Does Haig Deserve the Title ‘The Butcher of the Somme’
Throughout this essay I will be discussing wether Douglas Haig deserves to be called “The Butcher of the Somme” or wether he could be considered a hero to the first world war. Some have said that he was a top British Military leader who led Britain to many victories, however others think that the title “The Butcher of the Somme” is more appropriate. The word butcher meaning to slaughter something in itself is horrible, however this was the term given to him by the people who believed that Haig should be blamed for the ‘sheer loss of mens lives throughout this battle’.
At the Battle of the Somme, Haig used simple tactics and as a result of this, on the first day alone, 20,000 allied soldiers …show more content…
This shows that as Trench Warfare was a new method of fighting, the situations Haig was thrown upon were more difficult to handle. This is probably one of the main reasons why he and his army repeated his tact tic everyday as ‘no critics offered an alternate method of fighting’. Secondly, Haig genuinely thought that the battle was going well, ‘The troops are in splendid spirits... The commanders are full of determination’ This shows that the army had a lot confidence in Haig and that they trusted and respected him. In addition, Haig was photographed with King George during the war which also showed that he was a powerful character who had earned respect and gratitude from the King who is an important member of society. In April 1919, Haig was welcomed home by hundreds and hundreds of British men, women and children which shows that he was greatly admired across the nation. Other people, such as Winston Churchill, said that they would’ve used the same tac tics as Haig used during the war. ‘No amount of skill on the part of the higher commanders, no training however good on the part of officers and men, no opportunity however great of arms and ammunition will enable victories to be won without the sacrifice of man’s lives’. Haig is explaining the reality of war, that no amount of training, skill or ammunition can win you the was without the death of soldiers. He also goes on to say that to win the war in the long run you need patience and the sacrifice of mens’ lives. However, within a few years after his death, Douglas Haig was no longer remembered as the leader of victory in the greatest and most terrible war the British Army had ever fought. He was remembered as a "Butcher of the Somme", "a donkey" and "a
Throughout this essay I will be discussing wether Douglas Haig deserves to be called “The Butcher of the Somme” or wether he could be considered a hero to the first world war. Some have said that he was a top British Military leader who led Britain to many victories, however others think that the title “The Butcher of the Somme” is more appropriate. The word butcher meaning to slaughter something in itself is horrible, however this was the term given to him by the people who believed that Haig should be blamed for the ‘sheer loss of mens lives throughout this battle’.
At the Battle of the Somme, Haig used simple tactics and as a result of this, on the first day alone, 20,000 allied soldiers …show more content…
This shows that as Trench Warfare was a new method of fighting, the situations Haig was thrown upon were more difficult to handle. This is probably one of the main reasons why he and his army repeated his tact tic everyday as ‘no critics offered an alternate method of fighting’. Secondly, Haig genuinely thought that the battle was going well, ‘The troops are in splendid spirits... The commanders are full of determination’ This shows that the army had a lot confidence in Haig and that they trusted and respected him. In addition, Haig was photographed with King George during the war which also showed that he was a powerful character who had earned respect and gratitude from the King who is an important member of society. In April 1919, Haig was welcomed home by hundreds and hundreds of British men, women and children which shows that he was greatly admired across the nation. Other people, such as Winston Churchill, said that they would’ve used the same tac tics as Haig used during the war. ‘No amount of skill on the part of the higher commanders, no training however good on the part of officers and men, no opportunity however great of arms and ammunition will enable victories to be won without the sacrifice of man’s lives’. Haig is explaining the reality of war, that no amount of training, skill or ammunition can win you the was without the death of soldiers. He also goes on to say that to win the war in the long run you need patience and the sacrifice of mens’ lives. However, within a few years after his death, Douglas Haig was no longer remembered as the leader of victory in the greatest and most terrible war the British Army had ever fought. He was remembered as a "Butcher of the Somme", "a donkey" and "a