User:Lord Milner/sandbox/Who United the Western Front During World War I

This article discusses the creation of the position of Supreme Allied Commander on the Western Front during World War I.

Introduction
The Allies were in dire straits on the Western Front at the beginning of 1918. Both the British and French Armies suffered from manpower shortages in the trenches, while the Germans opposite them were massing their manpower for a Spring Offensive. In the event either the British or French armies were attacked, General Pétain and General Haig had a verbal agreement to help each other. However, when the allied Supreme War Council attempted to strengthen the agreement by forming a 30 division General Reserve, and placed under the command of French General Ferdinand Foch, the order was ignored. Finally, due to the slow arrival of the American Army in France, only one US division was on line in the Front. For these reasons, the Allies opted for a defensive strategy in France in 1918, with an attack against Turkey, to hopefully knock the Ottoman Empire out of the war. However, when the war plans were leaked to "The Morning Post" newspaper, the offensive was dropped. Meanwhile, the Germans, having achieved complete victory against Russia with the Russian Revolution in August 1917 (the communists wanted to sue for peace at any price), were secretly transporting their combat troops from their Eastern Front to their Western Front by train during the winter of 1917-18, to wage a final climatic battle to end the war (see Map #1).

The Assault
The great German Spring Offensive commenced on March 21, 1918. In a war game played in January, the Allies accurately predicted where the attack would take place, right at the weakest point on the Western Front, where the British and French armies met (see Map #2). Furthermore, the Allied Supreme War Council recommended placing the General Reserve behind that junction, to blunt a possible attack. However, just a week before the assault, on March 15th, Prime Minister Lloyd George and his War Cabinet learned that the reserve did not exist because General's Haig and Pétain, and Prime Minister Clemenceau, opposed it. Significantly, it was too late to fire General Haig, because the German attack was expected soon. The generals did not want to give up their divisions to General Foch to create the reserve, and, as a result, on the day of the attack, General Haig's reserves were positioned way in the North, near the English Channel, and General Pétain's reserves were positioned way in the South, near Switzerland. The all out German assault hit the middle of the line, and it would take weeks, if not months, to move the Allied reserves to where they were needed (see Map #2). Within a day of the assault, the Germans breached the front along a 50 mile line (from Barisis to Arras), and the Allies, mostly the B.E.F. opposed to them, were in full retreat. The verbal agreement between the generals meant little given the size of the assault, and without help from the rear, within days General Haig issued an order for the B.E.F. to retreat towards the English Channel, and General Pétain was preparing to defend Paris. National interests were superseding Allied interests as a whole, and the war looked lost.

Foch is In
In England, Prime Minister Lloyd George's War Cabinet was briefed on the reality of the war on the afternoon of March 23rd. Lord Alfred Milner, a member of the War Cabinet, said he received a call from the Prime Minister, asking him to him to go to France, find out what was going on, and report back to London. He did this, and his report is here. When Lord Milner arrived in France, he was picked up by Colonel Leo Amery, and on March 25th, the two of them motored to Paris for a meeting with Prime Minister Clemenceau. After a half hour meeting, Milner told Amery that Clemenceau favored General Petain to lead on the Western Front, but that he disagreed, favoring General Foch. Clemenceau agreed. Milner added, "I hope I was right; you and Henry (Wilson) have always told me Foch is the only big soldier." Milner was in an advantageous position to make this decision, as he was the designated war cabinet member to accompany the Prime Minister on all his trips to Europe. He was given official thanks upon his return to London (see Pic #1).

Making it Official
When the Paris morning meeting was over, Clemenceau asked Milner to wait for him, for he wanted to travel to French Army Headquarters (GQG) later, to finalize the agreement (see Pic #2). The party's convoy of cars arrived in Compiègne at just before 5pm, to find that the English generals were missing. General's Wilson and Haig were, in fact, attending the Abbeville Meeting, where a retreat order for the B.E.F. was handed from General Haig to General Weygand (Clemenceau received it that evening). Nonetheless, the Compiègne Meeting was held, but without the English generals present, it was decided that everyone would meet the next day.

