On the Western Front, mutiny was everywhere in the air. "The operation must be postponed," one general wrote. "We risk having the men refuse to leave the assault trenches." French soldiers cursed their commanders, drank openly in the trenches, singing ditties about war profiteers and wooden graveyard crosses. Their commanders were unable to stem the distribution of papillons, the pacifist leaflets that filled French barracks like white spring snow. As May 1917 approached, commanders adjusted to the troop upheavals, coining a euphemism ("collective indiscipline") to substitute for the more terrifying "mutiny". Long out of print, Richard M. Watt's engulfing narrative of the calamitous French army mutinies throws fresh light on the weakness of the Army of France in the last years of the war and, indirectly, on the importance of American intervention. Its argument dovetails smoothly with that of John Mosier's THE MYTH OF THE GREAT WAR, which has drawn so much recent attention.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent description of WWI from French point of view,
By
This review is from: Dare Call It Treason (Hardcover)
This book is supposed to be primarily about a short but very dangerous time during WWI (spring 1917), when the common French soldiers on the Western Front got fed up with the incompetence of their leaders and temporarily rose up against them, got good and drunk, and refused to fight. But, in order to have us really understand why the soldiers acted (and felt) as they did, Mr. Watt sketches back quite a ways in French history (to the 1800's) and then spends several more chapters on the first years of WWI itself, so the bulk of the book is really an overview. He does a fantastic job at this -- I tried a few military histories of WWI and gave up on them, but Mr. Watt made everything clear to me, not only the movements and main battles (the Marne, the Somme, Verdun, and the Chemin generals were trying to do, why it worked or didn't work, and the effect the battles had on the total war effort and morale. The book is invaluable reading even for just the descriptions of the trench warfare. I never understood the significance of the term - why they were so hated - until reading this book. And Mr. Watt explains how the Germans and French were mismatched because WWI took place in the window of time after the invention of artillery but before the full-scale use of the tank. He tells how the French military leadership took a shamefully long time to figure out that bayonet charges (!) were useless against machine gun and artillery barages -- also, that the generals thought that to attack and never defend was the secret of military success. So the incredibly valiant French soldiers were sent out time and time again to trot, crawl and climb across the fields of barbed wire -- and be cut down before they could get anywhere near the Germans. After thousands and thousands of men were slaughtered, the generals realized they had to change their tactics and dig in, but even then, for the next 3 years, they continued to launch useless offensives, even though the clear-headed among them realized that it had become a war of attrition. Along with this recount of the military side of the War and how it made the French soldiers discouraged, Mr. Watt describes what was happening in France politically at the time, which also undermined the war. Certain French leaders, politicians and newspapermen, pretty much aided and abetted the Germans, because their political base was the pacifist left-wing, and also because they assumed that France would lose the War and they personally would be in a better position for having fostered anti-war factionalism. Despite these depressing events, Mr. Watt never descends to cynicism. He puts forward two heroes -- the military general Petain, who turns things around in the nick of time (at Verdun, and later during the mutinies), and, on the political side, "The Tiger," Clemenceau, who ran France like a dictator for those final war years but managed to keep her intact. At the end of the book Mr. Watt tells us what happened post-war to these 2 and also to the traitorous Malvy and Caillaux. There are definitely surprises here - the French political mindset is hard to understand from my American point of view, and probably from others as well. As the author states, "It was as if during World War II a former President of the United States were conducting secret conversations with known traitors in the pay of Nazi Germany...and as if the Attorney General and his director of the F.B.I. were winking at the whole affair." Another shocker was the fact that there was at the time almost no independent press, and that one of the top liberal newspapers was being literally financially subsidized by the Germans! Mr. Watt explains that, for some reason, French newspaper ads didn't generate much profit, so, to survive, periodicals had to accept money from political factions. Astonishing, indeed. Mr. Watt is a very fine writer, dramatic, as the subject matter calls for, and almost poetic when occasion demands. He is, as the dust jacket says, scrupulously fair, though not in the least supercilious or detached. And, though there is nothing made up or exaggerated, he manages to end each chapter in such a way as to impell you to the next. For another great book by RM Watt on WWI, search "The Kings Depart." If you need to read something on WWI, I would recommend both of these, for their clarity, passion, fairness, and just plain enjoyability.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"A Bas La Guerre!" -- Mutiny in the trenches,
