THE 1917 OPERATIONS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 15, 13 October 1919, Page 5

THE 1917 OPERATIONS

STARTLING STATEMENT BY' IT BRIAND NIVELLE IN COMMAND FRANCOBRITISH ARMIES By Telegraph-Press .Association-Copyright (Rec. October 12, 11.35 p.m.) Paris, October 11. It. Painleve, in the Chamber of Deputies, attributed, the disastrous failure of General Nivclle's offensive in April, 1917, to the overwhelming number, of .German guns, and also to the Germans'previously finding a plan on a. French officer prisoner. '• Thirty-four thousand. French were killed and thirty tliousa.iul wounded in til* first ten days. Gerir-ral Nivclle was recalled, whereupon the-whole-,ques-tion of command arose. If. Pain leva eulogised XI. Briand's and Mr.-"-. Lloyd George's efforts towards instituting unity of command.

M. Briand hero intervened and made the sensational statement that all tho operations for the spring of 1917 were settled at Headquarters under General Nivclle, and in pursuance of a policy of united action on a united front. All the headquarters' staffs were represented and, thanks to this co-operation, the Allies took the offensive and were successful everywhere. M. Briand added fiat the offensive in the - .spring was to be a. general one with unity of command on the French front for the duration of tho operations, and oil the authority of tho two ■ Governments General Nivelle took command of the Franco-British armies. M. Painleve, during the debate,' took ft pride, in the appointing of Marshal Foch as Chief of the. General Staff and Genoral Petain as Commander-in-Chief.; They were the creators -of' tho army of victory, by their waiting tactics in shielding the men ami materials necessary for the operations of July, 1918. • The "Eclair," in 'referring to 31. Pain•leve's statement that M. Briand obtained Mr. Lloyd George's consent that General Nivclle should give instructions to Sir Douglas Haig in the great offensive or 1917, publishes M. Briand's letter to Mr. Lloyd Georgo complaining of the tendency on tho part of Sir Douglas Haig to evade instructions and question _. the ( whole, offensive and plan of operations. M. Briand represented proposing on behalf of the French War Committee that President Wilson should be selected as an intermediary between General'Nivclle and the British armies with a view to ascertaining the capacities of the latter and giving instructions in pursuance of tho unity of command-Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. ■ . '