Haig: The Evolution of a Commander

by Andrew Wiest

Book Overview

Douglas Haig's career is at the center of a debate concerning the nature of the Great War. Traditionalists contend that, like the majority of general from both sides, he was a hidebound relic of a bygone age who could not come to grips with modern war and sent his soldiers "over the top" in futile attacks, with a criminal disregard for the enormous cost in lives. Indeed, under Haig's leadership, the British Expeditionary Force fought its two signature...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1574886843
• ISBN13: 9781574886849
• Release Date: July 2005
• Publisher: Potomac Books
• Length: 142 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.1" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

A Good Introduction

Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig is one of the most controversial commanders of the First World War and indeed of all British history. Was he a military genius without the resources that he needed or was a military incompetent of the first order? According to Andrew Wiest, in this short study of Haig's years on the western front, he was more of the former than the latter. Wiest, however, is not offering some kind of sanitized version of history. He realizes and has no problem showing when and where his subject blundered. His coverage is through and his prose is easy to follow. This book makes for a nice introduction on the topic of Sir Douglas. Highly recommended.