ukphil Posted 18 December , 2012 Share Posted 18 December , 2012 Hi I'm after a good book on the General Haig. I'm starting from the point I was taught @ school that the guy was an incompetent fool, but am now understanding the was not necessarily the case as my knowledge on WW1 is increasing. But I want to make sure i get the right book and not waste my ££ Thanks Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Baker Posted 18 December , 2012 Share Posted 18 December , 2012 Gary Sheffield's "The Chief" is a recent, balanced, study. Easily available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithmroberts Posted 18 December , 2012 Share Posted 18 December , 2012 There are several recent volumes, but Gary Sheffield's " The Chief, Douglas Haig and the British Army", is a good read, well researched and offers you the perspective taken by the majority of informed modern historians. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Filsell Posted 18 December , 2012 Share Posted 18 December , 2012 Right now it must be The Cief by Gary Sheffield out of a pretty long list Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithmroberts Posted 18 December , 2012 Share Posted 18 December , 2012 Snap! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbarchetta Posted 18 December , 2012 Share Posted 18 December , 2012 'The Chief' by Gary Sheffield. Now in paperback at only £9 on Amazon, so not risking many of your ££... James lol Think we have a consensus! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukphil Posted 18 December , 2012 Author Share Posted 18 December , 2012 Cheers guy's, just got it 2nd hand from amazon for a Total of £4.16 inc postage I look forward to reading it :] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukphil Posted 22 December , 2012 Author Share Posted 22 December , 2012 I have the book, hard back for £4.15 inc postage and the book is like new !! I'm just getting into it and it looks like it will be a great read thx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wexflyer Posted 22 December , 2012 Share Posted 22 December , 2012 Do add some diversity to your readings! I would recommend Laffin's Butchers and Bunglers, and also Dixon's Psychology of Military Incompetence. Needless to say, FM Haig features strongly in both books... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PMHart Posted 28 December , 2012 Share Posted 28 December , 2012 Hi chums, I would recommend the Laffin and Dixon books above only if you have the intellect of a lovely little dormouse that has been hit by a large hammer. They are faux history and psychology really only suited to the simple-minded! If anybody can substantiate any of the contents - something no-one has managed so far - then fair enough! Quite frankly I wonder at the the mentality of those who seem to search for Haig threads to infuse them with their dreary rancid bile! As to the question then I think the bulk of Haig biographies are excellent - most bring something to the table! Don't forget the older books - Duff-Cooper and Terraine for instance. It is only when reading his detailed diary entries that you can grasp the man though.... Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Filsell Posted 28 December , 2012 Share Posted 28 December , 2012 PMH does not speak with forked tongue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonharley Posted 28 December , 2012 Share Posted 28 December , 2012 Reading as much as possible on a given subject is never a bad thing. In addition to biographies Gary Sheffield and John Bourne's "Haig: War Diaries and Letters, 1914-1918" as alluded to by Peter Hart above. I can only hope that Norman Dixon wasn't as bad a psychologist as he was a historian, if only for his patients' or students' sake. "On the Psychology of Military Incompetence" was so rife with error, ignorance & prejudice I almost threw it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmckay395 Posted 28 December , 2012 Share Posted 28 December , 2012 Do add some diversity to your readings! I would recommend Laffin's Butchers and Bunglers, and also Dixon's Psychology of Military Incompetence. Needless to say, FM Haig features strongly in both books... Suggesting Laffin is a joke surely? Sheffield's work on Haig is the most recent and perhaps to most in vogue interpretation of Haig and perhaps also the most well argued. It should make a good introduction to Haig but if you want to read further I suggest John Terraine's Educated Soldier and the edited volume by Brian Bond and Nigel Cave which I have just added to my collection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crunchy Posted 29 December , 2012 Share Posted 29 December , 2012 Suggesting Laffin is a joke surely? Agreed - Laffin's work is rubbish, and masquerades as history. Unbelievable that anyone would seriously recommend it as a work worth reading on a Forum of this standing. There are many other books based on fine historical research that merit attention. Currently reading Sheffield's The Chief and Sixsmith's Douglas Haig. Both seem to be fair and balanced in their assessments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukphil Posted 29 December , 2012 Author Share Posted 29 December , 2012 Hi Guy's I have just finished The Chief, great read and very accessible and I feel much more informed on the topic. I'm now looking @ my next book Sixsmith's Douglas Haig seems popular choice Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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