Battle of
Chemin des Dames Chemin des Dames
Aisne Front, 1917
General information
Date 16 April - end of May 1917
Place between Soissons and Reims
French failure outcome
Belligerents
France German Empire
Commanders
Robert Nivelle Erich Ludendorff
Opposing forces
61 infantry divisions
7 cavalry divisions
850,000 men 41 divisions
Losses
110,000 dead or wounded approximately 80,000 dead or wounded
First World War
Battles
Western Front
The Battle of Chemin des Dames or Second Battle of the Aisne or Nivelle Offensive began at 6 a.m. on 16 April 1917 during World War I by the French attempt, with British support breaking the German front (Hindenburg Line) between Soissons and Reims towards Laon, under the orders of General Nivelle:“the time has come, confidence, courage and Long live France! .
British attack
On April 9, 1917, the British, supported by Canadian and Australian corps, attacked on the Arras-Lens road in Artois. The Canadians take Vimy Ridge and take 10,000 prisoners. This is the first Canadian victory without allied help. The British have advanced 10 kilometers and destroyed almost 7 German divisions, but continuing towards Saint-Quentin, they are crushed.
Strengths present
The 5th, 6th and 10th French armies constitute a force of 850,000 men, including a high proportion of "shock" supported by battalions of Senegalese skirmishers, with 2,700 artillery pieces of 75 and 2,300 heavy mortars, including 790 modern guns, accompanied by 200 assault tanks.
On the 40 kilometers of front, the German general Erich Ludendorff had 152 divisions plus 53 in reserve. They occupied a heavily fortified area, with sheltered machine guns and an excellent underground network communicating with the ridge line. In addition, the Germans had the air advantage.
In this spring of 1917, the rain fell almost continuously and made the ground very muddy.
Battle
After a huge artillery operation, the assault on the French side is given on April 16 at 6 am. Despite very heavy losses, the French troops break through the first German lines, and take nearly 22,000 prisoners. But then they come up against the German second lines which prove to be much more resistant by the effectiveness of their numerous machine gun nests. Indeed these are perfectly sheltered in the caves of the southern slope of the limestone plateau dominating the valleys of the Aisne and the Ailette and the terrain offers little protective cover to the attackers. To the east of the Chemin des Dames, the tanks were engaged in the Berry-au-Bac sector, but their intervention did not yield great results; the shell holes delayed the machines and the tactics of the heavy Schneiders, which grouped together to attack, offered easy targets for the artillery. In this sector, the German forces were even going to reconquer the lost ground.
Since the French forces were no longer advancing and the results obtained were marginal (taking the California plateau and the fort of Condé- sur-Aisne), the offensive was suspended on 21 April. Resumed from May 4, it will last until the end of the month without bringing any notable victory. It was during this month of May that many mutinies broke out in reaction to the many victims and the appalling living conditions experienced by the Poilus in the trenches.
Review
A commission of inquiry is set up and headed by General of Division Henri Joseph Brugère, Nivelle is absolved and later transferred to Algiers. Brugère adds to the report that "For the preparation as for the execution of this offensive, General Nivelle was not equal to the crushing task he had assumed".
Following this failure, Generals Mazel (5th Army) and Charles Mangin (6th Army) were replaced by Micheler and Maistre. Philippe Pétain took Nivelle's place at the head of the French General Headquarters (GQG), on May 15, 1917, with the primary task of stemming the collapse of troop morale and putting an end to the mutinies. The military courts pronounce 3427 condemnations including 554 to death, on 7 occasions Pétain refuses to transmit the clemency files and 49 mutineers were to be executed.
It is a decisive strategic defeat for the French, who conquer only a few observation posts and beautiful cellars.
Losses
This battle is an almost total failure for the French army. While this battle was also to be decisive, it ended in an unprecedented massacre:
* 110,000 men hors de combat (dead or wounded) on the French side;
* between 60,000 and 80,000 on the German side.
These appalling losses, for almost no result, will be the trigger for the "mutinies of 1917".