ISSUE 3 : Mar/Apr - 1977 - Australian Defence Force Journal

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?8 DEFENCE FORCE JOURNALthe various intense stresses to which he wassubjected. With his front crumbling underthe greatest of German assaults, or with hisown army collapsing in the mud and bloodof Passchendaele. with an Ally always exactingand frequently irregular, with the Governmentat home searching high and low forsomeone to replace him, he preserved at alltimes a majestic calm. He lived each daywithout departing from his convictions, orseeking sensational effects, or, courting popularity,or losing heart. He was equally sureof his professional qualifications and of hisconstitutional duty: and he acted at all timesin strict accordance with these definite conceptions."These words depict in a nutshellthe character of Lord Haig (1861-1928) andthey illustrate the conditions under which hedischarged his duties as C-in-C of the BritishArmies in France.As a writer on the subject of higher command,its methods and its problems, theauthor. Major-General Sixsmith, is alreadywell known. This work, Douglas Haig, shouldnot disappoint his earlier readers.It covers Haig's life from birth till death.But the major part of it examines his careerin the war of 1914-18 — at first as a subordinatecommander of Field-Marshal Frenchand then, from December 1915 until after theArmistice in 1918, as French's successor inthe post of C-in-C of the British Armies inFrance.When war came in 1914, Haig had hithertomet all the requirements of a good officersince he had passed out of Sandhurst first andwith the Anson Memorial Sword. He wascommissioned in the 7th Hussars in 1885. Hehad commanded a squadron and later a regimentin action. He attended the Staff Collegein 1896-7 where he distinguished himself notbecause of any intellectual superiority butbecause of his dominant personality. It madeitself felt in every company — in the field,on the polo ground and in the mess. Haig hadalso served with distinction before 1914 inhigher command and staff appointments athome and in India.Not even Oxford endowed him with intellectualcuriosity and unlike his distinguishedcontemporary. Allenby, he had no interestsoutside the Army, except polo. His educationwas, therefore, narrow and specialised and,unlike Monash. he did not pursue knowledgefor its own sake. Like Wellington, however,he spoke French with ease and skill and thisaccomplishment was an advantage to him inhis dealings with French politicians and soldiers.Although Haig wrote with skill and clarity,as his famous "Backs to the Wall" order ofApril 1918 illustrated, he was almost inarticulate,like Wavell, when it came to presentingan argument or defending a case orally. Hecared for his troops. But discipline was paramountwith him — he insisted on obedienceto orders and the will to fight.The question, "Was Haig the best officeravailable to command the British Armies inFrance?", is an eternal one; and so it mustforever remain incapable of a final answer.This book, interestingly illustrated withmaps and pictures, is an important contributionto the literature on Lord Haig. The authorhas packed much into a small compass andhe has presented his case critically and judiciously,y*DUNKIRK; THE BRITISH EVACUATION, 1940, by Robert Jackson, London,Arthur Barker, 1976, 188 pp., $13.50.Reviewed by Major D. H. Ivison, UK ExchangeOfficer, Army Office, Canberra.SO many books have been writen aboutDunkirk and the evacuation of the defeatedBritish Expeditionary Force in May and June1940, that it is difficult to imagine what morethere is to say. Robert Jackson's book doesnot pretend to be for military historians, butis aimed rather at a more general audience.While analysing the day to day retreat of theBEF to Dunkirk, Mr Jackson introduces manypersonal experiences and anecdotes from soldiersinvolved in the withdrawal.It is a story not only of British troops fightinga lost campaign, but of French soldierstoo. whose heroism and self-sacrifice made thedeliverance of Dunkirk possible. This is afact quite often forgotten. Without the steadfaststand of the French troops holding thedefence perimeter, it would not have beenpossible for the 180,982 Allied troops to escape.
