Mud, Blood and Poppycock

TheFirstWorldWarwasauniqueexperiencefortheUnitedKingdom:theonlytimeBritainfieldedamassarmythatopposedthemainenemyintheprimarytheatreofwar.Oneconsequenceofthis'continentalcommitment'wasthatBritainsufferedmanymorecasualtiesin1914-18thanintheSecondWorldWar,afactorthathascolouredpost-1945attitudesto'theGreatWar'.Yet,asGordonCorriganreveals,theFirstWorldWarwasneitherunnecessarynorbadlyconducted--twoclaimsmadewithsuchfrequencyinthe1960sthattheybecametheneworthodoxy.TheBritishArmydidmakemistakesduringtheFirstWorldWar,butmostwerehonesterrorsmadebymenaswelltrainedandaswellpreparedastheycouldbe,giventheunprecedentedexpansionofthepre-1914armyintoaforceofoverthreemillionmenandwomen.AsGordonCorriganobserves,'sincemyretirementfromthearmyin1998,Ihaveconductednumerousbattlefieldtours,overhalfofthemtothebattlefieldsof1914-18.Ihavetriedtoexplaintomylistenerswhatwarisreallyabout,howanarmydoesitsbusinessandwhymuchlegendoftheGreatWarissimplythat:legend.IhavemyselfcometotheconclusionthatFieldMarshalSirDouglasHaig,farfrombeingthe'butcherandbungler'ofpopularbelief,wasthemanwhotookatinyBritisharmyandexpandedit,traineditandpreparedit,untilitwastheonlyAlliedarmycapableofdefeatingtheGermansmilitarilyin1918.Someofmylistenershavegoneawayconvinced,somehavenoddedpolitelyandcontinuedinthecomfortablesafetyoftheirpreconceivedideas.Somepeopledonotlikehavingtheirillusionsshattered.'Theorthodox'Blackadder'viewoftheFirstWorldWarisbasedonadangerousillusion.TheideathattheBritishArmy'sdreadfulcasualtiesstemmedfromtheincompetenceofitsofficerssuggeststhatcleverermencouldhavedonethejobwithoutbloodshed--thattherewassomeother,'easy'way.(AconceptsuggestedaftertheeventbyDavidLloydGeorge.)Infact,theexperienceofbothworldwarsdemonstratesthattheGermanarmywasverydifficulttodefeat.Itfoughtwithdiabolicalefficiencyinbothconflicts.Andpeddlingtheideathatwarscanbewonwithoutcasualtiesislittlemorethanawarmonger'scharter.