Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #341353 in Books
• Published on: 2005-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 252 pages

Customer Reviews

Excellent Overview minus the American Involvement
I'm surprised that the armchair Douglas Haig revisionists haven't tried to take on Tim Travers in this excellent, but short, overview of British army command and strategy in World War 1. Although not enough space is expended on AEF involvement which clinched the final victory against the Hun, we are given a true evaluation of the paralysis within the BEF command structure, in particularly, Haig and the GHQ. That they retained only symbolic leadership after 1918, is reviewed by the author here with excellent research on the traditional technology and attrition, which ended the war. The BEF command structure was the old top-down style that paralyzed free discussion and led to faulty decisions.

It's unfortunate that devotees of Haig represent the last 100 days of the war as a final triumph and vindication. But, unlike U.S. Civil War General Stonewall Jackson's maxim of never looking back when campaigning, the same cannot be said for Douglas Haig. Haig was extremely lucky to have not been sacked as Commander-in-Chief of British forces. He could not leave his rigid view of warfare and adapt to evolving changes on the battlefield.

Travers feels that in the final analysis, it was Haig's wearing-out strategy that finally wore out the Germans. Perhaps, but with great assistance of the AEF.