The French Army and the First World War

488 Pages·2014·13.731 MB·English

by  Elizabeth Greenhalgh

The French Army and the First World War
This is a comprehensive new history of the French Army’s critical
contribution to the Great War. Ranging across all fronts, Elizabeth
Greenhalgh examines the French Army’s achievements and failures
andsetstheseinthecontextofthedifficultiesofcoalitionwarfareand
the relative strengths and weaknesses of the enemy forces it faced.
Drawingfromnewarchivalsources,sherevealsthechallengesofdeal-
ingwithandreplenishingamassconscriptarmyinthefaceofslaughter
onanunprecedentedscale,andshowshow,throughtrialsanddefeats,
French generals and their troops learned to adapt and develop tech-
niqueswhicheventuallyledtovictory.Inauniqueaccountofthelargest
AlliedarmyontheWesternFront,thebookrevisesourunderstanding
not only of wartime strategy and combat, but also of other crucial
aspectsofFrance’swar,frommutiniesandmailcensorshiptomedical
services,railwaysandweaponsdevelopment.
elizabeth greenhalgh isQEIIResearchFellowintheSchoolof
Humanities & Social Sciences at the University of New South Wales,
Australia.
Armies of the GreatWar
Thisisamajornewseriesofstudiesofthearmiesofthemajorcombatantsinthe
First World War for publication during the war’s centenary. The books are
written by leading military historians and set operations and strategy within the
broader context of foreign policy aims and allied strategic relations, national
mobilisationanddomesticsocial,politicalandeconomiceffects.
Titlesintheseriesinclude:
TheAmericanArmyandtheFirstWorldWar,byDavidR.Woodward
TheAustro-HungarianArmyandtheFirstWorldWar,byGraydonTunstall
The British Army and the First World War, by Ian Beckett, Timothy
BowmanandMarkConnelly
TheFrenchArmyandtheFirstWorldWar,byElizabethGreenhalgh
TheGermanArmyandtheFirstWorldWar,byRobertFoley
TheItalianArmyandtheFirstWorldWar,byJohnGooch
The French Army
and the First World War
Elizabeth Greenhalgh
UniversityPrintingHouse,CambridgeCB28BS,UnitedKingdom
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ItfurtherstheUniversity’smissionbydisseminatingknowledgeinthepursuitof
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©ElizabethGreenhalgh2014
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Firstpublished2014
PrintedintheUnitedKingdombyClays,StIvesplc
AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
LibraryofCongressCataloguinginPublicationdata
Greenhalgh,Elizabeth.
TheFrencharmyandtheFirstWorldWar/ElizabethGreenhalgh.
pages cm.–(ArmiesoftheGreatWar)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-1-107-01235-6(Hardback)–ISBN978-1-107-60568-8(Paperback)
1. France.Armée–History–WorldWar,1914–1918. 2. WorldWar,1914–
1918–Campaigns–WesternFront. 3. WorldWar,1914–1918–France.
I. Title.
D548.G742014
940.5401244–dc23 2014010862
ISBN978-1-107-01235-6Hardback
ISBN978-1-107-60568-8Paperback
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Contents
List of figures page vi
List of maps ix
List of tables x
Preface xi
List of abbreviations xiv
Introduction 1
1 Thepre-war Army 7
2 1914: From the frontiers to Flanders 37
3 1915: Onthe offensive 70
4 1916: Verdun and the Somme 125
5 General Nivelle and his 1917 offensive 170
6 Restoring the Army 220
7 1918: German offensives 271
8 Thepath to victory 312
9 Armistices and demobilisation 345
10 From1914to 1919: Auxarmes,citoyens! 376
Notes 410
Bibliographic essay 447
Index 459
v
Figures
Fig.1 Four témoins whose testimony recurs throughoutthis book
(a) PaulPireaud, farmerfrom the Dordogne, SW France,and
gunnerin 112 Régimentd’artillerie lourde
(b)GeneralEmileFayolle,commandersuccessivelyof70DR,
XXXIIICorps, SixthArmy,French Forces in Italy,Reserve
Army Group
(c) Colonel Emile Herbillon, liaison officer between GQG
and the government
(d) Captain CharlesDelvert, 101 RI,then HQ staff Fifth
and First Armies
(Source:Author’s collection) page 5
Fig.2 Posterwarning ofgeneralmobilisation for2August 1914
(Source:Publicdomainimage) 28
Fig.3 (a) Acamouflaged ambulance, 4kilometresbehind the front
lines at Verdun and (b)an ambulance lorry,with dog and
stretcher
(Sources: Jules Gervais-Coutellemont,Verdun!(Paris:
l’Edition Française Illustrée, 1917) and ambulance Agence
Rol 1915, Gallica) 60
Fig.4 Two groups ofzouaves and tirailleurs in 1914