The Road to Doullens Town Hall
When Clemenceau's party arrived back in Paris, the decision was made to hold the conference in the town hall of Doullens, France. The next morning, the French arrived early, at 11am, for the noontime meeting. For an hour they paced in the courtyard (see Pic #3). Their party included President Raymond Poincaré, Prime Minister Clemenceau, three of Frances top generals (Foch, Pétain and Weygand), and Munitions Minister Louis Loucheur. Prime Minister Clemenceau had been briefed that General Haig intended to withdraw his army from the Front and fall back on the English Channel. President Poincaré also knew. When the French party arrived at the town hall, the English general's were holding a Commanders Conference on the second floor. When General Haig came downstairs, Prime Minister Clemenceau asked him, "Do you want peace (defeat) today or victory tomorrow?" Haig answered that he would fight again, but he was overwhelmed and unable to hold if the French do not support him (Clemenceau knew about the retreat order, but didn't mention it). While the Army Commander's Conference took place, and the French waited outside in the brisk, windy courtyard, a lively discussion took place. General Pétain confided in Prime Minister Clemenceau that the British Army was beaten, that the French Army would soon be beaten, and he had given orders to retire the French army southwards (towards Paris). Clemenceau immediately told President Poincaré. He added, "Petain is annoying with pessimism. Imagine, he told me, 'The Germans will beat the English in the open country, after which they will beat us too.' Should a general speak or even think like this?" General Foch then gave President Poincaré a copy of Pétain's orders. Foch then said to Clemenceau, in front of Poincaré, "We should draw up minutes of the meeting that will be held..to fix responsibilities," to which Clemenceau snapped, "We're here to take it. I take mine willingly. The day is decisive.  Keep note of deliberations?  For who, Clio?  She will know how to do without paper. No, no, no minutes!" So, official minutes were never kept by the French.

The English motorcade arrived just after noon. Prime Minister Clemenceau then approached Lord Milner as he stepped out of his car and asked him about General Haig's retreat. Milner said it was a mistake, and he asked for a few minutes to speak to the general. Clemenceau agreed, adding, "Don't forget that today will be a date in history!" As Lord Milner slowly walked up the steps to Doullens Town Hall, Clemenceau told Louis Loucheur that he clearly understood the gravity of the situation.

The Miracle of Doullens
Inside town hall, Lord Milner spoke to his army commanders for about ten minutes, first clearing up any misconception about a retreat, and then speaking privately with General Haig about General Foch. Haig said he looked forward to working with him.

When the main conference opened, President Poincaré, as the host nation president, made the opening remarks (see Pic #6). He quickly yielded to Prime Minister Clemenceau, who was responsible for running the war. Clemenceau tackled the tough issues first. First, the strategic town of Amiens, having a railroad junction, had to be held, or the B.E.F would be cut off of supplies (see Map #2). General Haig agreed to do this. Second, the retreat order was cleared up again. Third, General Haig had to run risks in the northern part of his line to divert help to the southern part of his line. Haig said he could hold everything north of the Somme River, but it was impossible to expand south of it, and if things got worse he might have to pull back to Arras (see Map #2). Fourth, General Pétain was asked what steps he had taken to plug the gap at the Front. He said 24 divisions (1/4 of his army at the Front) were on notice to travel or were traveling, but it took time to move them, and time was the critical factor. He also said the British 5th Army, which took the brunt of the German assault, and which was in retreat, was broken. He compared it to the Italian rout at the battle of Caporetto. At this point, British General Henry Wilson, Haig's superior, rose and objected. Haig followed with, "I would like nothing more, than to do as much (as Petain), but unhappily I did not have a single soldier in reserve and that in England itself there remained very few men capable of entering the battle line immediately." "There were none available in England, or so few..." This was a surprise to many, because of rumors that Lloyd George had a million soldiers waiting in England that he refused to give to General Haig because they would be wasted in battle. In fact, there was only one division of class B (unfit and overweight) soldiers left, and they were coming over. After a period of silence, General Petain said, "It is evident that everything possible must be done to defend Amiens." General Foch then rose and said these historic words (borrowed by Winston Churchill on June 4, 1940, in his "We shall fight on the beaches" speech): "I would fight without a break. I would fight in front of Amiens. I would fight in Amiens. I would fight behind Amiens. I would fight all the time. I would never surrender." This prompted General Haig to say, "If General Foch would consent to give me his advice, I will gladly follow it".

