Folks, a gentle reminder...

[EternalOptimist]

I'd just like to add my voice to all the others in denigrating Douglas Haig aka 'Butcher of the Somme' for showing exceeding incompetence and total disregard for human life .

Stanley, I would be interested to know what Haig was supposed to do differently?
Coordinate his attacks better ? difficult without radios
More use of airpower ? planes were too ineffectual then
mobile warfare ? difficult given infancy of motororisation and armour
Strategic manouvres ? tried it at Zeebrugge and Gallipoli and Greece
Use WWII infantry tactics ? wern't invented till the Germans used stosstruppen

he wasnt left with many tools in his box, so he went for attrition. He wasn't the first to do so ,and he wont be the last. Check out the Greek, Pyrrhus.

[Platypus]

You can't possibly say what England would be like if we had lost.

The Star Trek "Nazi Planet" episode?
Patterns of Force (Season 2)

[tay]

Judging WW1 results and casualties in hindsight is a pointles exercise. It is well documented amongst the war historians that the battle of the Somme was not about advancing, but about stalling the Germans long enough to keep France in the war. And it has been true throughout history, attack is a valid form of defence. German losses were actually higher than the British losses (although exact figures are difficult to verify), the Somme achieved its goals of keeping France in the war and wearing down the Germans. The classic propogada about the British generals is actually wrong and shows like Blackadder didnt help at all, and in a lot of ways gave the wrong message.
The futility of WW1 was not in the tactics and losses, it was why the world got to that point.