By John C. Landon "nemonemini" (New York City) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Dare Call It Treason (Hardcover)
One might or might not agree on the author's take, reasonable in any case, on politics here, but this work is a good account of France during World War I (and before) with a blunt perspective and some of the facts that don't make it into story book accounts. The description of the mutiny in the trenches by the French soldiers is especially interesting, and, while no doubt not the last word, does actually mention this quite important subject! It is significant the left often bypasses this material, perhaps because of the history of the Kronstadt mutiny. It is not coincidence the Bolshevik revolution was one wildcard in the situation.It is also clear that this 'mutiny', like a strike, did accomplish, to some degree, its purpose, and the efforts of Petain to restore order more than yielded on many of the key issues. A host of fascinating details, such as the drunken stupor pervading trench warfare, as an ingredient of acquiescence, to say nothing of the mutiny itself, where this backfired, to say the least. The 'poilus' could see what the generals simply could not see, the obvious absurdity of the 'over the top' strategies. Acerbic and well worth adding to a list of books in this field.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Little Known French Mutinies,
By Acute Observer (N. Jersey Shore) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Dare Call It Treason (Paperback)
Richard M. Watt graduated from Dartmouth College and served as a gunnery officer in the US Navy in the early 1950s. He spent years investigating the French Army mutinies of 1917 through libraries, government agencies, and historians in England, France, and the United States. Little has been written about the mutinies in France (p.308). Written works have their point of view (p.309). After the war a number of troops who were illegally executed were rehabilitated (p.310). There is a Bibliography of books in English and French, and an Index. Notes for each chapter are at the end of the book. Watt has written a very readable book for his point of view. I wonder what he would say about the War in Vietnam? I recommend this book for its education about a society.Watt begins with French society since 1865 (Chapter 1). He discusses the French Army as a symbol of the nation in Chapter 2. As in other countries, the army was the career choice for younger sons of the aristocracy (p.24). The writing of a dead Colonel was very influential (p.28); it ignored the advances in firepower. Germany's industrial growth would make it the leading world power (p.31). The Schlieffen Plan was a formula for success. The mobilization of one country meant war for all (Chapter 3). Watt tells about the political intrigue of Joseph Caillaux (p.45), the leader of the Radical Socialists who represented the middle class of France. At one time thugs guarded him (p.53). The war united the French (p.57). Trench warfare in the West was not expected (Chapter 5). The machine gun stopped infantry attacks. The hand grenade was used for assault (p.85). Watt describes an attack (pp.86-88). The French suffered the most from the war (p.91). Chapter 6 discusses the problems of military command. Page 99 tells of an incident that became part of "The Paths of Glory". Pétain got more results with fewer men killed (p.108). He rose from colonel to full general in eight months. Chapter 7 describes the power struggle between Parliament and the Army. The battle of Verdun is explained (Chapter 8).Artillery was used on a vast scale (p.123). Thousands were killed to no avail (p.125). The German plan failed. The Battle of the Somme resulted in the greatest number of casualties in a single day for the British (p.129). There was intrigue and espionage in France (Chapter 9). General Nivelle came up with a plan to win the war in April 1917 but it turned into a catastrophe after warnings were avoided (Chapter 10). May saw the first mutinies when troops were tardy when gathered for another attack (Chapter 11). Mutinous troops refused to return to the trenches (Chapter 12). Pétain was promoted to suppress the mutinies (Chapter 13). Increasing the amount of leave and better benefits ended the unrest. Pétain personally assured the troops (p.224). The next step was to punish a few mutineers as an example (Chapter 14). Pétain's new policy was successful (pp.244-245). The Nivelle offensive was judged to be a failure but allowed to occur (pp.250-251)! There were other problems (Chapter 15). Some French officials failed in their duty (p.261). Disasters occurred in October 1917 (p.265). Chapter 16 tells about the mutinous Russian troops in France. Clemenceau formed a government to wage war (Chapter 17). He ruled like a dictator (p.283) but was distrusted by Parliament (p.287). "War is too serious a matter to leave to soldiers." Chapter 18 tells what happened after the war ended. Watt says the records of the mutinies were destroyed (p.300). Watt suggests the mutinies probably prevented another bloody Nivelle offensive (p.303). Watt asked why Germany didn't attack when units of the French Army mutinied. They may not have known or believed it; they had their own problems with their troops; or the Germans were afraid of catching a Soviet virus. The story about the secret ownership of newspapers was revealing. Do you know who owns your newspaper? [This is from the hardcover book.]
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