![]() ![]() It was the belief of military generals that well fed soldiers would help overcome the enemy and bring about an end to the war.When war broke out in 1914, the rivalries between the European supowers finally came into blows after years of tension amongst each other. As such, citizens on the home front were required to ration food items and other resources in order to make them available for use on the frontlines. For example, the French government created initiatives to control the production and use of resources to ensure that as many resources were being put towards the war effort as possible. Another impact was the restrictions placed on resource use, which is referred to as ‘rationing’. This was devastating for industrial businesses and workers and led to economic losses for the country. As such, during the timeframe of World War I, both industries suffered due to the region being dominated by major battles. For instance, industrially, northeastern France was important to both the coal and steel industries in France. The difficult life for people in France during the war was heightened by the economic conditions created for France. This then led to Robert Nivelle being replaced as the Commander-in-Chief of the French Army by Philippe Pétain in May of 1917. As such, the Nivelle Offensive was a failure and actually led to several mutinies by French soldiers. As well, despite several considerable victories in the Nivelle Offensive, it never resulted in a German defeat. ![]() For instance, historians estimate the French Army suffered as many as 187,000 casualties during the offensive. This was due to the terrible losses experienced by the Allied forces (French and British) during the attacks. While the Allied attacks of the Nivelle Offensive experienced many successes, it was still an overall failure. The main part of the Nivelle Offensive occurred during the Second Battle of the Aisne, which took place throughout the spring and fall of 1917. The goal of the attack was to break through the German defensives and force the Germany Army back from their trenches. The Nivelle Offensive occurred from April 16th until May 9th in 1917 and was a coordinated attack against Germany by both France and Britain. In reality the attack was a failure and led to France suffering terrible losses. This was significant because Nivelle was responsible for the Allied attack (Nivelle Offensive) that he hoped would bring about an end to the war. ![]() Robert Nivelle replaced Joseph Joffre as the Commander-in-Chief of the French Army in December of 1916. The battle finally came to an end on November 18th, 1916 when the change in weather and arrival of snow made fighting even more difficult. The Allied strategy at the Battle of the Somme was to draw more German troops away from Verdun and into the Somme in hopes of causing Germany to struggle with managing both large battles at the same time. France and Britain both hoped that by starting the Battle of the Somme, they would relieve pressure on French defenders in Verdun during the Battle of Verdun where the French were struggling against the German assault on that region. It was fought between Allied Powers (France and Britain) and the Central Power of Germany and was a major conflict on the Western Front. It was a devastating battle that took place along the River Somme in northern France. In fact, the Battle of the Somme took place from July 1st, 1916 to November 18th, 1916 and is remembered as one of the bloodiest battles in human history. With that, World War I had begun and Europe was divided.Īs stated above, the Battle of the Somme occurred alongside the Battle of Verdun. France formally entered World War I on August 11th when it declared war against Austria-Hungary. The Entente Cordiale was part of the Triple Entente and linked the two countries together.įinally, Austria-Hungary declared war on Russia on August 6th in retaliation for its support of Serbia. At the time, Britain wanted to keep its commitments to France as outlined in the Entente Cordiale, which was an agreement between France and the Britain. Britain entered the fray on August 4th when it declared war against Germany. In response, France mobilized its forces and readied for war with Germany. In fact, Germany formally declared war on August 1st against France, Belgium, and Russia. German troops were readied to invade France, through Belgium with the plan of attack known as the Schlieffen Plan. Having heard of the Russian mobilization against Austria-Hungary, Wilhelm II of Germany ordered German mobilization on August 1st. In response, Russia mobilized its forces further on July 30th and began to prepare for war with Austria-Hungary. Officially, World War I started on July 28th, 1914 when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. ![]()
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