Aggression IS abuse GUEST, Dave. They dish it out then they can expect nothing less in return.

"the battle of the Somme as a tactical victory, rather than an unspeakable and unforgivable sacrifice of life,"

As there was actually the greatest conflict the world had to that date ever seen going on at the time, there is nothing reasonably, logically or factually preventing it from being all three at one and the same time. In 1916 Falkenhayn put into practice a concerted campaign of attrition with the express intention of bleeding the French and British Armies white (His words GUEST Dave) by the end of 1916 the German Army had suffered losses it could not replace or recover from and which ultimately resulted in their defeat in 1918.

While we are on that subject Raggy the German Army that was defeated in 1918 was demobilised and under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles any future German Army was restricted in size to a force of 100,000 men that was allowed no heavy weapons. I believe the Army you are referring to was one built in defiance of the Treaty of Versailles, so not really the same army that was irreparably damaged by Falkenhayn's misguided strategy in 1916.

But no mind go and join Lofty dancing on the head of his pin - mind you with someone as thick as yourself you'd probably dance on the other end.