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Nivelle Offensive

 
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The Nivelle Offensive was a 1917 Allied
Allies of World War I

File:Map Europe alliances 1914-en.svgThe Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The main allies were the Russian Empire, French Third Republic, the British Empire, Kingdom of Italy , the Empire of Japan, and the United States....
 attack on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)

Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Empire army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France....
 in World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
. Promised as the assault that would end the war within 48 hours, with casualties expected of around 10,000 men, it failed on both counts. It was a three-stage plan. The high levels of casualties rapidly caused unrest throughout the French Army
French Army Mutinies (1917)

The French Army Mutinies of 1917 took place in the Champagne section of the Western Front and started just after the conclusion of the disastrous Second Battle of the Aisne....
 and led to a change of leadership of the French Army.

  1. This was a preliminary attack by the British and Dominion First, Third and Fifth Armies at Arras.






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    Westernfront1917
    The Nivelle Offensive was a 1917 Allied
    Allies of World War I

    File:Map Europe alliances 1914-en.svgThe Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The main allies were the Russian Empire, French Third Republic, the British Empire, Kingdom of Italy , the Empire of Japan, and the United States....
     attack on the Western Front
    Western Front (World War I)

    Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Empire army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France....
     in World War I
    World War I

    World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
    . Promised as the assault that would end the war within 48 hours, with casualties expected of around 10,000 men, it failed on both counts. It was a three-stage plan. The high levels of casualties rapidly caused unrest throughout the French Army
    French Army Mutinies (1917)

    The French Army Mutinies of 1917 took place in the Champagne section of the Western Front and started just after the conclusion of the disastrous Second Battle of the Aisne....
     and led to a change of leadership of the French Army.

    1. This was a preliminary attack by the British and Dominion First, Third and Fifth Armies at Arras. See Battle of Arras (1917)
      Battle of Arras (1917)

      The Battle of Arras was a British Empire offensive during World War I. From 9 April to 16 May, 1917, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australian troops attacked Germany trench warfare near the French city of Arras on the Western Front....
       and Vimy Ridge.
    2. French assault at Chemin des Dames
      Chemin des Dames

      In France, the Chemin des Dames, literally, the "Ladies' Way", is part of the D18 and runs east and west in the d?partement of Aisne, between in the west, the road N2, and in the east, the D1044 at Corbeny....
       ridge. See Second Battle of the Aisne
      Second Battle of the Aisne

      The Second Battle of the Aisne , in 1917 was the main action of the French Nivelle Offensive or Chemin des Dames Offensive during World War I. The objective was a prominent, 80 km long, east-west ridge underlain by many quarries that had sheltered the German occupants from the French artillery preparation....
       (also known as the Third Battle of Champagne).
    3. A linkup of the British and Dominion and French armies, having broken through the German lines. This didn't happen.


    When Robert Nivelle
    Robert Nivelle

    Robert Georges Nivelle was a French artillery officer who served in the Boxer Rebellion, and the First World War. He took command of one of the main French armies engaged in the Battle of Verdun, leading it during its successful counter-strokes against the Germans, but was accused of wasting French lives during some of his attacks....
     took over from Joseph Joffre
    Joseph Joffre

    Joseph Jacques C?saire Joffre was a France general who was Commander-in-Chief of the French Army between 1914 and 1916 during the First World War....
     as French Commander-in-Chief in December 1916 after the costly fighting at Verdun
    Verdun

    Verdun is a city in the Meuse Departments of France in Lorraine in northeastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although it is not the capital, but the slightly smaller Bar-le-Duc....
     and the Somme
    Somme

    The Somme is a departments of France of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme River. It is part of the Picardie regions of France....
    , he argued that a massive onslaught on German
    Germany

    Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
     lines would bring French
    France

    France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
     victory in 48 hours. The plan was put into action on 16 April 1917 after support from France's Prime Minister, despite strong disapproval from other high-ranking officials.

    The Nivelle offensive was a huge and costly undertaking, involving around 1.2 million troops and 7,000 artillery pieces
    Artillery

    Artillery is a military Combat Arms which employs any apparatus, machine, an assortment of tools or instruments, a system or systems used as weapons for the discharge of large projectiles in combat as a major contribution of fire power within the overall military capability of an armed force....
     on a broad front between Royle
    Royle

    Royle may refer to:Notable people named Royle include:*Sir Anthony Royle, Baron Fanshawe of Richmond, politician, son of Sir Lancelot Royle...
     and Reims
    Reims

    The city of Reims lies in the Champagne-Ardenne region in northeastern France 129 km east-northeast of Paris.Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
    . Its main focus was a massive assault on the German positions along the Aisne
    Aisne

    Aisne is a departments of France in the northern part of France named after the Aisne River....
     river, in the Second Battle of the Aisne
    Second Battle of the Aisne

    The Second Battle of the Aisne , in 1917 was the main action of the French Nivelle Offensive or Chemin des Dames Offensive during World War I. The objective was a prominent, 80 km long, east-west ridge underlain by many quarries that had sheltered the German occupants from the French artillery preparation....
    . From the start, the plan, which had been in development since December 1916, was plagued by delays and information leaks. By the time it went into action in April 1917, the plans were well known to the German army, who took appropriate defensive measures.

    The offensive achieved very little in the way of territorial gain, nowhere near the 48-hour breakthrough envisaged. In the aftermath of its end on 9 May 1917, Nivelle was sacked, ending his career. There were over 187,000 French casualties alone, sparking widespread mutiny
    Mutiny

    Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly-situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an existing authority....
     in the French army, including one famous incident where, as the offensive was winding down, the French 2nd Division arrived on the battlefield, drunk and without weapons.

    See also

    • List of Canadian battles during World War I