BOOK REVIEWS 5s>albeit minus much of their heavy weapons andequipment, to tight another day.Although the bulk of troops rescued wereBritish Army, the part played by the naval andair forces is also well covered in this book. Itis sobering to read that during the evacuationsome 226 ships were sunk, ami 171 Alliedaircraft destroyed.The book is written in a very readable styleand is well illustrated with clear anil understandablemaps.U* These books obtainable in Australia throughHodder and Stoughton (Australia) Pty. Ltd.WHO'S WHO IN MILITARY HISTORY byJohn Keegan and Andrew Wheatcroft, London.Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1976. $19.95.Reviewed by Major C. WinterArmy Office, Canberra.IN this volume the authors have produced astudy of military leaders who have shapedthe course of war from the Turkish conquestof the Byzantine Empire in 1453 to the YomKippur War in 1973. Apart from the numberof American generals included, a balanced andrepresentative selection has been achieved. If.as Napoleon claimed, there have been onlyseven great commanders in history, then itmust be concluded that any selection is arbitrary.This selection of military leaders, coveringa period of five hundred years and arrangedalphabetically in three hundred and fifty pages,provides valuable reference material. It willalso be found to bridge the gap to some extentbetween general political history and militaryhistory, important aspects of which are regrettablyignored by some historians. The volumeis very handsomely produced on good qualitypaper and is abundantly illustrated in colourand monochrome. It is completed with auseful, but limited, glossary of terms and aseries of maps showing the main theatres ofwar.The first entry is Abbas the Persian Shahand conqueror who died in 1629; the last entryis the Russian Marshal Zhukov, Russia's leadingsoldier in the Second World War. Betweenthese two entries, military leaders as diverseas William the Silent and Mao-Tse-tung. Cromwelland Che Guevara, and King George II ofEngland and Dayan. are linked over the centuriesby membership of the profession ofArms. Other entries relate the achievementsof people like Thomas Cochrane, the eccentric-British admiral who planned to overwhelmSebastopol and Crondstadt in the CrimeanWar by using sulphur gas - an anticipationof poison gas warfare; of Schlielfen. 'theepitome of the pure staff officer' and authorof the Schlieffen Plan. Appropriately, briefmention is made of Jean Henri Dunant thefounder of the Red Cross movement and recipientin 1901 of the first Nobel Peace Prize.Some information complements very wellthe more general history of a period. Lorexample, the Prussan soldier, Steuben, in theservice of the United States. He was the drillmasterof Washington's Continental Army,and 'It was thanks to Steuban's tireless elfortsthat American troops were able to match theprofessional skills of British regulars in thelater battles of the war'.The authors have developed to a high degreethe ability to encapsulate the qualities, achievementsand background of a military leaderwithin a coherent, comprehensive and briefarticle. The entries on William the Silent,Cromwell, Lrederick the Great and Napoleonare particularly good examples of this.Two predominant thoughts emerge fromreading about these military leaders paradedso effectively before our view: firstly, theimportance of winning: success covers a multitudeof shortcomings. Secondly, in an ageincreasingly dominated by sophisticatedweaponry this book is a timely reminder, ifsuch be needed, that basically it is soldierswho wage war, whether it is in the fifteenthcentury or the twentieth century.The familiar names of the military leadersof the nineteenth and twentieth centuries arewell represented and well portrayed, as wouldbe expected. However, Australian readers inparticular will be disappointed that no Australiangeneral is included.The authors make the claim that 'in an ageof global conflict, guerilla war, ultimate deterrentsand the obscenities of destruction pro-
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MARCH/APRIL 1977No. 3FORCEJOURNAL
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DEFENCEFORCEJOURNALNo. 3March/April
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y^1^ \Editors Commentf DEFENCE) FOR
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 5The rate of
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Page 17 and 18: in the armvBrigadier W. B. James, M
Page 19 and 20: PUBLIC HEALTH IN THE ARMYrmajor con
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Page 23 and 24: PUBLIC HEALTH IN THE ARMY 21a low i
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Page 27 and 28: s.First of the LineGroup Captain Ke
Page 29 and 30: I IRST OF THE LINE 2721 knots," wro
Page 31 and 32: FIRST OF THE LINE 29Photographs of
Page 33 and 34: FIRST OF THE LINE 31A Seagull III,
Page 35 and 36: FIRST OF THE LINE 33sive cruise to
Page 37 and 38: FolklopDavid LanceKeeper of the Dep
Page 39 and 40: to go slap through the hangar and w
Page 41 and 42: FOLKLORE OF AVIATION 39well got to
Page 43 and 44: FOLKLORE OF AVIATION 41(Courtesy De
Page 45 and 46: AUDIO VISUALMajor Adrian Sandery,BA
Page 47 and 48: THE AUDIO VISUAL SEQUENCE 43mailer.
Page 49 and 50: ETHANGLTHE 6th COLUMN ?C 'haplain S
Page 51 and 52: ETHANOL — THE 6th COLUMN? 49taria
Page 53 and 54: (LUSfWII/ ABSOLUTE WAR AM) A POLITI
Page 55 and 56: CLAUSEWITZ ABSOLUTE WAR AND A POLIT
Page 57 and 58: BOOK REVIEWS 5523 Huntington, op. c
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Page 63 and 64: BOOK REVIEMS 61• The statement th
Page 65 and 66: GOOD ON YA MATE! 63my headset, I go
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ISSUE 3 : Mar/Apr - 1977 - Australian Defence Force Journal

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