Second Artois

June, 1915

Since May, a battle has been being fought near the Belgian city of Arras.  The fight is instigated by the French and British Armies.  General Joffre has decided that waiting for a German offensive would do more to strengthen the Axis than the Allies.  Also, there is an opportunity to disrupt rail supply lines to the German army further west.  Newly appointed General Ferdinand Foch, Northern Commander proposes and in initiates a major attack on German positions.  Over the winter of 1914-15 those positions have been reorganized and strengthened.

The French are attempting to devise tactics that are appropriate to the new form of warfare.  It focuses less on unrestrained offensive action and more on carefully considered artillery preparation, better design of entrenchments and increased use of machine gun, mortar, and hand grenade.  Reality is intruding on the pre-war doctrines of the military colleges.

Nearly a million shells are dropped in 5 weeks over the 25 mile front and the allies gain a total of 16 square miles.

The Light is Dawning

June 1915

The thinking of all the top generals on the allied side has been focused on finding the one heroic master stroke battle that would turn the tide and result in general victory.  Based on his experience on the Eastern front, a rising general, named Herri-Phillippe Petain, is proposing a new paradigm for this war.  "Success will come, in the final analysis, to the side which has the last man." It is an example of a new type of war, the war of attrition.  Joffre and Kitchner are at a loss to know what this will mean to military strategy.