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 mudsoaked 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:    • How did WW1 Start? | Causes of the Fi...  

What happened during the battle: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/whath...

Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/field...

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Order and license the HD clips used in this video on IWM Film’s website:
https://film.iwmcollections.org.uk/my...

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