WW1 Haig and his offensives Flashcards
when was Sir John French forced to resign?
December 1915
who replaced French as commander of the BEF?
Douglas Haig
what had Haig done prior to becoming commander of the BEF?
he had been a brilliant administrator having contributed to major army reforms such as the setting up of the TA and BEF
what was Haig’s prior military experience before WW1?
Sudan - saved an Egyptian soldier
Second Boer War
what warfare did Haig believed in?
he believed in attack
he wanted the BEF to have a continuous forward flow of attacks on German positions
by 1916 how many infantry divisions did Haig have?
56
what had boosted the men Haig had available?
the introduction of conscription in January 1916
what did Haig’s subordinates believe in?
‘bite and hold’ tactic
what was ‘bite and hold’?
men would take and hold a position before moving on to the next German line
how many of Haig’s commanders had commanded a division before WW1?
only 2
how had Haig been warned about the potential failure at the Somme?
Haig had decided to ignore numerous reports about a potential disaster at the Somme
when did the Battle of the Somme begin?
June 1916
how many British died on the first day of the Somme?
19,000
how many shells had the artillery barrage on the first day fired at German positions?
600,000
what was the failure of the artillery barrage?
it was too far ahead
had allowed the Germans to get back into their defensive positions and mow down the incoming British troops
what was the failure of the artillery barrage?
it was too far ahead
had allowed the Germans to get back into their defensive positions and mow down the incoming British troops
had the artillery barrage do much damage to German defenes?
not really
trench system was highly developed by then
the shells used were not useful in destroying the barbed wire which made it difficult for troops to cross
in what ways had the artillery barrage made the British advance more difficult?
it had created thousands of craters in the ground which made the terrain very difficult to cross
when did the Battle of the Somme end?
November 1916
how many British and Empire troops died by the end of the Battle of the Somme?
400,000
in what ways had the Somme hardened British troops?
many of the recruits that survived were far more experienced
what was Haig’s ‘active front theory’?
his attempt to mix attrition with attack in order to made a breakthrough on the Western front
how was Haig’s active front theory a failure?
he held too much optimism in the concept of a war of attrition and expecting the enemy forces to eventually run out of supplies
was Haig an active commander?
NO
he never visited the frontlines
stayed in a chateau miles away from the action - showed he was detached from his men
what were the main reasons for the British failure at the Somme?
the German defences
poor weaponry
German defences
the British had little intel on the strong defensive positions held by the Germans
the Germans were also readily supplied and morale was high
poor weaponry
1 in 3 shells fired at the Somme did not explode
thus limited the effectiveness of creeping barrages and artillery bombardment
what were the major differences going into Passchendaele?
the British war effort was far more advanced
the Americans had arrived to bolster the allied attack
by how much had German industrial output fallen by 1917?
60%
what was the main reason for Haig’s optimism with his plans for Passchendaele?
a report by the American Relief Committee on German morale
what had the American Relief Committee on German morale reported?
- German troops knew they were beaten
- German troop supplies had deteriorated
- fewer German trains were carrying supplies and troops to the front line
was the report entirely accurate?
NO
German troops were still holding strong defensive positions across the front
they had reasons to be optimistic after the defeat of the Russians with the October Revolution
who else provided Haig with poor intel?
General Charteris
Chief of Intelligence in the BEF
what was the first action at Passchendaele?
the blowing up of the German defences at Messines Ridge
how many pounds of explosives were used to blow up the German trenches?
1 million lb
despite the failures of the artillery barrage at the Somme, how many times more shells were fired at Passchenaele?
4 times
what had this heavy bombardment at Passchendaele lead to?
the drainage system had been destroyed which led to the battle ground being flooded
WORSE TERRAIN TO CROSS
examples of Haig failures at Passchendaele?
- appointment of Gough
- not waiting for the Americans to arrive
- continued use of artillery bombardment
appointment of Gough
Gough had failed to to make an impact with his 5th Army
ended up being replaced by Plumer
what did the appointment of Plumer show Haig?
that the tactic of ‘bite and hold’ was far better than holding an active front
not waiting for the Americans to arrive
the French wanted to wait for more American troops before pushing
Haig wanted to continue his offences
how many British men died at Passchendaele?
70,000
what was Haig’s relationship with Lloyd-George?
it was poor
Lloyd-George wanted to dismiss Haig however understood that many on Britain regarded him as a hero
in what ways did Haig embrace the improvement in technology?
tanks
RFC
machine guns
how many tanks did Haig use at Cambrai?
400
how many miles were gained at the Battle of Cambrai?
5 miles
A LOT
largely due to the effectiveness of the tank
what were the issues about the Mark V tanks used by Haig?
slow
unreliable
easy targets for German artillery
however how had the use of Tanks revolutionised Britain’s attack?
used alongside infantry to protect men against enemy fire
destroyed barbed wire
MASSIVELY reduced German morale
which French General did Haig get on really well with?
Marshal Foch
what was the significance of Haig’s relationship with Foch?
they both worked well together to push the Germans back through numerous defeats
who did Haig work well with in order to implement the RFC with the BEF?
Trenchard
how had the RFC been used at the Battle of Amiens?
Haig deployed 500 tanks in secret and used aircraft to drown out the noise of the tank engines
how had the RFC been used in the Hundred Days’ Offensive?
aerial recon
strategic bombing
air superiority
LARGELY PUSHED FOR BY HAIG
alongside the use of aerial recon, how else did the British spot artillery?
flash-spotting
sound-ranging
at Amiens, thanks to Haig’s used of technology, how much of German artillery had been identified and hit?
95%
how had Haig adapted to the need for machine gun fire in 1918?
by 1918 each battalion had 30 machine guns compared to 4 before
in what way did Haig improve medical care in the BEF?
understood the importance of dental care in the BEF
was the first army commander to introduce dental care in an armed force
how many dentists in the BA by 1918?
800
what was the overall impact of improved healthcare in the BEF?
troop morale significantly as less men were dying of disease
in what ways must Haig’s job be contextualised?
the rapid growth of the BA
geographical issues he faced
change in the nature of warfare
rapid growth in the BA
Haig was in charge of the largest BA in history with 2 million men by 1916
it must have been difficult to coordinate operations with so many men
large majority of these men were untrained —-> conscripts
what can be said about the size of British losses relative to the size of the BEF?
with more men there were more casualties
geographical issues
Haig was in charge of a 15 mile front
the Ypres salient was arguably the most difficult area of the entire Western front
Ypres salient
could be attacked from any side by the Germans
so was difficult to manage and defend for Haig
change in nature of warfare
trench warfare WAS NEW
Britain were not prepared for a war of attrition
