Lions led by Donkeys
Lions Led By Donkeys Ever since the end of WW1 in 1918 which was won by the British allies against the Germans it, has been hugely debated whether the famous interpretation 'Lions Led by Donkeys' is correct. I am going to look at various peoples interpretations of this statement to reach an overall conclusion. I will be looking at different views for and against the statement. I will evaluate poems by soldiers, letters written by Douglas Haig and also authors of books written about the war.
The Battle of the Somme gave the British their first experience of modern warfare. The Generals had been brought up in the wars of the late 19th century. So they did not have first-hand experience of the technology that was being used in this battle. So the soldiers were not as prepared as the Germans were for this type of warfare.
The meaning of the interpretation 'Lions led by Donkeys' is that the brave and heroic Soldiers of the WW1 are referred to as the Lions, and the incompetent and inexperienced Donkeys who led them to a gruesome mass slaughter are the Generals.
The main issues and arguments that I am going to research are based on interpretations of the events that led to thousands of British casualties to find out if it is fair to say that the war was fought by 'Lions led by Donkeys'.
Many people say that the generals did not understand what it was like on the battle field. They say that they led a comfortable lifestyle miles from the front line.
A source that supports this is 'Haig’s GHQ' by Phillip Gibbs on the realities of war, written in 1920. He says 'it was as though men were playing at war here, while others, sixty miles away, were fighting and dying, in mud and gas waves and explosive barrages.' This source may not be reliable as it was written straight after the war, when most people were against the generals so therefore this source may be biased. Phillip Gibbs though was a British War correspondent so his work would
The Battle of the Somme gave the British their first experience of modern warfare. The Generals had been brought up in the wars of the late 19th century. So they did not have first-hand experience of the technology that was being used in this battle. So the soldiers were not as prepared as the Germans were for this type of warfare.
The meaning of the interpretation 'Lions led by Donkeys' is that the brave and heroic Soldiers of the WW1 are referred to as the Lions, and the incompetent and inexperienced Donkeys who led them to a gruesome mass slaughter are the Generals.
The main issues and arguments that I am going to research are based on interpretations of the events that led to thousands of British casualties to find out if it is fair to say that the war was fought by 'Lions led by Donkeys'.
Many people say that the generals did not understand what it was like on the battle field. They say that they led a comfortable lifestyle miles from the front line.
A source that supports this is 'Haig’s GHQ' by Phillip Gibbs on the realities of war, written in 1920. He says 'it was as though men were playing at war here, while others, sixty miles away, were fighting and dying, in mud and gas waves and explosive barrages.' This source may not be reliable as it was written straight after the war, when most people were against the generals so therefore this source may be biased. Phillip Gibbs though was a British War correspondent so his work would