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
