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What was General Haig personality like in the first world war?

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What was General Haig personality like in the first world war?

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Field Marshal Earl Haig was a British General who has generated more controversy than any other, apart from Oliver Cromwell and F/M Viscount Montgomery. He has both ardent admirers and fierce detractors and the current state of academic debate is perfectly set out in the enclosed link which could serve as an answer to your question as it gives many insights into Haig’s character, both positive and negative, as well as a comprehensive guide to the many books about and including Haig. The best thing that can be said of him is that he did his best in a very bad war, the like of which had never been experienced before. Although over a million British soldiers were killed in that war (more than in any other in Britain’s history including WWII) and many more were wounded and maimed, both physically and mentally, for life Haig was the automatic choice to become the first President of the British Legion, an organisation set up to help ex-service personnel and the money from the sale of poppies

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After the war Haig was often criticised for issuing orders which led to excessive casualties of British troops under his command, particularly on the Western Front, earning him the nickname “Butcher of the Somme”. Others[citation needed] gave him much praise, arguing that he performed well given the situation and circumstances in which he was placed. Notably, General of the Armies of the United States John Pershing remarked that Haig was “the man who won the war”. However, this sort of comment undervalues the contribution made by Dominion forces, especially those of the Canadians and specifically the Australians, both of which made incredible sacrifices, and, it appears, with little recognition of their importance in the true history of the First World War. History, it would appear, is quick to forget that it was Sir John Monash’s, an Australian of German Jewish heritage, as overall commander of the AIF (Australian Imperial Force)innovative approach to warfare in the 20th century that

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