Command on the Western Front: The Military Career of Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1914–1918 by Robin Prior, Trevor Wilson (review)

REVIEWS 295 best when hisreflections aregrounded in theideas ofrealpeople andtheimplications ofrealevents andinstitutions. Penetrating intellectual profiles oœ M•ckenzie King, William Irvine, Harold Innis, and PierreTrudeau are followed byfiveessays onCanadian history fromConfederation toMeech Lake. Theunifying themeof theseessays are the moves - the progress and obstacles - tobasing theCanadian state ona genuinely democratic community. ThoughWhitaker'shistorical canvases are paintedwith broad brush strokes, they containmany insightfuland wonderfullysardonicdetails. Among theintellectual portraits, I particularly valuehispieceon Innis.No oneelsehas so succincdy and poignantlycapturedthe Canadianness of Innh's tragicdialectic of intellectand power.In his treatmentof Canacla's development asa political community, whatstands outishisappreciation of federalism. His essay on 'Federalism and Democratic Theory'is amongthe finest philosophical analyses offederalism in theEnglish language. Whitaker understands, asfewsocial democrats do,theliberaladvantages offederalism •d theprofoundly federalnatureof Canadian society. At thisstageof his intellectual sojourn,Whitaker,an English-Canadian nationalist of theleft,seems to havemadehispeace withwhathe refersto as 'this special Canadian strength in weakness.' Perhaps, in the wakeof the rt•nt referendum, theremightbemuchmorewillingness amongCanadians toaccept thatunityin deepdiversity asa fairlylong-term resting placein t•ir communal sojourn. •'r•R H.•tUSS•.LUniversity of Toronto C,o•mand on the Westz'r'a Front:TheMilitary Careerof Sir HenryRawlinaon, 1914-1918. P, OBIN PRIOP,and T•EVOR WILSON. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers 1992. Pp.viii,422,illus.$44.95 TocritidzeBritishgenerals of the FirstWorld War hasbecome a nearreligious observance among historianso[' the period. In the popular imagination, Douglas Haig andhisarmycommanders werehumblingdolts, b•atchers whostayed wellbackfromthe frontline to avoidseeing the grim consequences of theirineptitude. Thisis morethanstereotyping, it iscaricature , andanyworkthatcanshedlightonthenatureof generalship in the terribleconflict of 1914-18 would be a welcome contribution to the literature. lh4or andWilson's studyo['SirHenryRawlinson isjust such a work. Asthetideimplies, Command ontheWestern Front isnotabiography, noris •tpsychohistory. Rather,it uses Rawlinson asa lensthroughwhichto study fl•e tactics of thetime- tactics thatusually provedwoefully inadequate in dealing withthedefensive positions thatcharacterized industrial warfare. He is agood lens, being aproduct ofhistimeandhissociety, never demonstratLug an), great leadership orplanning abilities, andhence never setting himself 296 THE CANADIAN HISTORICAL REVIEW apartfrom hiscolleagues. The bookisnotanapologia, andin factdoes littleto salvage Rawlinson's reputation. Thoughopento newtechnological developments (such asthe tank), awareof the realitiesof the WesternFront, and sometimes ableto learnfrom hismistakes, the generalwasalsostubborn, willingto setaside innovation if it did not fit in with hisownpreconceived ideas,and hada disturbing penchant forblaming hissubordinates foranydisasters thatmight result. For example,Rawlinson had surmised the proper application of artilleryin a limited,'biteandhold'assault at NeuveChapelle andwhile t•n the Somme, but later refused to coordinate the activitiesof his divisiovM commanders, as the new techniques required.The generaloften came to gripswiththe terribleevents aroundhim onlyto losethat understanding beforeplanninghisnextbattle.It wasnotuntiltheoffensives of thesummer and fall of 1918 that he matured as a battle-manager; but as the authon point out, thiswasmoretheresultof the diminished roleof the armycom. manderthanofanyprofound intellectual development onthegeneral's part. Prior andWilsonplaceRawlinson in hissocialcontext- the sodety in question beingthe Britisharmyof the earlytwentiethcentury.Generals do far more than fight their country'swars;they makecontacts amongtheir superiorsand work to advance their own careers. The first commander-inchiefoftheBritishExpeditionary Force,SirJohnFrench,wasnotanadmirer of Rawlinson's andmighthaveproveddetrimental to hisfutureprospects. Whenhissuperior cameundercriticism for allegedly mishandling theBattle of Loosin the fall of 1915,Rawlinson waspart of the cabalmachinating to have the commander-in-chief replaced.Thus the authorsreinforcetheview that generals are notjust technicians whoseekto winbattles,theyareaho officers for whomsuccess onthebattlefield isa means to earningpromotion and prestige. The FirstWorld War wasone of mass armiesand quicklydeveloping technology, and theauthors demonstrate a deepknowledge of the weapons and othertoolsusedon the WesternFront.They are especially adept zt presenting and evaluating artillerydevelopments in all their techvJcal complexity. They pointouthowin 1915Rawlinson andothercommanders reliedonguns andhowitzers topaveawayfor theinfantry because thelatter lackedthemeans to support itsownassaults. They alsodescribe - clearlythevariety ofnewtechniques, including meteorological measurements, ilash spotting, sotrod ranging, andothers, thatincreased thegunners' effectiven• in thecourse of the warsothatby mid 1918theyibrmeda critical componentofanybattle plan.Thetank's imperfections, theserious limits imposed byprimitive communications devices, andthehazards ofusing poison gas are furtherexamples ofhowthetechnology ofthedayandthemanner inwhich it wasusedft•rmanixhportant threadin theoverallnarrative. REVIEWS 297 Howtechnology wasintegrated intoa tacdcal system isoneofthecentral themes of thebook,witharmygenerals andtheirstaffs struggling to fashion aprocess that would endthedeadlock ontheWestern Front. Instudying Sir Henry Rawlinson in hisfullcontext, PriorandWilson state thattheirmain goal istobroaden ourknowledge ofwhat happens atthat level ofcommand situated between thehighest councils of war andthemuddytrenches at the front. In thattheyhavesucceeded. gILL RAWLING Directorate ofHistory, National Defence Headquarters I4 theShadow...