Robert Nivelle

Robert Nivelle
General Nivelle c. 1917
24th Chief of the Army Staff
In office 14 December 1916 – 30 April 1917
Preceded by	Joseph Joffre
Succeeded by	Philippe Pétain
Personal details
Born	(1856-10-15)15 October 1856 Tulle, French Empire
Died	22 March 1924(1924-03-22) (aged 67) Paris, French Republic
Nationality	French
Alma mater	École Polytechnique
Military service
Allegiance	Third Republic
Branch/service	French Army Artillery
Years of service	1878 – 1921
Rank	Division general
Commands	List 5th Artillery Regiment 27th Infantry Brigade 61st Reserve Infantry Division III Corps Second Army
Battles/wars	List Boxer Rebellion First World War Battle of Verdun Nivelle Offensive

Robert Georges Nivelle^[a] (15 October 1856^[1] – 22 March 1924^[2]) was a French artillery general officer who served in the Boxer Rebellion and the First World War. In May 1916, he succeeded Philippe Pétain as commander of the French Second Army in the Battle of Verdun, leading counter-offensives that rolled back the German forces in late 1916.^[3] During these actions he and General Charles Mangin were accused of wasting French lives.^[4] He gives his name to the Nivelle Offensive.

Following the successes at Verdun, Nivelle was promoted to commander-in-chief of the French armies on the Western Front in December 1916, largely because of his persuasiveness with French and British political leaders, aided by his fluency in English. He was responsible for the Nivelle Offensive at the Chemin des Dames, which had aroused skepticism already in its planning stages. When the costly offensive failed to achieve a breakthrough on the Western Front, a major mutiny occurred, affecting roughly half the French Army, which conducted no further major offensive action for several months. Nivelle was replaced as commander-in-chief by Philippe Pétain in May 15, 1917.

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