Haig was the Butcher of the Somee
Haig was the Butcher of the Somme
Explain how far you agree with this view
Field Marshal Haig is known as the butcher of the Somme. But was he really to blame and responsible for the death of many soldiers he was in charge of during World War 1?
He is remembered mainly for the death of thousands of men during the Battle of the Somme. On the first day alone 60,000 British soldiers lost their lives. The reason that so many soldiers died was because Haig ordered his men to walk across no man’s land. They were very easy targets for the German machine guns. However these men died for a reason, they were protecting their families and everyone else on the Home Front. They also died to prevent Britain becoming a German nation.
The first reason I think he deserves this title is because he was incompetent and inflexible which resulted in many men being killed. His inflexibility is showed by the fact that he kept the same tactics even though it was obvious that many men were being mowed down by machine guns. Also Haig was very ignorant he didn’t listen to the advice and ideas of many military experts he just did things the way he wanted to do them.
However, at the time Haig was the best man for the job. He does not deserve this title as the British casualties were no worse than the French and Germans.
Another reason I think that perhaps Haig does not deserve the title ‘Butcher of the Somme’ because he had untrained men and they weren’t used to fighting which made them very vulnerable to the experienced German soldiers. We often think about Haig relaxed with his feet up while his men were fighting and dying. However Haig was under enormous pressure.
In conclusion I can see reasons why Haig should be remembered as the Butch or of the Somme however there are also reasons why he does not deserve this title. Although he may be partially responsible for the death of thousands of men, he was the right man for the job at that time.
Explain how far you agree with this view
Field Marshal Haig is known as the butcher of the Somme. But was he really to blame and responsible for the death of many soldiers he was in charge of during World War 1?
He is remembered mainly for the death of thousands of men during the Battle of the Somme. On the first day alone 60,000 British soldiers lost their lives. The reason that so many soldiers died was because Haig ordered his men to walk across no man’s land. They were very easy targets for the German machine guns. However these men died for a reason, they were protecting their families and everyone else on the Home Front. They also died to prevent Britain becoming a German nation.
The first reason I think he deserves this title is because he was incompetent and inflexible which resulted in many men being killed. His inflexibility is showed by the fact that he kept the same tactics even though it was obvious that many men were being mowed down by machine guns. Also Haig was very ignorant he didn’t listen to the advice and ideas of many military experts he just did things the way he wanted to do them.
However, at the time Haig was the best man for the job. He does not deserve this title as the British casualties were no worse than the French and Germans.
Another reason I think that perhaps Haig does not deserve the title ‘Butcher of the Somme’ because he had untrained men and they weren’t used to fighting which made them very vulnerable to the experienced German soldiers. We often think about Haig relaxed with his feet up while his men were fighting and dying. However Haig was under enormous pressure.
In conclusion I can see reasons why Haig should be remembered as the Butch or of the Somme however there are also reasons why he does not deserve this title. Although he may be partially responsible for the death of thousands of men, he was the right man for the job at that time.