Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - Matsayi mafi mahimmanci na Faransanci shine a matsayin Babban Kwamandan (C-in-C) na Rundunar Bincike ta Burtaniya (BEF) a farkon shekara da rabi na Yaƙin Duniya na Farko. Nan da nan ya sami rikici na mutumtaka tare da Janar Charles Lanrezac na Faransa. Bayan da 'yan Birtaniya suka sha wahala sosai a yakin Mons da Le Cateau
(inda Smith-Dorrien ya yi tsayayya da burin Faransanci), Faransanci ya so ya janye BEF daga layin Allied don sake sakewa kuma ya yarda ya shiga cikin yakin farko na Marne bayan ganawar sirri da Sakataren Gwamnati na War, Lord Kitchener, wanda ya yi fushi da shi daga baya. A watan Mayu na 1915 ya fallasa bayanai game da karancin harsashi ga manema labarai da fatan za a cire Kitchener. A lokacin rani na 1915, Kitchener da sauran mambobi na gwamnati, da Haig, Robertson da sauran manyan janar-janar a Faransa, sun soki umarnin Faransa a London. Bayan yakin Loos, wanda aka zargi jinkirin sakin Faransa na XI Corps daga ajiya saboda rashin nasarar cimma nasara a ranar farko, HH Asquith, Firayim Ministan Burtaniya, ya bukaci murabus. Haig, wanda a baya ya kasance amintaccen dan Faransa kuma wanda ya cece shi daga fatarar kudi ta hanyar ba shi bashin kuɗi mai yawa a 1899, ya maye gurbinsa.