I am working my way through the Official History of the Canadian Army in the First World War (GWL Nicholson; 1962) and the author makes a passing comment about the French that made me curious.
Referring to the dispositions of Allied forces in 1915, the author states that "in contrast to the French, who when not engaged in a major offensive tended to observe an unofficial truce, British GHQ emphasized the necessity of continual aggressiveness in defence."
Is this statement accurate? In my (albeit limited) studies of the Canadian and British forces in the Great War the narrative is one of major offensives mixed with raids, counter-raids, artillery, etc. Was the story really different for French forces?
*Edited for spelling.
Is this statement accurate?
From my reading on the French Army this seems to be the case overall; piecemeal attacks or grignotage ('nibbling') as they were dubbed in the French Army were unpopular among the Poilus, so it seems the French placed much less emphasis on constant trench-raiding, unlike the BEF. Trench-raiding took off from 1916 onwards in the BEF, at the exhortations of General (later Field Marshall) Sir Douglas Haig, and while they increased so-called 'trench wastage' (casualties occurring outside major offensives), German testimony seems to indicate that it exerted an adverse affect on the morale of their soldiers, who were on the receiving end of aggressive harassing attacks.
the narrative is one of manor offensives mixed with raids, counter-raids, artillery, etch
Could you elaborate further on this point? I'd be happy to answer any other questions you may have.