Memorial to French Great War Marechal Ferdinand Foch in Biaches, France
Marshal Ferdinand Jean Marie Foch (2 October 1851 – 20 March 1929) was a French general and Marshal of France, Great Britain and Poland, a military theorist and the Supreme Allied Commander during the final year of the First World War. Historians describe two sides of Foch. The first is the aggressive, even reckless commander at the First Marne, Flanders, and Artois campaigns of 1914-1916. The other side is the Allied Commander-in-Chief who in 1918 successfully coordinated the French, British, American, and Italian efforts into a coherent whole. Relying on attrition, rather than maneuver, and deftly handling his strategic reserves, Foch led the Allies to defeat the German army. The second Foch generally receives more lavish praise than the first one. At the outbreak of war in August 1914, Foch's XX Corps participated in the brief invasion of Germany before retiring in the face of a German counter-attack and successfully blocking the Germans short of Nancy. Ordered west to defend Paris, Foch's prestige soared as a result of the victory at the Marne, for which he was widely credited as a chief protagonist while commanding the French Ninth Army. He was then promoted again to Assistant Commander-in-Chief for the Northern Zone, a role which evolved into command of Army Group North, and in which role he was required to cooperate with the British forces at Ypres and the Somme. At the end of 1916, partly owing to the disappointing results of the latter offensive and partly owing to wartime political rivalries, Foch was removed from command. Foch was ultimately appointed "Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Armies" on 26 March 1918 following being the Commander-in-Chief of Western Front with title Généralissime in 1918. He played a decisive role in halting a renewed German advance on Paris in the Second Battle of the Marne, after which he was promoted to Marshal of France. Addington says, "to a large extent the final Allied strategy which
Size: 3217px × 4503px
Location: Biaches, France
Photo credit: © Niall Ferguson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: biaches, ferdinand, foch, french, general, great, marechal, statue, war, world
