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French Army Mutiny of 1917

The battle of Verdun during World War 1 was a military disaster that cost a total of more than 700,000 dead, wounded and gassed to the French and German armies. Technically it began and ended in 1916 but in fact continued into 1917. French Marshall Joseph Joffre was replaced by Gen. Robert Nivelle, who began a great Spring Offensive to end the war in one massive stroke. The offensive started on April 16, 1917, produced a French bloodbath--120,000 casualties on the first day. Mutiny broke out in the army, with troops calling "Down with the war!" and verbally attacking the leaders. Away from the front, troops home on leave waved the red flag of revolution and sang defiant songs. They beat up police and army officers who tried to restore order. On May 3, a full scale mutiny broke out, even though Nivelle's offensive was still continuing. One army unit, the 21st Division, was ordered into battle but refused. The leaders of this mutiny were singled out, shot, or exiled to Devil's Island. Two days later the division went into battle and most were slaughtered. After that, many other units refused to fight. As many as 20,000 men deserted. The mutiny spread to one-half of the entire French army.

Marshall Philippe Pétain was called upon to restore order and largely succeeded, but the French army was never again the fighting force it once had been.

(Reference: "The Price of Glory," by Alistair Horne, Copyright 1962 by Horne; published 1963 by St. Martin's Press.) See pp. 319 ff.