In source D an extract from the diary of an important New Zealand Officer whose men fought in the battle, criticism is strong towards Haig. The source says, “My opinion is that the generals who direct these battle do not know of the conditions, mud, cold, rain and lack of shelter for the men”. This extract from source D is from a reliable primary source whose men were involved in the battle of Passchendaele. This source backs up what I have already said about the lack of knowledge of Haig about the conditions in Passchendaele. Another significant point is that the source was written after the battle. This backs up what I have previously said about the generals being scared of telling Haig the truth at the time, as this source was written after the battle.
In Haig’s religion meant he was prepared to sacrifice troop’s lives for his beliefs. The battle of the Somme should have stopped soon after it had started as tens of thousands of men were killed but Haig carried on. In fact Haig kept the same tactics all the time and as I previously said, ordered attacks in terrible weather conditions and with a great loss of lives as a result. In general Haig followed the war of attrition theory, which meant thousands of troops under his command died. Many historians have blamed Haig for the so-called needless slaughter of nearly 750,000 British soldiers on the Western front and the biographers pilloried him for his arrogance, egotism and intellectual shortcomings. Some commentators have also lambasted Haig for his refusal to dirty his boots in the trenches.
For example a quote from the historian Dr Sheffield says, “Reluctantly, Lloyd George gave V the go ahead for another attack, Passchendaele, perhaps the most continuous campaign in Haig’s career. By the time his men went over the top, heavy rain had made the battlefield a quagmire-soldiers stuck in shell holes pleaded with their friends to shoot them before they were drowned. Haig, however still being fed intelligence that suggested the Germans were on the brink of surrender, refused to pull out his troops. Over 238,000 lives were lost in the three-month battle. “he did make some serious errors of judgement when it came to Passchendaele”, said Dr Sheffield.
“It was unimagined disaster”. Even Haig’s son admits his father made great mistakes: “He lost a lot of time and involved in a series of unnecessary when the weather was good, so when the weather changed he was not as prepared as he should have been”. This quote from Haig’s son confirms the terrible mistakes told by other generals and historians made by Field Marshall Haig.
There are 2 sides locked in heavy debate about the question, “does Haig deserve his reputation as a bad war leader?”. Although Haig made his name as a good soldier and uprising General in the Boer war and Zulu wars, I think he deserved his reputation as a bad war leader. Although some people may argue that he was a courageous commander, fed fake intelligence and betrayed by politicians. I disagree with this and feel that incidents as I have mentioned earlier about the battle was proceeding, and the great loss of life in the battle of the Somme, support the theory that Haig deserved his reputation as a bad war leader
Q4. in his war memoirs written in the 1930’s Lloyd George called Pesschendaele, “the senseless campaign£”. From looking at the sources I can see that there are some extracts that support what George wrote in his memoirs. However there are also some sources that show this view by Lloyd George as not true. In source A Haig is very pessimistic about Passchendaele and only willing to support Italy with arms. The quote from source A says, “Lloyd George seemed to think the decisive moment of the war would be 1918. Until then we ought to do little or nothing except support Italy with guns and gunners”. This quote supports the view that Lloyd George thought Pesschendaele was a senseless campaign. The fact the war dragged on and lasted longer then expected also supports his view. Source B can also support Lloyd George’s view. It is an extract from an account of the battle of Pesschendaele published in 1931 and written by General Gough. The source tells of the terrible conditions and the tactics that meant many were lost and advances were nearly impossible. For example Gough records “when it came to an infantry attack across the waterlogged shell-holes, movement was so slow and tiring that only the shortest advance could be considered.” This view supports Lloyd George’s view that Pesschendaele was a senseless campaign also. As the source is primary source written by a British general during the battle, the source should be reliable. However much of the source is the general’s own view and may not be entirely true. I do know however that the conditions were very difficult and many generals thought wrong of the battle from studying books and videos.
Source C also backs up Lloyd George’s view as it shows the terrible conditions experienced and shows a casualty being carried away. The date of the photograph on 1st August 1917 shows that the conditions shown are almost certainly of Passchendaele. Source D (i) also supports Lloyd George’s view. Written in the diary of an important New Zealand officer whose men fought in the battle it tells of the terrible conditions his soldiers endured. It says, “My opinion is that the generals who direct these battles do not know of the conditions, mud, cold, rain and lack of shelter for the men”. The fact that this quote was written by and important officer whose men fought in the battle should ensure that it its reliable. The fact that many other sources (B,D ii) back up his view also shows it almost certainly is reliable. Source E a comment on the Battle of Pesschendaele taken from a German history of the war, published in the 1920’s also tells of a senseless campaign. The fact that the source comes from a historian means that the source should be objective, however as it is written as a secondary source it may be unreliable. The source tells of yet more bad conditions and casualties. For example one extract says, “However they had been able to achieve so little, partly because of the bad weather conditions which made movement extremely difficult.” This source supports Lloyd George’s view that Passchendaele was a senseless campaign still further.
Many historians have also called Passchendaele a senseless campaign. Many blaming him for the needless slaughter of 750,000 British soldiers on the Western Front. A source from General Hackett also supports Lloyd George’s view. It says “the wire behind which these lay was still unbroken. The British advance met with a storm of machine gun fire. Incredulous the Germans mowed the attackers down, until three and a half hours later, the remnants staggered away”. This quote shows how thousands of British soldiers were slaughtered senselessly. The source is written by General Hackett, who was involved in the war therefore it should be reliable. Although many of the sources support Lloyd George’s view that the battle of Pesschendaele was a senseless campaign there are also quotes that contradict this view. Source D (ii) a telegram sent from Lloyd George to field Marshall Haig on the 16 October 1917 gives Pesschendaele praise. It says “the war cabinet deserves to congratulate you upon the achievements of the British armies in the great battle which has been raging since 31 July”. This totally contradicts Lloyd George’s view that he later wrote about in his memoirs. This leads me to think that this was nothing but a moral booster and that his view later on about a senseless campaign is written in hindsight.
My research also tells of how lives were not necessarily given away for any reason. Some experts believe that Haig’s actions in the battle did not make Passchendaele a senseless campaign. A source from the historian Andrew Wilson quotes Robert Burns, 102, who fought in the battle as saying, “the enormous loss of life was tragic but what else could be done?” He later goes on to say about Haig and the Battle of Passchendaele. “A weaker man might have given in but then the outcome would have been unimaginable”. This shows that not everyone agrees with Lloyd George’s view that Passchendaele was a senseless campaign. Dr Gerard De Groot also says, “Some have suggested that is another man had been in charge they could have saved thousands of lives. I simply don’t think this would have been the case”. Many other historians have also echoed this feeling about Haig and Passchendaele and its worth as a whole.
Overall most of the sources agree with Lloyd George that Passchendaele was a senseless campaign. The fact that one of these sources was also from generals also involved in the war also supports Lloyd George and his view that the Battle of Passchendaele was ‘A senseless campaign’.