At that moment, Lord Milner asked for a word alone with Prime Minister Clemenceau. They walked to a corner of the room, and Lord Milner said, "The British generals accept command of General Foch". Clemenceau answered, "Is this a proposal from the government?", to which Lord Milner replied, "The British government, I guarantee, will ratify what we have decided. Do we agree?" The Prime Minister said, "We agree...We just need to find a formula that leads to susceptibilities. I’m going to see Foch...Wait for me…". Clemenceau says, "I called Foch, I made him aware of the proposal and I asked him to find the formula necessary to avoid crumpling at Haig and Petain." Foch, after half a minute or so of reflection, said to me: "Here is what one could write: By decision of the Governments of Great Britain and France, General Foch is responsible for coordinating, on the Western Front, the operations of the French and British armies whose commanders-in-chief Marshal Haig and General Petain, will have to give him all the information useful for the establishment of this coordination". I approved of this formula, Foch scribbled it down…” It was Milner's idea which was supported by Clemenceau at the Doullens Conference and it was this which was adopted. Foch's promotion was announced to the public in England in "The Morning Post" newspaper on March 30, 1918, and a day later in France (see external link: The Temps).

The final words to the Doullens Agreement read (see Pic #7):

"General Foch is charged by the British and French Governments to co-ordinate the action of the Allied armies on the Western front. He will work to this end with the Commanders-in-Chief, who are asked to furnish him with all necessary information."

Other Claims
Other people took credit for uniting the Western Front at this most critical of time in the war, specifically General Douglas Haig, General Henry Wilson, and Prime Minister David Lloyd George. For these claims, please read, The People Who Took Credit For Uniting the Western Front During World War I.

Aftermath
Immediately upon his appointment, General Foch issued orders to his subordinate generals not to give up an inch of land. Then, over the course of the week, he personally visited each general to assure their cooperation with his plan. Foch was known as a fighting general who said in 1914, "Mon centre cède, ma droite recule, situation excellente, j'attaque" ("My centre is giving way, my right is falling back. The situation is excellent.  I shall attack."). His is the story of what one man is capable of achieving. As the threat at the Front continued, and as Allied planners prepared for a great battle sometime in 1919, General Foch, acting against the wishes of both French and British Prime Ministers, secretly ordered a counterattack in July. Although slow at first, the tide on the Western Front slowly began to turn. With the help of American servicemen, who were now arriving in France at the rate of 250,000 a month, the Allied gains turned into a German rout, until the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918. For his service, General Foch was promoted to Field Marshal on August 6, 1918.

Upon his return to England, Lord Milner reported back to the war cabinet on March 27th, where he submitted a report of his trip. It was here where he received official thanks from the British War Cabinet (see Pic #1).

In 1958, author John Evelyn Wrench wrote, "On the iron gates at the Town Hall of Doullens are two unobtrusive tablets, one written in French and one in English. The inscription on the latter reads:

In this Town Hall, on the 26 of March 1918, the Allies entrusted General Foch with the Supreme Command on the Western Front. This decision saved France and the liberty of the world."

The authorization for the tablets came from a Doullens Town Council resolution passed on November 30, 1918. The mayor and town council also wanted a monument created in Doullens to glorify the victory, but the money could not be raised. In place of this, local artists Pierre and Gérard Ansart created a stained glass window to commemorate the event, and famous war artist Lucien Jonas painted two frescoes, both of which stand today in the conference room where the conference took place (see Pics #4 & #5).

The Doullens Conference is celebrated by its townspeople every March 26th, and is galvanized by the commemorative stained glass window. History has almost forgotten this moment, when the Allies came within a hair's breath of losing the war.