The Supreme War Council was a central command based in Versailles that coordinated the military strategy of the principal Allies of World War I: Britain, France, Italy, the United States, and Japan. It was founded in 1917 after the Russian Revolution and with Russia's withdrawal as an ally imminent. The council served as a second source of advice for civilian leadership, a forum for preliminary discussions of potential armistice terms, later for peace treaty settlement conditions, and it was succeeded by the Conference of Ambassadors in 1920.
Formation British Prime Minister David Lloyd George had grave concerns regarding the strategy of Sir William Robertson, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, and Sir Douglas Haig, the Commander in Chief of the British Expeditionary Force, in response to the Allied losses at the Somme and Passchendaele.
Also, following the Italian defeat at the Battle of Caporetto, in which the Germans and Austro-Hungarians surprised the Royal Italian Army, Lloyd George proposed the formation of a Supreme War Council at the Rapallo Conference of 5–7 November 1917.
Japan and Russia were not to be included, and the Italians and French, worried that Salonika (and with it the only chance of liberating Serbia) might be evacuated, wanted issues confined to the Western Front.Woodward, David R., Field Marshal Sir William Robertson, pgs. 191, 192
Permanent Military Representatives Each Allied nation would be represented by their head of government, and an appointed senior military officer known as the Permanent Military Representative (PMR). The French PMR was Ferdinand Foch, later replaced by Maxime Weygand and Joseph Joffre. The British were represented by Sir Henry Wilson until 1918, then Charles Sackville-West. Italy was represented by Luigi Cadorna.
The United States, which was "an Associated Power" of the Allies, was not involved with the political structure, but sent a Permanent Military Representative, General Tasker H. Bliss.Woodward, 1998, pp191-2
General Wilson and his staff conducted numerous research projects into offensives against Turkey, culminating in "Joint Note# 12".Woodward, 1998, pg194-5
Meetings
Although the military council sat about once a week (90 meetings took place between November 1917 and November 1919), formal Interallied Conferences with Prime Ministers in attendance took place ten times during the lifespan of the Supreme War Council (SWC). Those meetings are listed below.The Supreme War Council, pgs. 36 & 37
Wartime meetings 5-7 November 1917 At the Rapallo Conference in the town of Rapallo, Italy (close to the French border), the formation of the Supreme War Council was approved by the Allied war leaders.Lloyd George, David, War Memoirs of David Lloyd George, Vol IV, pgs. 491-503 The idea was thought up by the British, accepted by the French, and approved at a British War Cabinet meeting on 2 November 1917.National Archives, CAB 23-4, pgs. 298-300 of 579 It was also decided that its headquarters would be in Versailles.Callwell, Sir C.E. "Field Marshal Henry Wilson", Volume II, pg. 23
29 Nov to 3 Dec 1917 The first Interallied Conference in France took place in Paris at the Quai d'OrsayLloyd George, David, War Memoirs of David Lloyd George, Vol V, pg. 215 and at The Trianon Palace Hotel conference room in Versailles.Roskill, "Hankey Man of Secrets, Vol. I", pg. 468 This was the first appearance of Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau, who took office on 14 November 1917. The four heads of state represented were Clemenceau, David Lloyd George, Vittorio Orlando, and Colonel Edward House (for President Woodrow Wilson). Supporting the four were their permanent military representatives: General Maxime Weygand (France), General Sir Henry Wilson (UK), General Luigi Cadorna (Italy) and General Tasker Bliss (US). The conference ended with the drafting of eight resolutions, the most important of which was to find ways to defend the allied line.Supreme War Council, pgs. 374-380French, David, The Strategy of the Lloyd George Coalition, 1916-1918, pg. 215
29 Jan to 2 Feb 1918 The third SWC Interallied Conference was held at Versailles, just outside Paris.Lloyd George, David, War Memoirs of David Lloyd George, Vol V, pgs. 240-250 The Council agreed to a defensive plan on the Western Front for 1918 (because the Germans were being reinforced by troops from the now defunct Eastern Front, whilst US troops would not be deployed in strength until later in the year), with an offensive operation against Turkey.Foch, Ferdinand, The Memoirs of Marshal Foch, pgs. 273-276Powell, Geoffrey, "Plumer: The Soldier's General", pg. 249
