Nivelle, Robert Georges (1856–1924)

French general. In World War I, he planned a massive offensive in the Craonne-Reims area for April 1917, but his public boasting forewarned the Germans and the offensive was a disaster, with enormous French casualties which precipitated the mutinies in the French army later that year. Nivelle was removed, replaced by General Pétain, and sent back to command the troops in North Africa.

Nivelle's record until 1917 had been good: he had served in Algeria, Tunisia, and China before World War I and had served creditably in the invasion of Alsace and the Battle of Aisne 1914. He had also played an important part at the Battle of Verdun 1916; it was as a result of this success that he replaced Marshal Joffre as commander-in-chief of the armies of the North and Northeast 12 December 1916.