Butcher of the Somme

Does field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig deserve the name ‘The Butcher of the Somme’?
The battle of the Somme took place in 1916 and was Haig’s idea. He wanted to draw enemy troops away from the battle at Verdun to give the allies a better chance of victory. Haig’s tactic was to send troops over the top to attack the German trenches and end the stalemate. Before the troops were sent over the top there would be severe artillery bombardment of the enemy trenches. This was designed to damage or destroy enemy trenches and kill German troops. They also believed that this bombardment would destroy the barbed wire and allow the British troops to get across no-man’s land more easily. The commanders of the battle believed it would be easy and ordered the troops to walk across no-man’s land as if they were taking a Sunday afternoon stroll. Whether they told them this because they believed or to bolster their spirits has been debated ever since. On the first day of the Somme 1st July 1916 there were 60,000 casualties. Faced with this huge number of casualties Haig did not change tactics but carried on sending men over the top and it is this which earned him the nickname the ‘Butcher of the Somme’. But does he deserve this title?
There is lots of evidence to suggest that Haig does deserve th4e name the ‘Butcher of the Somme’. For example Haig stated ‘the nation must be prepared to see a heavy casualty list.’ This shows how Haig expected to see a huge amount of people hurt. He didn’t care because I he did he would have made different tactics. Haig also never visited the front line but instead presumed it would have been like old war. This is shown in the quote from Haig in 1916, ‘The machine gun is a much overrated weapon.’ Haig said this because he had never actually seen one in action, showing that he had never even gone to the front line to see what he men were doing and how they were dying but instead didn’t care. This proves that Haig did deserve the nickname because he did not care about his troops and men. He didn’t try anything and think anything other than his own thoughts.
However, there is also evidence to show that Haig did not deserve this nickname. For example historian Phillip Warner wrote in his book Field Marshall Haig in 1991 ‘those who admit he did eventually push the most powerful army in the world of French soil criticise the cast of the way he did it having this war any others way. He had to have it done his even though it may not be the way to win. He would always use the same tactics that he always did even though technology was getting higher. He stuck with what he believed would work, not what was the best. However he thought he would have to succeed. This proves that Haig should not be the ‘Butcher of the Somme’ because he didn’t listen to anyone else but himself even when others could help him win.
In conclusion I think Haig did deserve to be nicknamed the ‘Butcher of the Somme’ because he didn’t care what he needed to do, even when it meant killing men, he did it to win. Which in my eyes is a strong competitive character, yes harsh, but that’s how it was. And I think you need these qualities to win so therefore I do think that he deserved the nickname the ‘Butcheer of the Somme.’