Historica Wiki
Register
Advertisement

The Second Battle of the Aisne was the main battle of the Nivelle Offensive, launched against the Imperial German Army by 53 French Army divisions from 16 April to 9 May 1917 during World War I.

General Robert Nivelle, the commander-in-chief of the French Army, aimed to capture the 50-mile-long Chemin des Dames ridge in the Aisne sector as part of a grand Entente offensive against the Germans following the Battle of Verdun, with the ultimate objective being to capture the city of Laon. While the British launched an offensive at the Second Battle of Arras on 9 April, the French launched their own offensive on 16 April. However, the Germans used a warren of caves and tunnels in the quarried Chemin des Dames as shelters, escaping the French bombardment. The offensive met massed German machine-gun and artillery fire, resulting in heavy losses for the French.

French Schneider CA1 tanks made their debut at the Aisne, only to be bogged down and destroyed by German artillery. The attack fell apart due to German espionage (which allowed the Germans to reinforce the areas targeted by the French offensives) and the failure of the French artillery barrage to weaken the German defenses, and, while the French managed to take 28,000 German prisoners and gain 600 yards of territory, widespread mutinies swept the French Army in May 1917 as nine divisions refused to fight and a further 45 were considerably affected by demoralization. Many French soldiers refused to engage in futile offensives and demanded an improvement in their conditions, but General Philippe Petain - appointed to replace Nivelle - had the French Army re-equipped, had between 40 and 62 mutineers shot as scapegoats, and provided better food, pay, and leave to his soldiers to boost their morale. This enabled the French Army to recover in time to participate in the Third Battle of Ypres in July.

Advertisement