Robert Nivelle

"They shall not pass!"

- Rallying cry often attributed to Nivelle

Robert Georges Nivelle became Commander-in-Chief of the French Armed Forces in 1916 after his predecessor, General Joseph Joffre, had been promoted to the rank of Marshal of France (an elaborate cover for Joffre being relieved of command). He came from an artillery background, were his excellent command of French Artillery had turned back the German Offensives at Alsace, First Marne, and First Aisne. He is credited with the creation of the Creeping Barrage tactic, using it during the battle of Verdun in 1916, were his counter-strokes against the German Offensive, while costing heavy casualties, masterfully helped the French recapture several important objectives.

This fame earned him the Promotion to Commander-and-Chief, however, the power this role held had been reduced with Joffre's resignation. His big plan in 1917 was for British Forces to take 20 miles of front line out of French hands, where he would gather those soldiers into an attacking force so a joint Anglo-French Offensive could be launched. Tired of all the attrition warfare, the French and British Governments supported his attack plan.

The vaunted Nivelle Offensive began in April 1917, however, things started crumbling from the start. A sudden shortage in French Artillery meant that Nivelle's tried-and-true tactics of suppression barrages keeping Germans hidden while Creeping barrages guarded French Assaults couldn't be used, resulting in way less damage to the German lines than projected; the first day of battle cost 120,000 casualties. He was asked to halt the attacks, but Nivelle claimed he could rescue this dying animal from death; and by April 20th, the French had taken 20,000 German Prisoners and captured 147 artillery pieces; a very large increase from other large offensives. However, by the time the offensive ended on the 9 of May; 187,000 Frenchmen had been killed or wounded.

This made Nivelle's reputation shatter. While more successful than the German Offensive at Verdun, the grand victory that Nivelle had promised never arrived, and Neville was replaced by Petain just six days after the battle's conclusion. In December, he was appointed the Head of the French Army of North Africa, effectively humiliating Nivelle and removing him from the War. Nivelle died on 22 March 1924 and was buried in Les Invalides in Paris.

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