Talk:Arthur Currie

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Contents 1 Starship Troopers 2 C in C of BEF? 3 Creeping barrage 4 Other Battles

[edit] Starship Troopers

Was Camp Arthur Currie, from the novel Starship Troopers, named after him? ---- iansmcl

Unless someone has a direct citation or something from R.A. Heinlein to the contrary, I'd suggest that it probably was. If I recall correctly, Camp Currie was in Canada, and he would have been available (being militarily notable prior to the 1950s) for use. A quick Google search indicates that there's at least some agreement amongst Heinlein fans that Camp Currie was named for Arthur Currie and was in Canada. My vote, for what it's worth, is that there's a connection.--Foxhound 15:15, 19 June 2006 (UTC)

This article is in regards to a Canadian so Canadian spelling should be used; defence.User:pants7

[edit] C in C of BEF?

It needs to be mentioned, somewhere in this article (i don't know where it would fit) that Lloyd George had decided that, if the war went past 1918, then Currie would replace Douglas Haig as commander of all british forces in France (And I do have sources to back that up, by the way, including Burton). Cam 17:03, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

It has to be said that Lloyd-George was a tremendous intriguer and what he wanted isn't necessarily what he'd get. He also loathed Haig. L-G was exceedingly unpopular with British senior officers as he'd attempted to place Britain's military permanently under French Command in December 1916/January 1917. On the other hand, (and this comes as a surprise to most people) Haig was popular with the other generals (he listened to them and acted on their advice) as well as with the common soldiery. Furthermore, there were other more heavyweight candidates: Monash of Australia immediately springs to mind as does General Plumer. Roger 20:11, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

That's a fair point. You're right about John Monash, he was an amazing commander. However, I think that Currie's spectacular victories at Passchendaele and Amiens possibly put him in a very good light with British politicians. Also, L-G had threatened to sack Haig if he wasn't able to break through at Passchendaele. Currie (in a manner of speaking) saved his career as commander of British forces in France, by winning the Battle of Passchendaele. As I said, it's a fair point.

Cam 16:05, 31 May 2007 (UTC)

You should certainly add it as it's well documented and, if nothing else, demonstrates the political shenanigans that went on all the time in the background. (Whether it would have actually happened or not, is an entirely different matter. None of the Dominion generals had much experience of liaising with the French and, later, the Americans, and Haig was good at schmoozing.) Incidentally, don't overlook General Plumer. He might look like a walrus but he was right out of the same mould as Currie and Monash (methodical, left nothing to chance, and it's not his fault he was a Brit :))). and, on top of which, he was like everyone's favourite uncle. The British generals who were Currie's main rivals were, I suppose, Allenby, Russell (the NZ commander), perhaps Birdwood (Australia) and Byng. There's also Maj-Gen Sir Ivor Maxse (who saw eye to eye with Currie on almost everything) but he upset Haig and was put in charge of training (where he did an exceptional job). Nothing about him on Wikipedia, I see, but worth a biography at some stage. Roger 17:02, 31 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Creeping barrage

Most sources have the Somme as the first use of the creeping barrage. There may well have been innovation at Vimy Ridge but I don't think it was the first creeping barrage. Cyclopaedic 22:37, 26 October 2007 (UTC)

Currie did not introduce the creeping barrage at Vimy and I'm pretty sure it was first used even before the Somme. What Currie was good at was taking innovations and making them better and to work to his advantage, like the creeping barrage for instance. The Corps artillery was the envy of the British Armies, partly because it had more fire power than it’s British counterpart, partly because Currie was an artillery man who did every thing he could to supplement it and partly because of one officer of the artillery who was a scientist by profession who pursued ways to improve on counter battery work and everything involving artillery to the point where by the hundred days fire plans were moving barrages forward, backward, sideways, changing speeds, box formations and able to do it better than others. Brocky44 03:51, 11 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Other Battles

"When the German 1918 spring offensive was stalled, Currie took the Canadian Corps 100 miles south, in total secrecy, to the French town of Amiens, where his troops halted the German offensive in the Battle of Amiens and began the drive to Germany (known as the Canada's Hundred Days)."

This needs to be changed. His troops didn’t halt the German offensive in the Battle of Amiens. Very few Canadian troops took part in holding back the German assault. 100 miles? And they were moved back to the north before they began the drive to Germany.

"At the Battle of the Canal du Nord in September of 1918, Currie flatly refused to carry out Haig's orders to attack across a canal and into a fortified German trench. With the support of General Byng, Currie had bridges quickly assembled, and crossed the canal at night, surprising the Germans with an attack in the morning. This proved the effectiveness of Canadian engineers. Currie believed in the specialisation of troops and formally organised battalions of combat engineers to move with the troops."

Currie did not refuse Haig’s order to attack across a canal. Firstly, Currie planned his own battles not Haig. What Haig did was to point Commanders in the right direction. Normally Haig would give his orders to the Army Commander, in this case Horne of the First Army, and Horne would decide how the operation would be carried out and by what Corps and Divisions. Haig skipped a level in the chain of Command and gave the order directly to Currie in the presence of Horne. “The C in C indicated to the Corps Commander yesterday that the Corps, reinforced if necessary by other British Divisions, has the task of driving South of the Scarpe to break the Quent-Drocourt Line and reach the line of the Canal Du Nord…” Because of the Canadian Corps being an elite formation under one of the most effective Commanders Haig was explicit in how they would be used and for Currie to be given a freer hand in leading the First Armies Operations to the extent that the two Commanders roles would be reversed and, although Commanding Currie, Horne would be left to carry out his subordinates operational plans. Which meant that the First Armys’ job was to support the Canadian Corps (Hence “Canada’s Hundred Days”) where normally a British Army operations would be supported by the Corps under their command. Monash was also afforded this unique position.

The night attack happened a month before Canal Du Nord where the British GHQ objected to Currie’s plan and protested to no avail and called in Haig who was also against the night attack on the strongpoint. It was a valuable position in the system of German defenses. One of Currie’s General’s words for GHQ was “All we want from General Headquarters is a headline in the Daily Mail reading “The Canadians in Monchy before breakfast”” In a letter to his wife Haig wrote that the Canadian victory coupled with the gains to the south by the British Third and Fourth Armies was the greatest victory which a British Army ever achieved.

It was Currie’s plan at the Canal Du Nord, not a night attack, to run his Divisions as well as the immediately following British Divisions through a narrow dry part of the Canal that was known to the enemy. This time it was Horne who objected and consulted Haig who was again leary but gave into Currie’s plan. Horne asked Byng to look at the dangerous plan. Byng told Currie “Do you realize you are attempting one of the most difficult operations of the war? If anybody can do it, the Canadians can, but if you fail it means home for you.” The bridges that were quickly built were for the guns and their resupply. British Corps also all had their own engineers. The Canadians Corps had almost three times as many and had 4 specialist bridging units as well. Brocky44 08:29, 11 November 2007 (UTC)