(Source:AgenceRol, 1914, Gallica) 65
Fig.5 The 58mm mortar (crapouillot), withits feathered projectile;
a155mm long gun (1877 de Bangemodel,throwing ashell
of 40–43 kilos)
(Source:Author’s own photo) 73
Fig.6 The Nation in Arms: Typesof‘poilus’,from L’Echo des
Marmites,25April1917
From top left: farmer, workman, professor,artist, ‘bistro’,
commercial traveller, hamactor, shopkeeper,civilservant,
aristocrat, clerk
(Source:L’Echodes Marmites,25 April 1917) 123
vi
Listoffigures vii
Fig. 7 Detail of the Verdun milestone byForain, LeFigaro,
22March1916
(Source:Public domain image) 125
Fig. 8 Monumentto the ‘Train’– the transport corps– with detail
ofleft wing, on the Voie sacrée from Bar-le-Duc to Verdun
(Source:Author’s own photo) 140
Fig. 9 (a)Monument to the defenders ofFort Vaux, surrendered
7June 1916
(b) Monumentat Fort Douaumont, Verdun,to the handlers
and their messenger pigeonsused during the war
(Source:Author’s own photos) 144
Fig. 10 Louvemont, north ofVerdun, beforethe war and today
(a)Postcardshowingthemairieandthechurchbeforethewar
(b) Thesiteofthe mairie
(c)One of the two tombstones that are allthat remain of
the church. Achapel was rebuilt in 1932 on the site
(Source:Author’s own photos) 148
Fig. 11 Nivellele niveleur, from Le Rirerouge,20 January 1917
Aplayon words: niveleris ‘to level’,so Nivelle is the leveller,
who will destroy the German trenches
(Source:LeRire rouge,20 January 1917) 171
Fig. 12 Painlevéand Nivelleleaving the Château ofCompiègne,
after the conference of6April1917,in which the plans for
Nivelle’s offensive were criticised,butthen approved
(Source:Author’s collection) 186
Fig. 13 (a)and (b) Monument to the ‘heroesand martyrs’of the
Aisne offensives, April1917
(c)The memorial to the Russian Expeditionary Forcethat
foughtin France
(Source:Author’s own photos) 200
Fig. 14 Corporal Gaston Lefèvre’snameadded to the warmemorial
in Morfontaine (Meurthe-et-Moselle) tojointhoseof his
father and brother,11 November2011
(Source:Lettre duChemin desDames 24(Spring2012):photo
courtesy ofDamienBecquart) 205
Fig. 15 Pétainchecks on conditionsforthe soldiers in the rear areas.
He was the only wartimeCommander-in-Chief to be an
infantry officer
(Source:LeMiroir,14 October 1917) 221
Fig. 16 Theremains ofthe fort of LaMalmaison, north ofthe
Chemin des Dames
(Source:photocourtesyofDrAndréLoez,http://crid1418.org/
espace_pedagogique/documents/icono/cdd.html) 242
viii Listoffigures
Fig.17 OneAlliedandthreeFrenchCommanders-in-Chief(a)Joseph
Joffre(1852–1931) (b) FerdinandFoch (1859–1929) (c)
RobertNivelle (1856–1924) (d) PhilippePétain (1856–1951)
(Source:Author’s collection) 278
Fig.18 The monumentshowing General Mangin’shigh observatory
in the Villers-Cotterêtsforest during the 18 July 1918
successful counter-attack
(Source:Author’s own photo) 319
Fig.19 Foch, as supremecommander, holding aFrenchand a
Britishsoldier in his hands, LeRire Rouge,24 August 1918.
‘Forvictory, what was needed?A single chief and two hands
whichare not unaware of each other’[andthe right hand
knowing whatthe left hand is doing].
(Source:Le Rirerouge, 24August 1918) 332
Fig.20 Marshal Foch’s‘order oftheday’,12 November1918,to all
ranksofthe Allied armies
‘Afterhavinghaltedtheenemyresolutely,youattackedhimfor
monthswithunwearyingfaithandenergy,andwithoutrespite.
YouhavewonthegreatestbattleinHistoryandsavedthemost
sacredcause:the liberty ofthe world. Be proud. You have
covered your standards with immortal glory.Mayposterity be
alwaysgrateful.’
(Source:Author’s collection) 368
Fig.21 (a) Aheavy gun underconstruction,with its camouflage paint
already applied.Thefigure seated on top revealsthe scale
(b) ARenault FT tank, with camouflage paint
(Source:Illustrated War News(London: Illustrated London
Newsand Sketch Ltd, 1916)) 388
Fig.22 Thewarmemorialsin(a)Vorges(Aisne),showingapoilu,and
(b)inBroussy-le-Grand(Marne),showingtheplainsteletype,
both placed among the houses
(c) An ossuary in the Soizy-aux-Bois (Marne) French military
cemetery, with 1,282names
(d) Part ofthe Suippes Farm French militarycemeterywith
Muslim headstones
(Source:Author’s own photos) 396
Fig.23 The victory parade,14July 1919. The cenotaphis on the
right ofthe photograph.
Foch and Joffre ledthe parade behind the ‘mutilés’,followed
by the nationalcontingents
(Source:AgenceRol 1919,Gallica) 408