| “ | The idea that a war can be won by standing on the defensive and waiting for the enemy to attack is a dangerous fallacy, which owes its inception to the desire to evade the price of victory.
— Douglas Haig
|
” |
Sir Douglas Haig came from a Horse Cavalry background, became commander of the British Expeditionary Force on December 19, 1915 after Sir John French had been sacked for the British Defeat at the Loos three months before. The first major command decision came with the Battle of the Somme, were Haig had decided that the six months of bloody French-German fighting at Verdun had worn down the German Army enough to launch a major British Offensive. However, the originally joint Anglo-French attack was made mostly British as alarm bells caused the French to keep shipping troops towards Verdun. However, he chose to wait for training and to acquire more artillery pieces, and was finally goaded into launching his attack on July 1, just in time as any more waiting would have caused Petain's French forces to dissolve under constant German Pressure.
Haig recieved his promotion to Field Marshal in Early 1917, and in April was forced to support Robert Nivelle's failed offensive into German lines, further opening the already existing rift between him Nivelle; after which he went on to conduct the Third Batttle of Ypres (better known as Passchendaele), a further 'wearing down' operation to deplete German Resources and capture a vital railroad junction; leading to heavy casualties on both sides. This move led to great controversy from the British Government, with Lloyd George saying that it had been a "sensless campaign." However, it did achieve one of it's goals: Stopping the German Army from attacking a disorganized and demoralized French Force.
Later on in November, Haig launched an offensive into Cambrai, a piece of the German Hindenberg Line. Haig combined the tried-and-true artillery and infantry tactics with new tactics involving tanks and close air support, and the first day saw great British successes, but German Counter attacks soon saw most of the newly conquered territory retaken; and it was only through reckless British Determination that British forces weren't pushed completely from the field. However, Cambrai saved Haig's job, albeit at the price of smashing his political credability to pieces and the disappointment of the British Governemnt.
However, the Germans launched a series of offensives in the Spring of 1918, believing that the Entente were vulnerable, and wanting to end the war before complete American Mobilization. Operation Michael and Operation Georgette were met with stiff resistance by Haig's forces, and the brief early successes were soon overturned by the later Hundred-Days offensive launched by Haig, Petain, and Foch. Combining the tested Anglo-French-Belgian Armies with the newly arrived forces from America, Portugal, Siam, and Italy; This offensive cut straight through the Hindenberg line, forcing the Germans to retreat fully out of France. It was the last major action taken on the Western Front during the Great War.
Battle vs. Robert Nivelle (by LB&SCR)[]
TBW.
Expert's Opinion[]
TBW.