The commanders were 'donkeys'. It is worth noting that the mistakes were made by the generals of all parties to the conflict. Home > Lions led by donkeys? This question, asked by the late Peter Lawrence one spring evening at a Birmingham University extra-mural class in Wolverhampton, changed my professional life. Gerard de Groot, a Belgian biographer, wrote in 1989. Ever since the end of WW1 in 1918 which was won by the British allies against the Germans it has been hugely debated whether the phrase ‘Lions Led by Donkeys’ is correct. … This was immediately after the failed attempt to storm the fortress of Sevastopol and, if verified, this citation would take the saying back to 1854‑5. What's the origin of the phrase 'Lions led by donkeys'? After the defeat of the Italian troops Cadorna was removed from office. The phrase “lions led by donkeys” has its origins long before the First World War. The phrase “lions led by donkeys” has its origins long before the First World War. It was the lions of the infantry who fought hard to bring success to sometimes poorly planned offensives by the donkey-minded Generals. Instead he preferred the comforts of his chateau well in the rear. It is widely thought that the British infantry of WWI (the lions) were consistently sent to their deaths by their incompetent and out-of-touch generals (the donkeys). The situation required a change in combat strategy. All you have to do is let the lion loose, and the lion will defend itself. The phrase ‘lions led by donkeys’ was used to suggest that unintelligent and incompetent generals led brave soldiers into certain death. The Italian version of “Lions headed by donkeys” sounds like this: “poor bastards led by arrogant idiots”. The warlords had little opportunity to know which units were successful in the offensive. Hosts Joe and Nick cover Military History while mocking inept Commanders, battlefield blunders, and everything in between. A number of historians at the time attributed the phrase to a conversation between the German generals Max Hoffman and Erich Ludendorff. ‘ It supports the view that lions were led by donkeys as it implies that Haig thought his own comfort was more important than the situation at the front line. Because of the limited room for maneuver on the Western Front, there were several lines of attack that did not include an across No Man’s Land. The smallest “trench radio” consisted of 6 people to convey information, and this No Man’s Land was impractical. Rose designed the posters. After the war, in the 1920s and 1930s, people came to believe that the losses at the Somme were unacceptable. About Lions Led By Donkeys Podcast. He has raised some interesting new info that I had not heard especially in regard to the to the above quote. New episodes every Monday and Bonus episodes 3 times a month. They thought it well described the relationship between the … Lions led by Donkeys. AboutPressCopyrightContact usCreatorsAdvertiseDevelopersTermsPrivacyPolicy & SafetyHow … Our podcast will always be free, but if you think what we do is worth a buck you can throw us one here: https://www.patreon.com/lionsledbydonkeys Read another story from us: The German Corpse Factory – Great Piece of British Propaganda, By 1918, Haig’s forces had created a weapon system and strategy that allowed them to defeat the German army. The fact is that offensive troops were moving at a speed of about 1-2 miles per hour, while the defenders were able to use the railway network and move at a speed of about 25 miles per hour. The lion doesn't turn around when the small dog barks. Criticism of The Characterisation of Military Leaders as Donkeys The Lions Led By Donkeys podcast is a military history podcast for laughing at the worst military failures, inept commanders, and crazy stories from throughout the history of human conflict. As in other historical myths, fragments of truth are widely distorted and may carry incorrect information by changing the whole picture of perception. When Cadets At The US Air Force Academy Realized Their Janitor Was Medal Of Honor War Hero, ‘Skins’ Star to Play SAS Hero Paddy Mayne in New Series, Remains Of Pearl Harbor Sailor From USS Oklahoma Identified, Zumwalt-Class Destroyers To Be The First Outfitted With US Navy’s Hypersonic Missiles, US Air Force Names New F-15 Fighter Jet Replacement, Operation Monopoly: When the US Tunneled Under The Soviet Embassy, New Eligibility Requirements For Arlington Cemetery As Space Runs Out. … The French commander, General Mangin, said that “whatever you do, you lose a lot of men.”