General Haig made mistakes but played a key part in the British victory.

Some may agree with the statement and argue that although Haig made mistakes, he made the
best of a bad situation. Haig was asked by the French to create a diversion for the Germans, so
the French could recover from the deadly German attack on Verdun. Haig couldn't refuse as this
would break the Anglo-French alliance. The conditions were also not ideal for Haig, as he
wanted to fight the war against Germany near Belgium, however, he had to fight the war, at the
intersection between the British and French armies, which was near the Somme River. As a
result of this, Haig's men weren't in the best place to fight a war that caused his mistakes.
Additionally, many of Haig's mistakes weren't his fault. His communication trenches gave him
the false misconception that the wire was cut which led him to believe all the Germans were
dead, and therefore false information from other officers led to this failure. Moreover, some
will agree that the loss of lives caused, especially on the first day of the Somme was not Haig's
fault. Loss of life in war is inevitable and this was a war of attrition. The casualties the Germans
suffered would have been more heavily felt compared to the casualties on the Allied side.
Although Haig went against Rawlinson's plan, he didn't anticipate half the shells would not
explode. His job was to relieve Verdun from the Germans and that's what happened because
the French could recapture Verdun. He also had limited options as a general with what he could
do, he didn't have extensive war aircraft etc. Although Haig's mistakes weren't necessarily his
fault, he had to take responsibility for the mistakes made. Haig did have a massive part in the
British victory. He learnt his lessons from Somme and Passchendaele and developed his tactics
including the use of tanks, and creeping barrages which heavily influenced the Allied victory.
The British public's view of him had heavily changed by the end of the war and was heavily
regarded as key to the Allied victory. His funeral was attended by 100,000 people. This
argument is valid to a high extent as the Somme, where most of his mistakes were made, was
crucial to developing army tactics and new weaponry, and understanding the enemy more, and
Haig played a big part in this.

On the other hand, however, many may disagree with the statement and argue he was a
butcher and that his mistakes were unforgivable. Over 50,000 British soldiers were either killed
or wounded on the first day of the Somme, which is the worst military day in British history.
This could have neem avoided if it weren't for poor military planning. The soldiers were ordered
to walk over the top without any rifles which proved to be catastrophic, and this was Haig's
fault as he genuinely believed the 'wire had been cut' which was false. The German trenches
were so fortified, barely any Germans were even touched. Haig's failure to listen to his second-
in-command Rawlinson's plan was crucial to the mass loss of life. Rawlinson wanted intense
artillery bombardment along with small scale raids and attacks. However, Haig was so sure the
Germans would crumble, that he changed the plan. When tank use came into the war later,
Haig wanted as many tanks active on the battlefield to scare the Germans, and Rawlinson
wanted fewer tanks as the newly introduced tanks would break. Haig didn't listen to Rawlinson
and many tanks did break down. The failure to listen to other generals caused a massive
number of casualties as well as a waste of resources, and this proved fatal. Haig also had no
empathy for his troops. Many troops signed up in 'Pals' Battalions so they could be with their
friends and have the adventure of war together. And many troops often died in their Battalions
exemplifying the loss of troops. But Haig had no sympathy for troops and the mental pain
soldiers went through. He and his generals would be staying in chateaus in France, without
doing any actual hard physical work. This stemmed the hatred for Haig from many soldiers as
he was so ignorant to the horrifying mental and physical conditions of the trenches. This
argument is valid to a considerable extent, however, some may counterargue that as a General
of the British Army, he is not expected to show emotions and sympathy for the troops. He is
expected to be stern and strong.

To conclude, the problems the generals faced were extremely unprecedented. Most of these
generals had fought in the Boer War, but that war was on a much smaller scale and the
conditions were extremely different. The battles in WWI were on a much huger and important
scale. New technology intensified the role of defence as opposed to the role of attack. This was
a war of attrition and breaking the stalemate was important for both sides on the Western
Front. By 1918, the British army managed to do this, through a mix of new weaponry and
innovative tactics that General Haig helped enforce. Many victories on the Western Front by
the Allied forces allowed the Germans to want Armistice before the Americans helped finish the
war off for the Allies. General Haig played a key part in the introduction of new weapons and
tactics, but no one in history will be able to forget the loss of life on the Somme. But Haig
shouldn't be given full responsibility for the loss of life in the Somme offensive. Therefore, it is
possible to agree with the statement.