First Battle of Ypres - 19th October 1914 to 22nd November 1914 - Allied Victory. That the one you are referring to?

Could the German superiority in numbers and in artillery have something to do with it, plus the necessity for the Allies to hold onto Ypres "at all costs" due to the fact that if Ypres fell so too would Dunkirk, Calais and Boulogne.

As this battle was fought as the result of a massive German attack then I would imagine that it was the Germans who held the initiative and that it was the allied French and British formations that reacted as necessary to thwart the German attacks. As such Haig would have had very little to do with the planning of the battle.

Now as you and Steve Shaw seem to be awfully keen to castigate Haig for his poorer performances are you, in the pursuit of objectivity, prepared to give him credit for his successes?   No? Thought not.

Three times the Germans tried to take Ypres - three times they failed. After this one (The First Battle of Ypres) Falkenhayn recommended to the German Foreign Ministry and to German High Command that peace negotiations should be entered into - needles to say they disagreed and the war continued.