HAIG'S GENERALS

British high commanders on the Western Front. While Douglas Haig, controversial British commander on the Western Front, has been much studied, his immediate subordinates have been far less scrutinised. Providing fresh insights into the war in the trenches, this is a revealing portrait of the generals who put Haig's strategy into practice. Haig's forces were divided into five Armies, and the book examines this level of command. Rawlinson's Third Army spearheaded the effort at the Somme, but later achieved clear success at Amiens. Gough oversaw the early stages at Passchendaele until losing control to Plumer. Gough was also blamed for failure against the German spring offensive in March 1918. Byng won the landmark victory at Cambrai, while the well-regarded Allenby went on to command in the Middle East. Chapters are devoted to these men and to Birdwood, Horne, Monro and Smith-Dorrien. This thought-provoking contribution to the fierce debate about the competence of Haig and his generals assesses their careers and characters, evaluates their performances in command and examines their relationship with their men and with Haig himself.