User blog comment:LB&SCR/GWM Episode 1: Douglas Haig vs. Robert Nivelle/@comment-379205-20180419040352

119's "Mud and Blood" Edges


 * Rifles: The Lee-Enfield takes this easily, as it has a larger magazine and is faster to reload, using stripper clips, while the Lebel's tube magazine had to be reloaded on round at a time. Edge: Haig


 * LMGs: The Lewis Gun has a larger magazine, with its 47-round drum magazine, and also has a higher rate of fire. The Lewis would serve with distinction not only in World War I, but in the Second World War as well, and would prove to be a reliable light machine gun which required little modification. While the 8mm Chauchat was by no means the useless piece of junk that the .30-06 version was, it still has a slower rate of fire and smaller magazine than the Lewis. Edge: Haig


 * Handguns: The Webley fires a larger and far more powerful round- the 8mm Lebel had a slighly higher muzzle velocity, but the small size of the round meant it only had the stopping power of a .32 ACP, a light pistol round. Edge: Haig


 * Grenades: The two weapons are similar enough to be called Even, both being hand grenade


 * Tactics: In terms of tactics, both men struggled to adapt to the never-before-seen conditions of trench warfare, and the new technologies of machine guns, poison gas, aircraft, armored vehicles, etc, resulting in massive losses for their men. Both had their successes, but also costly failures. Haig, however, seems to have proved perhaps a bit more successful at adapting to the new conditions of warfare, though much of this can be attributed to his capable subordinantes such as Currie, Plumer, and Monash.


 * Overall Winner: Sir Douglas Haig wins this battle for the superior weapons of his troops, as well as perhaps at least slightly better tactics.