"Jim you know well that Sheffield believes the war to have been necessary and the army generally well and competently led."
And you have exactly what he said in exactly the words he used
He describes incompetence and ignorance, yet he still thinks the war was worthwhile - no argument there - he is entitled to his opinion - that's what it is AN OPINION
He is a spokesman for military affairs, an employee of the war department - he is bound to think as he does, but it has nothing whatevr to do with the fact that he knows and says that the lives lost where "wasted" - which is, as far as I;m concerned, what any discussion on this ****** war should be about - the decimation of Europe's youth to maintain the status quo pertaining at the time.
The people of Britain gained nothing from the war other than depression, mass unemployment and poverty, appeasement to fascism and permanent war from then till now.
That was what all those lives were expended for - Sheffield supports all that and no doubt you do.
""Douglas Haig was 'brilliant to the top of his Army boots'."
You don't even understand Lloyd George's caustic comment on Haig - he hated the man and pointed out that he totally lacked humanity and was incapable of thinking outside of the military box - he couldn't even communicate with his own fellow officers and staff, - that is what that comment is about.
Probably the greatest betrayal of the British people was the fact that the political and military leadership spent as much, if not more time fighting each other than they did the Germans - they were all remote and elitist, defending a rigidly class-divided society and Haig was the worst of them (Kitchener was a close runner-up to the extend#t that it was rumoured that his death was deliberately brought about).
Sheffield attempts to rehabilitate Haig from his widespread reputation of "the Butcher of the Somme" and fails miserably.
"The result was that by 1918 the British army was second to none in its modernity and military ability."
McMillan makes the same point, but she points out that it took four years of horrendous war to arrive at that position - both she and Christopher Clark make the point as a criticism - 'eventually, after all that carnage, they finally got there'. Clark deliberately chose his title' 'The Sleepwalkers' to emphasise Britain's unreadiness for war throughout the war.
"The victory in 1918 was the payoff. "
Sheffield's and Terrytoon's point - all those lives were worth sacrificing - cannon fodder - sacrificial lambs - expendable - the traditional right wing elitist view of 'lesser human being' outside the circle of the elite.
Wonder how you square that with your supposed Christianity - certanly not the view held by the "normal human beings" come across on a daily basis.
Any more on how the war was 'really fought' yet Keith?
Don't suppose so!!
Jim Carroll