. There is, however, no evidence to support this claim. During the Crimean War a letter was reportedly sent home by a British soldier quoting a Russian officer who had said that British soldiers were ‘lions commanded by asses'. The commanders of the defending side had the opportunity to use telephone lines to transmit the necessary information, while the advancing troops did not have such an opportunity. The contention is that the brave soldiers (lions) w ere sent to their deaths by incompetent and indifferent leaders (donkeys). The contention is that the brave soldiers (lions) w ere sent to their deaths by incompetent and indifferent leaders (donkeys). Initially, the scale of deaths was so great that it led to a rethinking of how the British army conducted the battle. The British politician Alan Clark alluded to this when he wrote a history of the war entitled The Donkeys. As with all historical myths, fragments of truth lie sown within a larger distortion of events. Goals. " Lions led by donkeys " is a phrase popularly used to describe the British infantry of World War I and to blame the generals who led them. They had to deal with situations that none of the British military leaders encountered. You don't have to defend a lion. Lions led by Donkeys - YouTube. ‘Haig was not a front line General. This was the year that the army of lions, the old, faithful, hard-fighting professional army of the United Kingdom was called upon to attempt the impossible and in the end … The victory in 1918 was the payoff. Top. That attribution hasn't been confirmed by others and, in any case, there is a close variant of the phrase which is much earlier. Perhaps history misjudged the generals of the First World War? For this reason, they did not always know where to send troops to support breaches in the defensive line. These and other Crimean war references were included in the 1997, British Channel 4 TV’s The Crimean War series and accompanyi… A study of British High Command during World War I on the Western front in 1915, exploring the truth of the observation that British troops were "lions led by donkeys". Lions led by donkeys " is a phrase popularly used to describe the British infantry of World War I and to blame the generals who led them. Yes, the quote was "Lions led by Donkeys", because of the stupidity of the British generals. iamfullawesome Posts: 2 Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2015 1:34 am. The ancient Greek writer Plutarch to Chabrias ascribed to Athenian general a statement that “an army of deer commanded by a lion is more to be feared than an army of lions commanded by a deer.” The origins of the phrase pre-date the First World War. They were incapable of original thought and tried to fight a mechanized war the same way they'd won Waterloo. The Lions Led By Donkeys podcast is a military history podcast for laughing at the worst military failures, inept commanders, and crazy stories from throughout the history of human conflict. One of the myths claims that the British generals were out of communication and had no idea what was happening on the front line. Lions Led By Donkeys Podcast on Apple Podcasts. $4,884.29 of $5,000 per month. This sentiment was encapsulated in the phrase “lions led by donkeys”, a phrase that caught on following the publication of Alan Clark’s 1961 book The Donkeys. Sadri came up with the name "Lions led by donkeys", a common phrase referring to soldiers in the First World War who were led to their deaths by incompetent and indifferent leaders. 36393 of 42574. Lions led by Donkeys. A description of the British soldiers of WWI. The battles of the Western Front for the most part were costly human lives. In January, the first poster went up … In that book he attributed the coinage of the phrase to the German soldier Max Hoffmann. Their solution to every problem was to throw men at machine guns. Gradually, they began to apply the latest methods, including technologies such as artillery, aviation, gas, tanks, machine guns and the latest medicine. Thus, it can be judged that the generals of all howling countries made mistakes that cost many lives. “An army of sheep led by a lion can defeat an army of lions led by sheep.”, “Lions led by donkeys” is a famous phrase that described British infantry during the First World War. The 'lions led by donkeys' … In the end, they managed to bring the Allies and Britain victory in a bloody war. The ancient Greek writer Plutarch to Chabrias ascribed to Athenian general a statement that “an army of deer commanded by a lion is more to be feared than an army of lions commanded by a deer.”, Another ancient Arabic text states that “An army of sheep led by a lion can defeat an army of lions led by sheep.”, During the Crimean War, a British soldier sent a letter quoting a Russian officer who said that “British soldiers were lions controlled by donkeys.”. Attributed to Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (1754 – 1838) Variants: I am more afraid of an army of 100 sheep led by a lion than an army of 100 lions led by a sheep. Heavy casualties were often unavoidable were an inevitable victim in any offensive. However, the assertion that most of the generals were out of touch was completely implausible and different from reality. During World War I, Britain had 1,252 officers in the highest ranks, from administrators to people commanding the army in battle.
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