Tinted postcard of Marshal Ferdinand Foch. Made Commander-in-Chief of all Allied forces on the Western Front April 3, 1918, he led the Allies to victory in November.
Maréchal Foch, Notre VainqueurMarshal Foch, our VictorReverse:Undated handwritten message
Ferdinand Foch was ultimately Commander in Chief of the Allied Armies in France.In August 1914, as the Allies retreated before the German advance, Joffre reconfigured his forces, and gave Foch command of what would become the French Ninth Army.The day before the Battle of the Marne began, he ignored Joffre's order to stay on the defensive by attacking on September 5, anticipating Joffre's counter-attack by a day.Foch served as liaison to Sir John French, commander of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the continent.With Joffre, he led the French forces in the First Battle of Artois. In the Third Battle of Artois, part of Joffre's great offensive in the autumn of 1915, he commanded the French 10th Army.Operation Michael, the first of Germany's 1918 drives for victory, made clear that the Allies needed increased coordination of their forces on the Western Front. On March 26, as the German advance continued, the Allied commanders met and appointed Foch Supreme Commander to coordinate the Allied armies. On April 3, his was given command of strategic direction of military operations. On April 14 he was appointed Commander in Chief of the Allied Armies in France, though Allied Commanders Haig, Pétain, and Pershing each retained the right to appeal Foch’s decisions to his own government. Foch, however, controlled the reserves, and used them for counter-attacks.One of Foch's goals in 1918 was the freeing of the railroads from Paris to Amiens, Verdun, and Nancy.Foch was made a Marshal of France.
Birth Date: October 2, 1851
National Affiliation: France