Hey could anyone help me i am just wondering what the actual aim of the allied forces were whe General Douglas haig was in command?

Historians disagree about Haig's aims.
He fought the batle of the Somme to releive the German pressure on Verdun - the French wanted him to attack on the Somme so that the Germans would have to divert troops away from their attacks on the French at Verdun.
It is quite clear that before the battle he hoped that his men would get a 'breakthrough' which would defeat the germans.
However, many other things that he write make it clear that he thought the war would go on a long time and that he would have to 'wear down' the Germans over a number of years.

So, he fought the battle of the Somme for a mixture of reasons:

Firstly (strategically) because the French asked him to attack to take some of the German pressure off Verdun.
Secondly (hopefully) because he hoped to get a bgreathough and defeat the Germans.
Thirdly (realistically) because it would be art of wearing down the German resistance.

For Haig and the Somme, look at this site - http://www.johndclare.net/wwi1.htm - and the following pages.

Well, The battle was planned for a while. Haig originally wanted the battle to take place further north or west in Flanders. But Verdun changed these plans. The aims were to Relieve the pressure at Verdun, as the heavy fighting was bringing them close to breaking point (as Germany was attempting to 'bleed France white'). Another was to gain territory. Another was to kill as many German soldiers as possible. It was originally meant to be a French attack with British support. But turned into a largely British attack. It is arguable whether these objectives were achieved.

Also, Haig was in command from 1914 and previous battles, he is just most famous for the Somme

thank you

Hello.. I'm here to seek help with my homework. It's an assessment and it's very important.
The Assessment tite is: Does Field Marshal Haig deserve to be called 'The Buthcer of the Somme'?

There's two sides of the assessment which are: Against Haig and For Haig.

Could somone please help me out!? Maybe a link or something. This would be very appreciated.


Thanks Alot

The ever-helpful Mr.Clare has a page all about Haig on his excellent website. This should get you started.