Andrew Smeathers
Professor Ramsbottom
The Great War
December 12, 2012
Worst General of World War I
World War I was the first war of its size and magnitude. The massive battles and lives lost were something the world had never witnessed before. Many of the men who lead the different armies into battle turned out to be great military leaders. However, there are a few men whose military struggles leave a lasting impression. There are three Generals, in particular, who were struggled in the many aspects of their job: Sir Douglas Haig of the United Kingdom, Erich von Falkenhayn of Germany, and Luigi Cadorna of Italy. Of these three people, Luigi Cadorna receives the prize for, “Worst General of World War I.” This is based on his inability to motivate his men, the killing of his own men, failure to win battles, poor repercussions after the war, and, in general, poor military leader qualities.
Both, Sir Douglas Haig and Erich von Falkenhayn made major mistakes during their time leading the German and British armies. Sir Douglas Haig who was the leader of the British Armed Forces for the war lead them into several lopsided battles. The most notable battle was the Battle of the Somme where more than 350,00 British soldiers died. On the morning of July 1st 1916, 110,000 British infantrymen went over the top of the trench into no mans land and in a few hours more than 60,000 of those men were killed. Even with this massive loss of personnel, on the first day, Sir Douglas Haig spoke on how this attack had undoubtedly shaken the enemy lines and that their were running low on enforcements. With this massive loss of men the moral of the British forces was very low. Still, Haig continued to push forward. The goal for the battle was not meet and it was, and still is, hard to declare a victor. Haig had trouble learning from his mistakes. Throughout the war he continuously threw troops into battles that would only mount large death tolls and accomplish little to nothing in objectives. Throughout his time as General of the British Army, Haig, earned the nickname of “Butcher Haig” for the over two million British that died under his command. His inabilities to grasp modern tactics and technologies and constant lose of massive numbers of men in battle are the reasons he is looked at as a subpar general. The reason Haig is not the worst general is because his army, despite the large number of casualties, was still a decisive reason for the Allied Forces victory over Germany.
Militarily, Eric von Falkenhayn of Germany had a mixed record in battles. His offensive at Verdun proved a strategic failure, although Allied casualties were much higher than Germans. His defense of Palestine in 1917 failed as well. However that can be attributed to being outnumbered and outclassed by the opposing armies. Looking at his success however, his planning and subsequent conquest of Romania was a perfect example of how to conduct an offensive against superior forces. Ultimately it was his decisions made at Verdun that hurt him the most. He lost many men and after the battle was demoted to Chief of Staff after the battle.
Lastly, General Luigi Cadorna who led the Italian army through the twelve Battles of the Isonzo campaigns including the final battle for Caporetto. In 1915 he lead four offensives, all along the Isonzo River. All four offensives failed, resulting in some 250,000 Italian casualties. He continued to fight on the same river up until 1917, never once gaining a significant objective. The Battle of Caporetto was the last battle Cadorna would be command the Italian Army. The Austro-German forces would prove to outmatch and outnumber the Italian forces. Also, the land the battle was to take place in was mountainous terrain, which, led to the Italian armies being strung out thin at vulnerable positions. This battle reinforced the legitimacy of the German army. Ultimately this lopsided victory for the Germans and Austro-Hungarians would have large implications on how Italy was respected at the Treaty of Versailles.
Luigi Cadorna had twelve attempts to win the Isonzo River campaign and did not succeed or even learn from his mistakes. He was notorious for his ruthless treatment of troops and officers. During World War I, he fired 217 officers and executed officers whom units retreated from battle. His harsh approach to discipline has been documented as far as to say one in every seventeen Italian soldiers faced disciplinary charges during the war. Under his command not only did he lose several hundred thousands lives during battle but he executed around 750 members of his own army as well. Not only did he lose many men under his command but he also set Italy up for a poor showing at the Treaty of Versailles. Due to the lack of success Italy’s armies contributed to the war they did not receive what they had hoped for in the treaty. They were seemingly left out as the three allied super powers ran the show. This lack of ability to lead the army as well as the demoralization and killing of his own men earned him the “Worst General of World War I” award.