Haig's Intelligence: GHQ and the German Army, 1916 1918

Cambridge Military Histories

by Jim Beach

Haig's Intelligence is an important study of Douglas Haig's controversial command during the First World War. Based on extensive new research, it addresses a perennial question about the British army on the Western Front between 1916 and 1918: why did they think they were winning? Jim Beach reveals how the British perceived the German army through a study of the development of the British intelligence system, its personnel and the ways in which intelligence was gathered. He also examines how intelligence shaped strategy and operations by exploring the influence of intelligence in creating perceptions of the enemy. He shows for the first time exactly what the British knew about their opponent, when and how and, in so doing, sheds significant new light on continuing controversies about the British army's conduct of operations in France and Belgium and the relationship between Haig and his chief intelligence officer, John Charteris.

Genres: World War I, History

386 pages, Hardcover

First published October 24, 2013

Reviews

[Shrike58 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author takes as his point of departure the accusation that John Charteris, a protege of Douglas Haig and his senior intelligence officer for much of the great war, was a malign influence on the field marshal. In the process of examining how the Great War produced a modern intelligence apparatus in the British military, Beach essentially answers his question in the negative; Charteris tend to provide a positive reflection of his commander's mindset and was made a scapegoat to protect Haig's independence (after a number of his own missteps). Beach goes on to demonstrate that most of the decisions made by Haig's GHQ did take intelligence seriously and that there was usually a reasonable estimate that a given operation was worth the strategic investment, though always filtered through Haig's inveterate optimism that attrition would win the day.

Originally written: April 20, 2020.