Douglas Haig: War Diaries & Letters 19141918

by Haig, Douglas; Sheffield, Gary; Bourne, John

• ISBN13: 9780297847021
• ISBN10: 0297847023
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-03-24
• Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd

Summary

"The war diaries of Douglas Haig, Commander-in-Chief of the British Army on the Western Front for the final three years of the First World War, begin with the early, tentative days of the British Expeditionary Force in July-August 1914. They end after the Armistice, in November 1918, with the Allied forces finally victorious." "Here are his day-by-day accounts of the key battles of the war, not least the Somme, Passchendaele and the victorious offensives of 1918. His diaries also illustrate Haig's dealing with the politicians and cast light on both of the wartime British Prime Ministers - he records Asquith's stupendous capacity for alcohol, and, on Lloyd George, he is succinct: 'I have no great opinion of L.G. as a man or leader.' He abhorred political double-speak and found a ready supporter in the King, where there was a mutual trust." "Douglas Haig: War Diaries and Letters: 1914-1918 brings to modern readers a contemporary account of the First World War written by the soldier who ensured Allied victory."--BOOK JACKET.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	ix
Preface	xi
Introduction	1	(43)
List of Abbreviations	44	(2)
A Note on the Text	46	(3)
1914 Corps Commander	49	(40)
1915 Army Commander	89	(86)
1916 The Year of the Somme	175	(88)
1917 Calais to Cambrai	263	(102)
1918 Year of Decision	365	(130)
Biographical Sketches	495	(17)
Appendix One: Instructions of Lord Kitchener to Sir John French, August 1914	512	(2)
Appendix Two: Instructions of Lord Kitchener to Sir Douglas Haig, 28 December 1915	514	(2)
Appendix Three: Instructions of Lord Milner to Sir Douglas Haig, 21 June 1918	516	(1)
Appendix Four: Sir Douglas Haig's Final Despatch, 21 March 1918	517	(7)
Acknowledgements	524	(2)
Bibliography	526	(7)
Index	533