The First World War is often remembered as a futile waste of life. A pointless slugging match that saw uncaring commanders send thousands of young men to their untimely deaths - lions led by donkeys. In Britain in particular, it’s the mud-soaked trenches of Passchendaele which capture public imagination. While Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig is remembered as the butcher of the Somme.
But were British soldiers really lions led by donkeys?
Modern historians are challenging this idea and looking anew at Haig and his commanders to produce are more nuanced view of their command and generalship in the First World War.
Find out more:
Watch more First World War stories: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7nUDLKKEBY&list=PLolzHiCNNbO98fnufk1ohzLRUOcRQ0Gtg
What happened during the battle: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/what-happened-during-the-battle-of-the-somme
Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/field-marshal-sir-douglas-haig
Explore these stories with a visit to an IWM site: https://www.iwm.org.uk
Order and license the HD clips used in this video on IWM Film’s website:
https://film.iwmcollections.org.uk/mycollections/index/2982
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