HAIG Flashcards
what were the positives of Haig in the first Ypres
he was outnumbered and showed vast amounts of bravery, he was shown on his white horse which was a risky move (links him his family whiskey company)
What were the positives of Haig in the 2nd Ypres
German use of gas condemned by Haig and helped avoid moral dilemmas
What were the positives of Haig in the Somme
Verdun- had to attack to relieve pressure on french and succeeded in this. he argued the battle was a “tipping point” and those who survived the Somme were hardened soldiers. New technology and methods tried out (tanks/ creeping barrage) and it was important to do this as it was a learning curve and will be used in future battles
when was the creeping barrage first used
the somme
when we’re tanks first used
the somme
What were the positives of Haig in the 3rd Ypres
Haig took his plans to london (“dramatic use of hands”) and said Germans knew they were lacking equipment, this is where Haig planned amphibious landings and used effective mines to push back the german divisions
what is proof that Haig is dramatic
His “dramatic use of hands” in london when trying to convince an attack
What were the positives of Haig in the 100 day offensive
use of machinery, 16,000 guns. germanys morale was dwindling at home. French launched a counter attack at Marne. he used tanks in this battle, 500 of them and used planes to drown out the noise, this helped with the areal recon and radio interceptions. he also used a creeping barrage and 30 machine guns per battalion.
who led the creeping barrage at the 3rd Ypres
Rawlingson
Who was Haig working under and who was fond of him
General Foch
how many machine guns were used per battalion at the 3rd Ypres
30
What were the cons of Haig in the 1st Ypres
the mass amount of losses (the perfectly trained battalions)
What were the cons of Haig in the 2nd Ypres
Hypocrisy, Haig later went on to use gas as a weapon after being so critical of it
What were the cons of Haig in the Somme
the wave and flow tactic led to high losses, Pals battalions were destroyed and it wiped out generations in towns, Artillery bombardments meant attack and not surprise, German trenches not destroyed
1/3 of shells did not explode and barbed wire still intact
creeping barrage was unimaginative
how many tanks were there at the Somme and how many failed
49 total, 46 tanks failed to make it more than a mile
how many shells failed to explode at the shells
1/3
what was created after the somme to solve barbed wire
Fuse 106
What were the cons of Haig in the 3rd Ypres
Preliminary bombardment before battle this time lasted
10 days - 4.25m artillery shells - not learning lessons??
German resistance stronger than expected/heavy
rain/unsuitable for men and equipment
Wave and flow abandoned/Bite and hold used in end
BF sustained over 300,000 casualties
Buchan reported loss of morale/Lloyd George critical
Haig still urging large scale attacks
Haig demanded more men - Auckland Geddes
“no”
Churchill (munitions) said use tanks if you’re short of men
how many shells were fired in 10 days at the 3rd Ypres
4.24 million
how many casualties do the BEF have in the 3rd Ypres
300,000
what did churchill suggest to haig if he was short of men
use more tanks
what were the cons of Haig in the 100 day offensive
1 million casualties, Liendorff nearly reached paris
what was John Frenches ‘last stand’
Loos
why did Haigs first use of gas fail
Haigs first use of gas failed because he tested the wind direct with a lit cigarette, got it wrong and the gas blew back and killed his own men
why was preliminary bombardment ineffective
it stopped all artillery fire so the enemy lines knew what was about to happen and could get ready to shoot the wave and flow
what technique was Haig fond of?
wave and flow
what technique did Rawlingson and Plumer prefer
Bite and hold/ fire and move
why did the french support fail to arrive at Neuve Chapelle
lack of communication (seems a bit wellington esc to me)
where did the attrition attack happen on the french at the somme
verdun
what did the germans aim to do at Verdun
‘bleed the french dry’
why did Haig want the attack at the Somme to go ahead
to releave pressure on the french at the Somme
what year was the Somme
1916
at the Somme, what was the majority of the army made up of
Pals battalions
where did Haig first use Tanks and why is this significant
the Somme, this is significant because it was argued that Haig used tanks too early and should have kept them a secret
what was the Germans first reaction when they saw the tanks at the somme
they laughed at them, they watched them flail about and called them crocodiles
when did haig first use the creeping barrage
the somme
what did Haig argue won the somme
wave and flow
why did haig argue wave and flow was effective
he argued that wave and flow was able to take large losses and capture more territory than bite and hold
what happened to the Pals battalions at the Somme
they got absolutely demolished
why did the creeping barrage fail
there was a lack of communication and the structure was too ridged, the Tommy’s didn’t know how to adapt to changing situations
why were the early tanks hard to manage
they had no brakes, they were so loud it was hard to communicate and so much training was needed. they were not yet advanced enough for battle
why was Haig argued to be more ambitious than Rawlingson and Plumer
Haig was more willing to make his men suffer mass losses and take more risks than Rawlingson and plumers tactics
how did haig say his ambitions could be achieved
‘achievable victory if enough artillery’
how many casualties did Haig expect to have in the Somme
40,000
how many casualties happened in the first hour of the Somme
60,000 (in one hour alone)
how did Haig justify the losses at the Somme
he said that Germany suffered higher losses
how many casualties happened overall in the Somme
400,000
how many artillery shells were fired at the Somme
30 Million
how did Haig justify the failure of the tanks
he said there needed to be trail and error for the development to take place
what did Haig say about the soldiers who survived the Somme
he argued that they were hardened and prepared for all future battles
why was the role of aircraft significant at the Somme
Haig was determined to make aircrafts more efficient next time
what were the positives of Arras (1917)
-the underground hospital with 700 beds and blood transfusions . this helped to shape the change in standard of medical care
what was the general mood at the beginning of the 3rd Ypres (1917)
the british were still grieving from the losses at the Somme
when was the 3rd Ypres
1917
what happened at Germany supply lines at the 3rd Ypres
due to tactical bombing, their supply lines were struggling
who were coming to support britain at the 3rd ypres
the USA (Russia had tapped out at this point)
what did haig argue as the tipping point moment in battles
before starting the 3rd Ypres
how long did preliminary bombardment last before the 3rd ypres started officially
10 days
who begged Haig to stop the attack at the 3rd Ypres
Gough
what army was bogged down at the 3rd Ypres
Gough and the 5th Army
who told haig no more men at the 3rd Ypres
Auckland general
who was in charge of munitions at the 3rd Ypres
Churchill
was there preliminary bombardment at Cambrai 1917
no !
what was the issue of the tanks
the tanks progressed too far for the infantry to catch up, they were almost ‘too good’. because the tanks progressed so far, they lost the could it had overtaken
what were planes used for in the 100 day offensive
used to drown out the noise of tanks
what was Ludendorff’s aim in the 100 day offensive
to take Paris
how far away was Ludendorff from Paris
10 miles
what new technology was used at the 100 day offensive
new aerial recon, radio interceptors, flash-spotting, sound ranging
how many german prisoners were captured in the 100 day offensive
30,000
what did Alan Clark say about the leadership of troops in WWI
“Lions led by donkeys.”
what was John Keegans quote about the Somme
“…the Somme was and would remain Britain’s greatest military tragedy of the 20th century.”
what was David Lloyd Goeges criticism of Haig
“….quite incapable of looking beyond, around or even through the struggle just in front of him.”
what did Gary Sheffield say in defence of the BEF
“While the Somme weakened the German army, the BEF gained experience and improved its tactics.”
what was David Corrigan’s view of the British generals
“Haig and other British generals were not uncaring, but they accepted, as they had to, that the very nature of this new kind of warfare would mean many deaths, however hard they tried to avoid them.
