Ferdinand Foch

Ferdinand Foch
Marshal Foch in 1921
Born	(1851-10-02)2 October 1851 Tarbes, France
Died	20 March 1929(1929-03-20) (aged 77) Paris, France
Allegiance	France
Service/branch	French Army
Years of service	1871–1923
Rank	Marshal of France Field marshal (United Kingdom) Marshal of Poland 22nd Royal First Honorary Colonel Général de division
Commands held	Marshal of France (1918) 6 August 1918 prior offensive Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces 26 March 1918 Commander-in-Chief of Western Front with title bearing Généralissime, 1918 Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Zone under Joseph Joffre, autumn 1914 commander of Ninth Army, summer 1914 commander of , 1914 Moroccan Division Detachment, 1914 Regimental Colonel of the 35th Artillery Regiment, 1903
Battles/wars	Franco-Prussian War First World War Battle of the Frontiers Third Battle of Artois Battle of the Somme Spring Offensive Meuse-Argonne Offensive
Awards	Légion d'honneur (Grand Cross) Médaille militaire Croix de guerre Order of Leopold (Grand Cross) Order of Ouissam Alaouite (Grand Cross) Order of the White Eagle Virtuti Militari (Grand Cross) Order of St. George (2nd Class) Order of the Bath (Honorary Grand Cross) Order of the Redeemer Order of Merit Distinguished Service Order Distinguished Service Medal (US)

Franco-Prussian War
First World War

Marshal Ferdinand Jean Marie Foch (French pronunciation: ​[fɔʃ]) (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 First World War. An aggressive, even reckless commander at the First Marne, Flanders, and Artois campaigns of 1914-1916, Foch became the Allied Commander-in-Chief in 1918 and successfully coordinated the French, British, American, and Italian efforts into a coherent whole, deftly handling his strategic reserves.

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 transferred to Italy.

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 won the war on land in Western Europe in 1918 was Foch's alone."