Maurice Hankey recorded of this meeting that the national Commanders-in-Chief, national Chiefs of Staff and PMRs "all gave different advice" creating "a worse state of chaos than I have ever known in all my wide experience". Lloyd George, whose main goal was to thwart Robertson and possibly prompted by the notes Henry Wilson (a rival of Robertson) was passing him across the table, blocked a suggestion by Ferdinand Foch (French Chief of Staff) that the proposed Allied General Reserve be controlled by the national Chiefs of Staff. It was eventually agreed that Foch should command the Reserve, with Wilson as his deputy.Woodward, 1998, pg. 197 The General Reserve was to consist of 13 French, 10 British, and 7 Italian divisions.Lloyd George, David, Vol. V, pg. 349 To streamline decision making, an Executive War Board was established, headed by General Foch, to command the General Reserve.Foch technically remained Chief of the French General Staff for the rest of 1918, even after becoming Allied Generalissimo in late March. The job was actually carried out by General Henri Alby, who was "acting Chief of the General Staff". See Chief of Staff of the French Army#Office holders.Wright, Peter, At The Supreme War Council, pgs. 59-61Mordacq, Henri, Unity of Command: How it Was Achieved, pgs. 31-32
Between the third and fourth SWC meetings, resistance to the General Reserve by General Robertson caused him to be replaced by Wilson.Lloyd George, David, Vol. V, pgs. 288-324 In early March, it was found that B.E.F. Commander Douglas Haig also refused to follow the SWC order. Allied with General Philippe Pétain and Prime Minister Clemenceau, both of whom opposed the measure, the advocates of a General Reserve were thwarted. With a massive attack from Germany thought to be imminent, Lloyd George decided that it was too late to replace Haig and follow through with the plan. In addition to the establishment of a General Reserve, Prime Minister Clemenceau made an attempt at establishing unity of command. However, Prime Minister Lloyd George refused, citing "home politics" and problems with Parliament and the public.Mordacq, pg. 34 Lloyd George repeated his stand when talking to Field Marshal Haig at GHQ.Mordacq, pg. 37
13–15 March 1918 The fourth SWC Interallied Conference was held in London. Here, the General Reserve plan was cancelled.Foch, pgs. 276-280 It was thought it would take three months to reposition divisions for the Reserve, when, in fact, the German attack was just 8 days away. This caused a great debate between General Ferdinand Foch and Prime Minister Clemenceau, and Prime Minister Lloyd George considered replacing Field Marshal Haig.Foch, pgs. 285 & 286Amery, Leo, "My Political Life", pg. 145 In the absence of a General Reserve, the allies had to rely on a verbal mutual support agreement between Field Marshal Haig and General Pétain. The council also put out an official statement about the Brest-Litovsk "peace" treaty made between Germany and Russia.Supreme War Council, pgs. 40 & 41 Prime Minister Clemenceau made another attempt at establishing unity of command but was rebuffed by Lloyd George, who said Foch's appointment to the Executive War Board had been a "great concession". General Henri Mordacq, Clemenceau's aide, said Britain only turned for unity of command at the last minute when her armies were about to be thrown into the sea.Mordacq, pgs. 39-40
The Allied Reserve eventually slipped from the agenda as the Commanders-in-Chief, Haig and Pétain, refused to hand over sufficient troops. In February 1918, Wilson had replaced Robertson as CIGS and on 26 March Ferdinand Foch became Allied Generalissimo. After April 1918 all Allied troops on the Western Front were placed under the command of the , a multi-national general staff. The was on similar lines to the (French Army Headquarters). Without its two main personalities, Foch and Wilson, the military machinery at Versailles became less important.
1–2 May 1918 The fifth SWC Conference was held in Versailles and Abbeville, France, in the aftermath of the German Operation Michael (21 March) and Operation Georgette (7 April) offensives. The urgent need to transfer American troops to the Western Front, faster than originally planned, was discussed.Lloyd George, David, Vol. V, pgs. 440-441Palmer, Frederick, Bliss, peacemaker, the life and letters of General Tasker Howard Bliss, pgs. 261-262 A separate agreement made in late January between the United States and Britain provided that America would supply six complete divisions to France, transported in British ships, and trained by the British Army. Due to the need for battlefield replacements, the SWC military generals issued Joint Note #18, which asked that the United States only send infantry and machine gun units to France. General Pershing agreed to the arrangement, but wanted to take it one month at a time. Prime Minister Clemenceau drafted the final agreement, which extended the plan for two months.