact cavalry were still used on the Western Front on occasion, even at High Wood during the Battle of the Somme as mounted infantry to add quick reinforcements when needed. More importantly, it should be borne in mind that even the tanks of 1918 were restricted to walking speed (and were mechanically unreliable, and overcame their crews with fumes - almost all those used at Amiens were out of action within forty-eight hours), and that cavalry were extensively used during the months of pursuit which followed. An after-dinner speech which Haig made to a gathering of cavalry officers in the 1920s, in which he remarked that the British Army would find as much use for "the well-bred horse" as for technology in the future, has been a particular source of mirth (Correlli Barnett described it as "fatuous" in his coffee-table book "Famous Land Battles") - yet even allowing for humorous exaggeration, Haig should perhaps not be faulted too hard for relying on his own experience in 1918 rather than failing to foresee the results which tanks would achieve in the 1940s. Correlli Barnett (born June 28, 1927 in Norbury, Surrey) is an English military historian, who has written also on the United Kingdoms industrial decline. ...

Along with John Terraine and Gary Sheffield, historians such as Richard Holmes, and Gordon Corrigan are sympathetic towards Haig, Gordon Corrigan in particular arguing that if Haig had really been the blinkered uncaring incompetent of popular legend then he would not have delivered victory. They point out that he faced enormous problems, notably the inexperienced New Armies, the lack of effective battlefield communication (radios then being too large for the battlefield but telephone wires impossible to lay under artillery barrage, so that senior generals had little choice but to command from chateaux miles behind the front lines), the lack of a decisive arm, the application of new technology and political interference. Edward Richard Holmes CBE TD JP (born March 29, 1946), known as Richard Holmes, is a British soldier and noted military historian, particularly well-known through his many television appearances. ... Formerly a regular officer in the British Armys Royal Gurkha Rifles; following retirement in 1998, Corrigan became a freelance military historian. ... Formerly a regular officer in the British Armys Royal Gurkha Rifles; following retirement in 1998, Corrigan became a freelance military historian. ...

Historians favourable to Haig also argue, as did British generals such as Sir William Robertson and Haig at the time, that the Western Front (where a defeat for either side would have exposed either Paris or the Ruhr to occupation) was the decisive theatre of war, where the Germans deployed roughly two-thirds of their army - between 150 and 200 divisions - in well-developed positions, and argue that Lloyd George's schemes to engage the Germans on other fronts such as Palestine and Italy did little to bring Germany nearer defeat. Additionally, in the second half of the war the forces under Haig's command took over the main burden of the Allied offensive on the Western Front. For other persons named William Robertson, see William Robertson (disambiguation). ...

Modern historians also make the point that mass warfare between Western Armies in World War I (and indeed World War II, in which the most serious land fighting was done by the Soviets rather than the Western Allies) invariably led to huge casualties and that if there was an easy, cheap way to break the trench stalemate, no-one else found it on either side. The only occasion during WWII when Britain took a leading role in breaking the Axis armies in a major area of operations was the breakout from Normandy, which was roughly half the length and involved roughly half as many divisions as the Somme in 1916; on a unit-for-unit basis casualty rates in Normandy were proportionately higher than the battles of World War One. This article is about the assault phase of Operation Overlord. ...

Haig in popular culture

Haig was played by Sir John Mills in Richard Attenborough's 1969 film, Oh! What a Lovely War, in which he is portrayed as being indifferent to the fate of the troops under his command, his goal being to wear the Germans down even at the cost of enormous losses and to prevail since the Allies will have the last 10,000 men left. This article is about the British actor. ... Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough, CBE (born 29 August 1923) is an English actor, director, producer, and entrepreneur. ... Oh! What a Lovely War is a stage musical and 1969 musical film. ...

Haig's tactics were also a running joke on the 1989 BBC comedy series Blackadder Goes Forth, where Stephen Fry's role as General Sir Anthony Cecil Hogmanay Melchett, nicknamed 'Insanity' Melchett, with his vast moustache and callous disregard for the lives of his men is a popular caricature of British leadership, with elements of Haig and Lord Kitchener, although his personality is most like that of Sir Edmund 'The Bull' Allenby, without the latter's ability. Field Marshal Haig, played by Geoffrey Palmer, makes an appearance in the final episode, shown setting up toy soldiers on a battle map and then pushing them over, before sweeping them up with a dustpan and brush and throwing them in the bin. In the series, he is portrayed as a complete idiot, whose previous military experience is (supposedly) confined to fighting natives armed with fruit, and whom Blackadder had once saved from being castrated by a tribesman. His battle plans include 'climbing out of the trench and walking very slowly towards the enemy'. Despite using this plan, Haig cannot understand why the men always seem depressed. For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Blackadder (disambiguation). ... Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English comedian, writer, actor, humourist, novelist, columnist, filmmaker and television personality. ... Melchett is a fictional character in the British television sitcom series Blackadder, played by Stephen Fry. ... Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, ADC, PC (24 June 1850 â€“ 5 June 1916) was an Anglo-Irish British Field Marshal, diplomat and statesman popularly referred to as Lord Kitchener. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Geoffrey Dyson Palmer OBE (born 4 June 1927) is an English actor, noted mostly for his extensive career in British sitcoms. ...

Haig was one of the chief inspirations for the character of Herbert Curzon in C.S. Forester's novel The General, a sharp satire of the mentality of old-school British officers in the Great War. C. S. Foresters book The General is a short novel about an ordinary British Army officer in the Great War, or World War I. Forester is best known for his famous series of Horatio Hornblower novels which he began in 1937; few of his other works are well-known...

References

John Terraine is the name of the editor who edited General Jacks Diaries. ... Pierre Francis Berton, CC, O.Ont, BA, D.Litt (July 12, 1920 â€“ November 30, 2004) was a noted Canadian author of non-fiction, especially Canadiana and Canadian history, and was a well-known television personality and journalist. ... Dr Gary Sheffield is a British academic and military historian. ... is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Edward Richard Holmes CBE TD JP (born March 29, 1946), known as Richard Holmes, is a British soldier and noted military historian, particularly well-known through his many television appearances. ... Paul Fussell (born March 22, 1924, Pasadena, California, USA) is a cultural and literary historian, and professor emeritus of English literature of the University of Pennsylvania. ... Les Carlyon was born in northern Victoria, Australia in 1942. ...

Contents

Early life

Career

World War I

Later life

Ranks

Haig's funeral

Controversy

Haig in popular culture

References

Further reading

External links

Contents

Early life GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Career

World War I

Later life

Ranks

Haig's funeral

Controversy

Haig in popular culture

References

Further reading

External links

Early life