FACING ARMAGEDDON - The First World War Experienced

[cahoehler]

Guys

I need some comments on this book which apparently quotes Pershing as saying Haig won the war.

Thanks

Carl Hoehler

[Desmond7]

A superb collection of essays on WW1. As usual the opinions expressed are a matter for debate! IMHO one of the best books I've read on WW1 from just about every angle!

Des

[DrB]

As Desmond 7 writes, wonderful book and shot through, not with fact, but opinions, which can easily lead to factional debates regarding the number of angels and the heads of pins.

Ammo for the crusader, but as I stated, opinions, not necessarily truths.

DrB

[cahoehler]

. . . . debates regarding the number of angels and the heads of pins.

Thanks guys

Thats the easy stuff - what about "Was Haig a good or a bad general?"

Carl Hoehler

[Clive Maier]

The search facility is useful for hackneyed questions such as this. Just about every possible point of view has already been put in the 400,000-plus posts made to this forum.

[Take on me]

I need some comments on this book which apparently quotes Pershing as saying Haig won the war.

I think that Pershing actually did say that Haig was the 'man who won the war.'

JGM

[Audax]

I like AJP Taylor's comment 'Educated Courtier' would have been a more appropriate subtitle to John Terraine's book 'Douglas Haig - The Educated Soldier'

[cahoehler]

The search facility is useful for hackneyed questions such as this. Just about every possible point of view has already been put in the 400,000-plus posts made to this forum.

Mr Maier

Mea Culpa - As a colonial I should not have used irony among me betters.

But seriously I really think that a better view of Haig will be synthesised from the views of his contemporaries who can probably divided in 2 broad groups - those "remote" from the blood, mud, stench etc etc and those "up close and personal" who invariably had to write those very sad letters of condolence.

Sadly there was a lot of what is now known as "CMA" by the 1st group in the record as we now have it while the views of the 2nd group on the strategic imperatives (and the high level commanders) were influenced by the very horrible conditions that they experienced.

These comments apply to both sides although the Russian view/s seem to be scarce, neglected or bedevilled by the language and alphabet problem.

The disastrous offensives before August 1918 had been necessary but were almost fataly flawed by an almost wilful refusal to learn from experience, made worse by rigid programmes necessitated by the lack of voice communications and the the telephone / telegraph system was handicapped by the need to keep the circuits intact.

The problems of communication is often neglected - in 1916 a Corps commander could more easily communicate with the navy at sea than with his divisions and brigades. By the middle of 1918 although the US Army Signal Corps had established voice communications between Washington DC and most divisions, it was necessary for the "Lost Battalion" to rely on the badly wounded pigeon "Cher Ami" to stop friendly fire from US artillery.

The world is more complex than is apparent from listening to those that want to melt Haig's statue, burn Mosier's book, crucify Terraine, Sheffield etc etc

Thanks

Carl Hoehler

[paul guthrie]

If there has ever been a book that should be burned it's the crap Moiser wrote.