To view prices and purchase online, please login or create an account now.



Breaking Point of the French Army: The Nivelle Offensive of 1917

Hardback

Main Details

Title Breaking Point of the French Army: The Nivelle Offensive of 1917
Authors and Contributors      By (author) David Murphy
Physical Properties
Format:Hardback
Pages:256
Dimensions(mm): Height 234,Width 156
Category/GenreFirst world war
ISBN/Barcode 9781781592922
ClassificationsDewey:940.40944
Audience
General
Illustrations 30 illustrations

Publishing Details

Publisher Pen & Sword Books Ltd
Imprint Pen & Sword Military
Publication Date 12 October 2015
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

In December 1916 General Robert Nivelle was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the French armies fighting the Germans on the Western Front. He had enjoyed a meteoric rise to high command and public acclaim since the beginning of the war - he was a national hero. In return, he proclaimed he 'had the formula' that would ensure victory and end the conflict in 1917. But his offensive was a bloody and humiliating failure for France, one that could have opened the way for French defeat. This is the subject of David Murphy's penetrating, in-depth study of one of the key events in the history of the Great War. He describes how Nivelle, a highly intelligent and articulate officer, used his charm to win the support of French and British politicians, but also how he was vain and boastful and displayed no sense of operational security. By the opening of the campaign, his plan was an open secret and he had lost the ability to critically assess the operation as it developed. The result was disaster.

Author Biography

DAVID MURPHY lectures in military history and strategic studies at Maynooth University, Ireland. He was a major contributor to the Royal Irish Academy's Dictionary of Irish Biography, and has taught at University College, Dublin and Trinity College, Dublin. He became the first Irish scholar to be awarded a fellowship to the West Point Summer Seminar in Military History. He has lectured at West Point, at the US Army Command and Staff College. His publications include Lawrence of Arabia, The Arab Revol, The Irish Brigades, 1685-2006: A Gazetteer of Irish Military Service Past and Present, Irish Regiments in the World Wars, Condottiere, 1300-1500: Infamous Medieval Mercenaries, The Arctic Fox: The Life of Admiral Sir Francis Leopold McClintock, and Ireland and the Crimean War.