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Battle of Loos

Battle of Loos . Soldiers from the 9 th and 15 th (Scottish) divisions suffered 13,000 casualties. Scots gained a reputation as being aggressive and feared fighters. Battle of the Somme. First day – 60,000 British casualties Haig – policy of attrition

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Battle of Loos

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  1. Battle of Loos • Soldiers from the 9th and 15th (Scottish) divisions suffered 13,000 casualties. • Scots gained a reputation as being aggressive and feared fighters.

  2. Battle of the Somme • First day – 60,000 British casualties • Haig – policy of attrition • Overall, 400,000 Brits lost their lives on the Somme

  3. General Haig – Bloody Butcher? • Popular stereotype of Haig as being insensitive to the huge casualty figures, ignorant of the fighting conditions, old-fashioned and out of harms way. • ‘lions led by donkeys’ • Thought of as the Scot who caused the death of thousands of men.

  4. For others he’s the man who won the war.

  5. Born in Edinburgh to a wealthy whisky family. • On Christmas day, 1914 he was given control of the First Army. The same army he led at the battle of Loos. • Shortly after became Commander-in-Chief of the BEF.

  6. Under order to throw out the Germans and work closely with the French. • His troops were trained to a very basic standard. • By 1918 he had broken the deadlock on the Western Front, turning the citizen army into an efficient force.

  7. Contradiction of description of Haig as an out of date Cavalry Officer and of him effectively combining tactics of tanks, machine guns and aircraft. • Did he have a choice in 1916 but to launch a massive offensive? • He argued for time to prepare his new army of volunteers but was overruled.

  8. He is criticised for continuing battle even when casualty figures became apparent. • But the question needs to be asked, what would have happened if he’d called off the offensive? • Some argue that the war of attrition was the beginning of the end for Germany.

  9. In 1914 the situation was totally at odds with that in 1918. • New thinking, new technology and new armies under the direction of Haig led to victory in 1918.

  10. Some argue that the negative image of Haig originates from 1926 when ex prime-minister Lloyd George published his memoirs – didn’t like Haig. • Some argue victory was due to the exhaustion of the German army but they were still inflicting huge casualties on the allies by November 1918.

  11. After the War • Wanted justice for the veterans. • Helped set up the British Legion and the Earl Haig Fund. • Haig trying to soothe his conscience?

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