Everything about Robert Nivelle totally explained
Robert Georges Nivelle (
October 15,
1856 –
March 22,
1924) was a French artillery officer who was briefly commander-in-chief of French forces during
World War I.
Born in
Tulle,
France, to a French father and English mother, Nivelle graduated from the
École Polytechnique in 1878 and served in
Indochina,
Algeria, and
China as an artillery officer. He rose in rank from sub-lieutenant in 1878 to regimental colonel in December 1913, which he held at the start of the war in August
1914. A gifted artilleryman, the intense fire he was able to maintain played a key part in stopping German attacks during the
Alsace Offensive early in the war, the
First Battle of the Marne (September 5–10, 1914) - where he earned fame by moving his artillery regiment through an infantry regiment on the verge of breaking and opening fire on the Germans at point-blank range - and the
First Battle of the Aisne (September 15–18, 1914). He received a promotion to Brigadier-General and command of a brigade in October 1914, then of a division early in 1915, then of a corps at the end of that year. A leading subordinate to
Philippe Pétain at
Verdun in 1916, he succeeded Pétain in command of the Second Army during the battle, and later in the year succeeded in recapturing
Douaumont and other forts at Verdun.
Nivelle was an exponent of aggressive tactics, arguing that by using a creeping
barrage he could end the war on the
Western Front. His ideas were popular with the besieged
Aristide Briand, the French Prime Minister and in
December 13,
1916 Nivelle was promoted over the heads of the Army Group Commanders to replace
Joseph Joffre as
Commander-in-Chief of the French Army. He devised a grand plan to win the war in 1917. This involved a British attack to draw in German reserves, followed by a massive general French attack aimed at the
Arras–
Soissons–
Reims salient. However, Nivelle was willing to talk about his plan to anyone who asked, including journalists, while the Germans captured copies of the battle plan left in French trenches; consequently the element of surprise was lost. When launched in April 1917, the
Aisne campaign (
Nivelle Offensive) was a failure. He continued with the strategy until the French Army
began to mutiny.
Nivelle was replaced in early May by
Philippe Pétain, who restored the fighting capacity of the French forces. Nivelle was reassigned to
North Africa in December 1917, where he spent the rest of his military career before retiring in
1921.
Reference and footnotes
- Blake, Robert (editor); The Private Papers of Douglas Haig 1914-1918, London 1952
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