The Second Battle of the Aisne (French: 2e Bataille de L'Aisne), in 1917 was the main action of the French Nivelle Offensive or Chemin des Dames Offensive during World War I. The objective was a prominent, 80 km long, east-west ridge underlain by many quarries that had sheltered the German occupants from the French artillery preparation. The French frontal assault on the Chemin des Dames was received everywhere by intense, in-depth machine gun fi...
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The Second Battle of the Aisne (French: 2e Bataille de L'Aisne), in 1917 was the main action of the French Nivelle Offensive or Chemin des Dames Offensive during World War I. The objective was a prominent, 80 km long, east-west ridge underlain by many quarries that had sheltered the German occupants from the French artillery preparation. The French frontal assault on the Chemin des Dames was received everywhere by intense, in-depth machine gun fire and thus stalled on the second day. It ended in disaster for both the French Army and its commander Robert Nivelle, destroying his career and sparking widespread mutiny in the army. Nivelle instigated the plan in December 1916 after he replaced Joseph Joffre as Commander-in-Chief of the French army.
When he succeeded Joffre as commander of the French army, Nivelle argued that a massive onslaught against the German lines would bring French victory in 48 hours. He believed the Germans were too bloodied from the battles at Verdun and the Somme...
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