THE CHAMPAGNE DISASTER.

Taihape Daily Times, 14 October 1919, Page 3

THE CHAMPAGNE DISASTER.

34,000 FRENCH KILLED AND 30,000 WOUNDED. . 1 PARIS, Oct. 11. 1 M. P9»i1119V9; in the Chamber, attri-1 buted the diS3«Stl‘ous failure of General‘ Nivelle’s oifensiv-e in April, 1917, to‘ the 0ve1'\V'l1(’ll11lI1g number of German; guns, and also to the Germans previous.ly finding a‘ plan on a French officer pri— 3 Soner. Thirty—four thousand French! were killed and 30,000 wounded in the? first ten days. General Nivelle was recalled, whereupon the whole question of the command arose. He eulogised M. Briand’s and ;\[r Lloyd Ge.Q=l-gO’S efiioi-ts towards imstituuting unity of conlnrand. ;\l_ Bl'i:Lnd here intervened and made a sensational statement that all the operations for the spring of 1917 were settled at head~qu_arters under General Nivelle; and in pursuance of the policy of united action on a united front all headqnarteins’ staffs were represented, and, thanks to this conoperation, the Allies took the offensive, and were succo.<'sflll everywliere. M. Briand added that the offensive in the spring was to be general, with unity of command on the French t'l'ont for the duration of the operations, and on the a.u't'hority of the two Governments, General Nivelle took command of the Franco-British armies. ‘ I M. Painleve, during the debate, took pride in the appointing of» Foch as the chief of the general stafl’, and General Petain as colnmander-in-chief. He said they were creators of the army of victory by their waiting tactics in sllield—ing men and Inaterials necessary for ‘:h" og‘;e:'at.ionS of July, 1918,.

“‘Eclail-_,” in n'efel'l'ing' to M. Pain--leve"s sta.i‘ement that M. Briawl ob tained Ml‘ Lloyd Geol'ge.’s consi=.n"c Hm‘ General- Nivelle should give instructions to lS'i:' ‘Douglas I-laig (in ‘the great offensive of 1917. publishes M". Bl'i’alld’s }e’t‘rel' ’r,o Ml‘ Lloyd’ George, complaining of’ the tendency on the part of S3l‘ Douglas Haig to evade inshnetions and question. the whole ofl‘ensive and plans of operation. M. iand represented. proposing on be112111’ of the Freneli War Committee, I.l‘-‘atr. (?rcnel‘zLl Wilson should be s-elected as the izlfi,-rinecliary between General Nivclle al.‘-dithe British armies, with a View to ascertaining the capabilities of the 7latter and giving instructions in pursuance of unity of command.