Under his direction, the back area of the Somme, from the little market town of Albert to the departmental capital of Amiens twenty-five miles behind, was transformed into an enormous military encampment, cut by new roads leading towards the front and covered with shell dumps, gun positions and encampments for the army that would launch the attack. As a military technician, Haig could not be faulted. His talents as a tactician remained to be proved.
