Robert Nivelle

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Robert Georges Nivelle (15 October 1856 - 22 March 1924) was a French artillery officer who served in the Boxer Rebellion, and the First World War. In May 1916, he was given command of the French Third Army in the Battle of Verdun, leading counter-offensives that rolled back the German forces in late 1916. However he and General Charles Mangin were already accused of wasting French lives at Verdun. Following his successes at Verdun, he was promoted to commander-in-chief of the French armies on the Western Front in December 1916. He was responsible for the Nivelle Offensive at the Chemin des Dames, which faced a large degree of opposition during its planning stages, notably so from General Petain. When the offensive failed to achieve a breakthrough on the Western Front, Nivelle was replaced as commander-in-chief in May 1917. Nivelle was a very capable commander and organizer in the use of field artillery at the regimental and divisional levels. His promotion to the highest command level in the French Army came about in large part from his talents of persuasion with French and British political leaders, aided by his pronounced fluency in the English language.