Is it fair to call Field Marshall Haig the Butcher of the Somme
On the 10th December 1915, Field Marshall Haig was appointed in order to break the stalemate on the Western Front. Haig was 54 and had a successful military career; in particular he was a celebrated cavalry commander in the Boer War against a poorly equipped South Africa some fifteen years prior to his appointment. The Somme was a quiet sector with a live and let live policy. ... The aim of the Battle of the Somme was to ease the pressure off the French troops at Verdun. The Battle of the Somme was one of the bloodiest battles in the war. ... This earned Douglas Haig the infamous title of the “Butcher of the Somme” because he sent wave upon wave of British troops to their deaths for a few miles of blood and mud. The title, “The Butcher of the Somme” for me entails that the person would have no regard for human life and treated the soldiers in an appalling way. There are many reasons as to why Field Marshall Haig could be called the Butcher of the Somme. Even though it was not his fault, Haig had not experienced trench warfare and how far technology had advanced. Field Marshals like him were not expected to visit the front line, but Haig could have sent men to assess the situation and then the Field Marshall could have based his plans on the current advantages and disadvantages.