History- General Haig and the Battle of the Somme

When did the Battle of the Somme begin?

1st July 1916

Why did the British plan the Battle of the Somme?

To relieve the French of the German attack at Verdun by diverting the German troops to the Somme.

Who were the British Expeditionary Forces led by?

Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig

What were the British aiming to achieve at the Battle of the Somme?

The British aimed to gain territory, divert the German forces away from Verdun and to kill as many German soldiers as possible, and through this breaking the stalemate that was occuring.

How were the British planning to destroy the German trenches prior the the beginning of the Battle?

The British spent 7 days bombarding the German trenches at the Somme with artillery shells. They also planted bombs near the German trenches in No Man’s Land.

Why was this bombardment unsuccessful?

The German trenches were well fortified with secure bunkers, up to 9 metres deep. 1/3 of the artillery shells fired also did not explode, not only making it harder for the British soldiers to cross No Man’s Land, but also doing minimal damage to the trenches.

What were the British troops ordered to do when they were sent ‘over the top’?

The British soldiers were ordered to walk slowly across No Man’s Land in a ‘creeping barrage’ to capture and rebuild the German Trenches, which the British assumed had been destroyed. N.B: Even if the soldiers has wanted to run. this would have been difficult due to the backpacks with heavy equipment that they were ordered to carry.

How many casualties did the British suffer at the Battle of the Somme?

420,000, with 125 overall deaths.

How many casualties did the British suffer on the first day of the Battle of the Somme?

57,000 casualties, with 20,000 deaths, making the first day of the Battle of the Somme the worst day in British military history.

How prepared were the soldiers at the Battle of the Somme?

For the most part, the British soldiers were young volunteers with little to no experience of fighting.

The following are statements, which you should analyse and come to a conclusion whether they suggest that Haig was ‘The Butcher of the Somme’ or not.

The following are statements, which you should analyse and come to a conclusion whether they suggest that Haig was ‘The Butcher of the Somme’ or not.

Haig was the Commander of troops on the Western Front, where there was terrible slaughter of the soldiers.

Butcher- This suggests that Haig was responsible for the ‘‘slaughter of the soldiers’’ on the Western Front.

By the end of the war, one million British soldiers were dead.

Butcher- This indirectly suggests that Haig’s leadership and battle tactics were the reason for the death of one million British soldiers.

Haig used old-fashioned battle tactics, which led to the terrible loss of life at the Somme.

Butcher- This shows us that Haig’s leadership and tactics contributed significantly to the high casualty rates at the Battle of the Somme.

The stalemate could only be broken by attacking, not by leaving men sitting in their trenches.

Not a Butcher- This suggests that Haig’s decision to launch the Battle of the Somme was right because it broke the stalemate and meant that eventually the Battle of the Somme was won by the

Haig was brought in to break the dead-lock on the Western Front and that is what he did.

Not a Butcher- This suggests that Haig’s decision to launch the Battle of the Somme was necessary because otherwise the dead-lock that the war had descended into may not have finished.

The major problem on the Western Front was the new technology, which meant that the defensive weapons were much stronger than the attacking weapons.

Not a Butcher- This suggests that the huge loss of life was not Haig’s fault but the fault of the machine guns and new technology.

Machine guns meant that it was very hard to attack the enemy’s trenches without great loss of life.

Not a Butcher- This suggests that some loss of life was necessary in order to attack the trenches.

Haig was out of touch with his men because he did not go to the battlefields and did not see the terrible effect of the machine guns.

Butcher- This suggests that Haig did not care about his men and their lives.

It would have been pointless to Haig or any of the other senior commanders to be at the front- they needed to be behind the lines in safety so that they could command the war.

Not a Butcher- This suggests that Haig’s decision to stay behind the front line was a precaution for his safety rather than a cowardly attempt to flee. It was more important to have a general that was alive than one who was constantly on the front line.

Haig ordered the Battle of the Somme and by the end of the Battle, over 400,000 British soldiers had lost their lives.

Butcher- This suggests that Haig is a butcher because he launched the Battle of the Somme and commanded the British soldiers, so his tactics were often responsible for the death of these 400,000 soldiers.

57,000 soldiers were casualties on the first day of the Battle, earning Haig the nickname ‘Butcher of the Somme’.

Butcher- This is fairly obvious.

Haig’s own diaries show he had no idea how bad the battle was going to be and at the end of the first day he still did not realise how terrible the slaughter had been.

BOTH

Butcher- Haig was ignorant and did not care about his soldiers.

Not a Butcher- Haig did not realise how bad the slaughter had been, so it is not his fault for continuing to apply the same tactics

Haig had little choice over the Battle of the Somme - he had to start a new battle to relieve the pressure on the French at Verdun.

Not a Butcher- This suggests that Haig had no choice but to launch the Battle of the Somme, and the subsequent slaughter is not his fault but the fault of th

If Haig had refused to start the Somme, then the French would have been defeated and the war could have been lost.

Not a Butcher- This suggests that Haig had no other choice but to initiate the Battle of the Somme because otherwise the war would have been lost.

Haig used old-fashioned methods of warfare, mainly the frontal assault against heavily defended positions.

Butcher- This suggests that Haig did not understand modern warfare and therefore there was huge loss of life.

Haig still believed the cavalry soldier could be used in modern warfare.

Butcher- This suggests that Haig was not well equipped to lead a modern army.

As the war went on, Haig learned new tactics e.g. the creeping barrage.

Not a Butcher- This suggests that Haig was no technophobe and learned new, more effective tactics as the war progressed.

Haig was the first commander to use tanks on the Western Front.

Not a Butcher- This suggests that Haig was not a Butcher as he used some more aspects of modern warfare as the war progressed

Haig was a butcher who did not care about the terrible slaughter and continued battles even when he knew there would be terrible loss of life.

Butcher- Fairly obvious.

Haig sent his men to attack positions that were too strongly defended.

Butcher- This suggests that Haig had little to no regard for his men’s lives and did not use appropriate tactics.

The war had to be fought to the finish and Haig had to get the men out of their trenches to attack the enemy.

Not a Butcher- This suggests that Haig had no other choice but to send his men to the German trenches.

Haig won the war.

Not a Butcher- Haig’s tactics, however much loss of life they caused, were effective.

By the end of 1917, the British army was the best fighting force on the Western Front.

Not a Butcher- Haig’s leadership caused the British army to become a very strong fighting force.