Many Great War histories tell the reader what happened on the Western front but few spell out why. In this book, the author looks at the battles through the eyes of the generals who were charged with winning them and examines the accusations that have surrounded them for over 70 years. The tragedy of the death toll on the Western Front gives weight to the argument against them, but what were the near unsurmountable problems that stood between the generals and final victory? How much of what the general public believes about the First World War is really true? This book aims to illuminate the bitter controversy.;Among the many questions that this book raises are: were the British generals as behind the time and unprepared for modern warfare as popular legend would have it?; what part did the politicians an the Americans really play?; did they spend their time in luxury far behind the trenches, dependent on Australians and Canadians, and send a generation to its death without a second thought?