Andrew Uffindell

The Chemin des Dames was a road supposedly built by Louis XV in the 1780s to allow his daughters to visit one of their ladies-in-waiting (there’s evidence that there was some sort of a road there much earlier than that). It skirts the edge of a plateau and gives a name to the whole area. By 1917, the French had conducted a series of bloody and futile offensives on the Western Front, still believing that French élan could defeat German machine guns – that a properly conducted offensive could smash a passage through the enemy lines and into the rear. When the French commander Joffre expressed his belief that smaller “bite and hold” attacks had a better chance of success, he was replaced by General Nivelle, who had had some minor successes in 1915 and 1916. Nivelle’s plan was pretty much business as usual: a devastating artillery barrage would crush German defensive works, then infantry would march through and mop up. Alas, like so many times before, it didn’t work out that way.

This is a guidebook to the battle area; I don’t generally write reviews of travel guides unless I’ve actually been to the area in question. However this one includes a lot of military history and descriptions of the battle – and, frankly, there’s not too much to see except lots of monuments to the dead of both sides.

The attack got off on schedule, but the Germans dispersed their defensive positions so the artillery barrage did nothing but churn up the ground and make it difficult for the infantry to advance, and even more difficult for the Schneider tanks deployed in support – most ditched, broke down, or just outpaced the infantry and wandered around the battlefield until finally hit by field artillery. The attackers did display élan, to the extent that astonishing numbers of officers were killed – 70% in some units – as they “lead from the front”. There were modest gains, but nothing even close to the huge hole in the German lines that Nivelle predicted he would punch in 48 hours. Another bloodbath for a few meters of French soil.

The battle was noteworthy for prompting a series of mutinies in the French army. Soldiers refused orders for further offensive action, although they remained on the defensive rather than deserting. There were thousands of arrests and court martials, hundreds of death sentences, but only 49 executions. The mutinies are apparently still controversial in France; monuments that mention some of the executed mutineers as “victims” were criticized.

Author Andrew Uffindell notes this is the first English battlefield guide to the area. (The was some very minor English and American involvement in the campaign). Lots of photographs of the area, often “before” and “after” and “now”; but only a few of actual action, understandable given the state of photographic technology at the time. Very good maps, as befits a tour guide. The index seems a little sparse as I couldn’t find some things I wanted to look up; the bibliography is extensive, although most of the references are French or German.… (more)