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In defence of him you have to examine the resources available. On the one hand you have (for the time) extremely effective rifles and machine guns to defend fortified positions but on the other you have no manouverability, no fast transport or cavalry worth a damn. This will always lead either to stalemate or a war of attrition and as the politicians were unable to accept stalemate a bloodbath ensued.
Having said that the slowness with which Haig adopted the idea of local commanders knowing a clear objective, and I mean right down to corporal level, was absurd. Units would quickly loose their officers and have no idea what their objective was.
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