"HOW CAN A WAR CONDUCTED BY SENDING YOUNG MEN TO CERTAIN DEATH IN WAVE AFTER WAVE UNTIL ONE OR THE OTHER SIDE GIVES UP BE DESCRIBED AS ANYTHING BUT RUTHLESS BUTCHERY - WHERE DID THE "GOOD LEADERSHIP" COME IN" - screams Jom the infallible in RED

First part is a gross over-simplification of what went on - I think that you actually do know this, but for sake of clarity if you do not - then you are a complete and utter idiot who should actually do some reading (Even by people you think are wrong) and educate yourself.

Second part:
1914 - Hare & Hounds stuff all movement and scamper. Faced with odds of up to 3:1 in both guns and men, the BEF managed to stay intact as a fighting force. The Germans outran their lines of supply (Which they would not have done had they stuck to Schlieffen's original plan and invaded through Holland as well). The Battle of the Marne ends all hopes for Germany achieving its quick victory in the west, so they dug in where they were.

1915 - Britain's reserves and Territorials start to arrive to build up the strength of the British Army in France, the sector of line held by the British is increased. Britain's industries are nowhere near a level to sustain the war effort. But two offensive operations are planned, both initially succeed in taking all their DAY One objectives but poor handling of the reserve troops delays their arrival and the sought after breakthrough does not occur (NOT MY opinion, those are the opinions of the men who were there). Scandals involving munitions and handling of the BEF means that Sir John French is replaced by Douglas Haig - the man who has given the Germans opposing him two very real scares - the German response is to double, strengthen and deepen the defences in sections of their line where they are opposed by British Forces - (By the way neither Taylor or Clark would have known about this as this detail only surfaced post-1972)

1916 - Build up of the British Army continues and by now we see the volunteers of 1914 starting to arrive. The German commander on the western front General Falkenhayn opts for the strategy of ATTRITION to, in his own words, "Bleed the French white". He sees the French as the largest army opposing him and hits it at Verdun - The French demand a combined British and French attack on the Somme (The junction of both Armies) Haig disagrees with the location he says an attack in Flanders would stand a higher chance of success, he is overruled and is ordered to attack, meanwhile the French have taken away half the troops they said they were going to commit as they are needed by Petain at Verdun. The Battle of the Somme starts badly for the British, but where they are successful Haig reinforces that effort, by the time both the battles of Verdun and the Somme are over Falkenhayn has failed to "Bleed" anyone other than his own forces white. He is dismissed, the Germans now know they cannot defeat the British, the Belgians and the French while they are still fighting the Russians. The Battle of the Somme results in the largest retreat of the German Army on the western front since the Marne one year before - the Germans start to prepare the Hindenburg Line to the rear of their new positions, Britain's first ever "Citizen Army" has faced and forced the best army in the world to retreat. And up to this point every single man fighting EXCEPT THOSE IN THE BRITISH, COMMONWEALTH & EMPIRE ARMY have been conscripted – Although a system of conscription had been introduced for England, Wales and Scotland, those called up had not as yet been deployed to France ( Harry Patch – Conscripted, joined up in October 1916 first deployment was to France in June 1917 – so much for being trained in only days).

1917 – The lessons learned in 1916 by the British Army are refined and put into practice the Battle of Messines was carried out successfully in Flanders – and should have been immediately followed up but it was thought that the Germans would have been prepared and that the British Army needed respite before another battle. Allied powers were now biting bits out of the German line and holding them. Because of the German U-Boat threat from Belgian ports Haig was ordered to attack in 1917 in Flanders to divert and split German forces from the planned French attack by Nivelle. British Prime Minister David Lloyd George was totally mesmerized by the man, put all British troops under French Command and insisted that Haig attack the Passchendaele Ridge – Haig's location of choice, selected for the terrain and ground conditions was the Somme – Haig was overruled again by his French commanders and by David Lloyd George. The Passchendaele offensive did result in further German withdrawals. Attrition now meant that the British and the French could sustain their losses, the Germans could not sustain theirs and with the Americans now in the war the Germans would have to do something quickly or lose the war. The Russians have been effectively taken out of the war – (Anybody interested in knowing what German terms for a peace were like take a good look at the terms imposed upon the Russians by the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk – in comparison the terms agreed to under the Treaty of Versailles were benign)

1918 – The German Army on the western Front is almost doubled in size by seasoned battle-hardened troops released from the fighting in the east by the Treaty with Russia. This time they attacked the British and pushed both the British and the French back to almost the high water mark of their attack in 1914. This time they were attacking across a battle-torn landscape that the British and the French knew intimately, the Germans did not. The Germans mounted a total of five offensive operations which ended in July 1918. Twenty-one days later, with all battle losses in terms of men, equipment and material made good a full strength British, Commonwealth and Empire Army went over onto the Offensive – the 8th August 1918 was regarded by Hindenburg as being the "Blackest Day of the German Army", the collapse all along the front was almost complete. One hundred days the war was over, Haig was the ONLY Commander on the western front to achieve and exploit a breakthrough in the entire course of the war – to do that with what started out as the smallest army of the major powers required amazing powers of leadership.