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Memorial statue to Prime Minister David Lloyd George in Parliament Square, London, United Kingdom. © 2013 John M. Shea
The rulers of the Central Powers stumped by Verdun. Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary, Mohammed V of Turkey, Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany, and Czar Ferdinand of Bulgaria puzzle over a map labeled "Verdun." The ink and watercolor drawing is dated March 4, 1916. By R. DLC?The German assault on Verdun began on February 21, 1916 and continued through August.
General Joffre, Commander in Chief of the French Army, visits the Verdun front. The card is from the summer of 1916 when the Battle of Verdun was in its fifth month. The caption on the reverse says Joffre then knew the Allies had victory in their hands, a victory that would not come for more than two years.
French General Robert Nivelle, from a pharmaceutical advertising card
Re-elect President Woodrow Wilson! An October 18, 1916 cartoon from the British magazine Punch. The German sinking of ships that killed American citizens and sabotage such as the July 30, 1916 attack that destroyed the Black Tom munitions plant in Jersey City, New Jersey, were not enough to make Wilson call for a declaration of war on Germany, much to the distress of Great Britain and the other Entente allies. The date on Wilson's desk calendar is October 8, 1916, a day on which German submarine U-53 sank five vessels — three British, one Dutch, and one Norwegian — off Nantucket, Massachusetts. One of the British ships was a passenger liner traveling between New York and Newfoundland.
"Another Christmas dawning! and yet no signs of peace. The butchery and the carnage, and suffering and death, continue with relentless fury. Men seem to have lost all sense of manhood and decency in their lust for blood. Not only has the conflict been more deadly than ever of late, but England has been torn with political troubles at home. But a totally inefficient government couldn't be allowed to go on, and within the last few days great events have been happening. Mr Asquith has discreetly (!) resigned and Lloyd George is now Prime Minister. He is a man of actions (although I'd never trust a Welshman) and heaven knows the time has come when we need action — sharp, swift, and decisive. I fancy we are in for a thrilling time at home!" ((1), more)
"Our forefathers of the Revolution refused to treat with the enemy as long as he defiled by his presence the consecrated soil of France, as long as he was not forced back behind our natural boundaries, and as long as the triumph of justice and liberty was not assured. Through the muzzles of your guns and on the points of your bayonets, France has given her answer. You have acted as the embassadors of the French Republic. The French Republic thanks you." ((2), more)
"— The 16th. The 'reduced' Ministry was published on the 13th. Albert Thomas, Minister of Munitions, is going to occupy vast premises, since he requires 250 rooms.— This is how Joffre learned of his removal from command. They had promised that he would retain all his power, but was simply being transferred to Paris. General Nivelle informed him that he, Nivelle, was henceforth under the direct orders of the Minister for War. Joffre no longer counted." ((3), more)
"By the end of the year, Joffre had retired with the dignity of Marshal of France, and command of the army on the Western Front was entrusted to the dashing cavalryman, Robert Nivelle. The war machine at Chantilly was dismantled. Nivelle, whose powers were strictly limited to metropolitan France, set up headquarters at Beauvais (moving later to Compiègne), and the overall responsibility for the French military effort was thereafter exercised by the Ministry of War in the Rue St. Dominique, Paris." ((4), more)
"On 18 December 1916 [Woodrow Wilson] sent identical notes to the Allies and Central Powers, inviting each to state its war aims fully and frankly as a step towards negotiations.In his note Wilson observed that publicly stated objectives of both sides were 'virtually the same' in that both claimed to seek security for weaker states and for themselves and a stable order that would eliminate future wars. There was a double purpose behind this statement. One was to undercut secret agreements among the Allies for a division of the spoils if the Central Powers were defeated. The other was to force both sides to state goals in such a way as to maximize the chance of agreement." ((5), more)
(1) Ethel M. Bilborough writing on December 14, 1916. British Prime Minister H.H. Asquith, who had held office since before the war began, resigned on December 5. The next day, David Lloyd George, who had served in the Government as Minister of Finance, Minister of Munitions, and Secretary of State for War, formed a new Government.
The Virago Book of Women and the Great War by Joyce Marlow, Editor, page 217, copyright © Joyce Marlow 1998, publisher: Virago Press, publication date: 1999
(2) French General Charles Mangin's address to his troops after the attack of December 15, 1916. In the action, the French continued the recapture (begun in October) of land and forts lost in the course of the Battle of Verdun. General Henri Pétain quotes Mangin's address approvingly as 'the best possible answer to Germany's [December 12] proposals for peace.' Mangin, nicknamed The Butcher, had arrived at Verdun with General Robert Nivelle, and would continue to support him in the coming year.
Verdun by Henri Philippe Pétain, page 208, copyright © 1930, publisher: The Dial Press, publication date: 1930
(3) Entries for December 16, 1916 from the diary of Michel Corday, French senior civil servant. December, 1916 saw the conquest of Romania and the occupation of its capital Bucharest, the fall of the Asquith Government in Great Britain and the creation of a new government under David Lloyd George, peace proposals from Germany and U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, and the removal of French Commander in Chief Joseph Joffre, and his replacement by Robert Nivelle. The Government of Aristide Briand in France had survived only by making significant changes, including ousting Joffre. General Nivelle's success in recapturing territory lost during the Battle of Verdun with few losses, offered a promise that Joffre, with little to show for over two years of horrendous casualties, could not match.
The Paris Front: an Unpublished Diary: 1914-1918 by Michel Corday, page 219, copyright © 1934, by E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., publisher: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., publication date: 1934
(4) Chantilly had been the headquarters of French Commander in Chief Joseph Joffre, who was replaced by General Robert Nivelle as part of the resolution of the crisis in the French Government in December, 1916. By limiting Nivelle's command to Metropolitan France, the Government most importantly excluded the Allied forces on the Salonica Front under the command of Maurice Sarrail, who had chafed under Joffre's restrictions.
The Gardeners of Salonika by Alan Palmer, page 109, copyright © 1965 by A. W. Palmer, publisher: Simon and Schuster, publication date: 1965
(5) President Woodrow Wilson's claim that publicly stated objectives of both the Entente Allies and the Central Powers were 'virtually the same' infuriated the French and British, and brought King George of the United Kingdom to weep publicly.
Woodrow Wilson: World Statesman by Kendrick A. Clements, page 164, copyright © 1987 by G. K. Hall & Co.; 1999 by Kendrick A. Clements, publisher: Ivan R. Dee, Publisher, publication date: 1987
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