The Cripple Entente: Great Britain, Russia, and France. Their flags behind them, King George V, Tsar Nicholas II, and President Poincaré show the effects of the initial German victories in 1914.
Kriegs-Karte der 'Lustigen Blätter' Nr. 12.So muß es kommen:Die "Krüppel-Entente'.War Card of the 'Lustigen Blätter' (Funny Pages) No. 12It must come to this:The 'Cripple Entente'.Reverse:Kriegs-PostkarteVerlag der Lustigen Blätter (Dr. Eysler & Co.) G.m.b.H. Berlin SW. 68Druck von H.S. Hermann, BerlinWar PostcardPublisher of the Lustigen Blätter (Dr. Eysler & Co.) LLC Berlin SW. 68Printed by H.S. Hermann, Berlin
"On December 4 [1915], a few days after Joffre's appointment as commander-in-chief, French and British leaders attended a meeting at Calais in which the main point of discussion was Salonika. The meeting occurred at a time when the currents of the war seemed to be flowing against the allies. The Germans had broken through at Gorlice-Tarnów and driven the Russians back 350 kilometers; Joffre's autumn offensive had failed to make significant gains; the British were considering abandoning Gallipoli; the Serbs were fleeing across the mountains toward the Adriatic; and Sarrail's forces were withdrawing from Serbia toward Salonika."
In a too-late attempt to save Serbia from being overrun by a German-Austro-Hungarian-Bulgarian invasion, France and Britain had landed at Salonica, Greece and moved north, but were prevented from providing any relief by Bulgarian forces. The British were eager to leave the new front, as they were soon to leave Gallipoli. The French argued for staying. 1915 had indeed been bleak for the Entente Allies. To the litany of Allied disappointment and outright failure above — the Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive, Joffre's autumn offensive, the invasion of Gallipoli, the defeat of Serbia, and the failed attempt to aide their ally — could be added Italy's failures in four Battles of the Isonzo River. General Maurice Sarrail commanded the French forces in Greece. On December 2, 1915, French President Poincare appointed General Joseph Joffre Commander-in-Chief of the French armies.
Pyrrhic Victory; French Strategy and Operations in the Great War by Robert A. Doughty, page 233, copyright © 2005 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College, publisher: Harvard University Press, publication date: 2005
1915-12-04, 1915, December, Calais conference, conference, Allied conference, Cripple Entente
