Fuxu, Petain, the Parliament, the British, and everyone else, including Shire, had all overlooked one thing.
"The last bout of madness" didn't just happen to the surrounded Germans, it happened to their own troops as well.
People only knew that Nivelle was not suited for his position, but they didn't put themselves in his shoes: continuing as such would ruin his career, and he might never see the light of day again. Instead, putting everything at stake in a desperate gamble might still offer a sliver of hope.
Thus, Nivelle, disregarding everything, mobilized forces to gather south of the River Somme. In just a few days, more than ten divisions totaling over 300,000 men had assembled, including Kristen's First Specialized Artillery Division, which was originally designated to be sent to Verdun.
