Architect of Victory

Architect of Victory—Douglas Haig

The military genius who won the Great War—and the controversy surrounding him

About the Ebook

Douglas Haig's popular image as an unimaginative butcher is unenviable and unmerited. In fact, he masterminded a British-led victory over a continental opponent on a scale that has never been matched before or since. Contrary to myth, Haig was not a cavalry-obsessed, blinkered conservative, as satirised in Oh! What a Lovely War and Blackadder Goes Forth. Fascinated by technology, he pressed for the use of tanks, enthusiastically embraced air power, and encouraged the use of new techniques involving artillery and machine-guns. Above all, he presided over a change in infantry tactics from almost total reliance on the rifle towards all-arms, multi-weapons techniques that formed the basis of British army tactics until the 1970s. Prior re-evaluations of Haig's achievements have largely been limited to monographs and specialist writings.

Walter Reid has written the first biography of Haig that takes into account modern military scholarship, giving a more rounded picture of the private man than has previously been available. What emerges is a picture of a comprehensible human being, not necessarily particularly likeable, but honourably ambitious, able and intelligent, and the man more than any other responsible for delivering victory in 1918.

Why You'll Love This Ebook

• Understand the strategic brilliance that led Britain to victory
• Discover the complex legacy of a commander who shaped modern warfare
• Explore the debate that still surrounds his historic decisions
• Read another celebrated title from Birlinn Ltd - Independent Scottish Publisher

Reviews

'Walter Reid's account is both fair and just — two achievements that have eluded many writers on Haig. He has the historian's eye, which can see the significance of the apparently inconsequential' John Bourne, University of Birmingham

'An outstanding success — the argument is beautifully presented and written in very clear English. A substantial work which follows the rules of classical biography' Politique étrangère

'Sharp and clear — swift and surefooted' The Scotsman

'A careful biographer' Times Literary Supplement

'A biography that is not just academically credible but which is also a very good read' Gordon Corrigan, Military Historian and Broadcaster

About the Author

Walter Reid studied at the universities of Oxford and Edinburgh and is the author of a number of acclaimed biographies and books of military and political history. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Publication Details

Publisher: Birlinn Ltd

Publication Date: 12 August 2011

Print Length: 635 pages (Ebook edition)

ISBN (Ebook): 9780857901248

Format: Ebook

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