GENERAL ROBERT NIVELLE 1856-1924
Nivelle assisted Pétain at Verdun, helping to recapture the strategically important fortress of Douaumont. He was then given control of the Verdun sector, and replaced General Joffre as French commander-in-chief in December 1916.
An aggressive and combative soldier, Nivelle believed that the war could be won quickly through the adoption of more offensive tactics. However, his attempt to engineer a major breakthrough at the 2nd Battle of the Aisne (also known as the Nivelle offensive) in April 1917 ended in disaster, and the high losses prompted a series of mutinies in the French army.
In May 1917, Nivelle was replaced by Pétain and given a posting in North Africa. He died in 1924.
|
|
