Joseph Joffre
| Joseph Jacques Césaire Joffre | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Nickname(s) | Papa Joffre |
| Born |
12 January 1852 Rivesaltes, France |
| Died | 3 January 1931 (aged 78) Paris, France |
| Allegiance |
 Second French Empire (1869) French Third Republic
|
| Service/branch | French Army |
| Years of service | 1869–1916 |
| Rank |
Marshal of France Generalissimo (1914–1916) Général de division (1912–1914) |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Grand cross of the Légion d'honneur Médaille militaire Croix de guerre 1914–1918 Distinguished Service Medal (US) Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Bath (UK) Order of Merit (UK) |
Marshal Joseph Jacques Césaire Joffre (French pronunciation: [ʒɔsɛf ʒɔfʁ]; 12 January 1852 – 3 January 1931), was a French general who served as Commander-in-Chief of French forces on the Western Front from the start of World War I until the end of 1916. He is best known for regrouping the retreating allied armies to defeat the Germans at the strategically decisive First Battle of the Marne in September 1914.
His political position waned after unsuccessful offensives in 1915, the German attack on Verdun in 1916, and the disappointing results of the Anglo-French offensive on the Somme in 1916. At the end of 1916 he was promoted to Marshal of France, the first such promotion under the Third Republic, and moved to an advisory role, from which he quickly resigned. Later in the war he led an important mission to the United States.
His popularity led to his nickname Papa Joffre.
Joffre was born in Rivesaltes, Pyrénées-Orientales, into a family of vineyard owners. He entered the École Polytechnique in 1870 and became a career officer. He first saw active service as a junior artillery officer during the Siege of Paris in the Franco-Prussian War. After the war he underwent further training at the École Polytechnique before transferring to the génie (engineers). Joffre subsequently spent much of his career in the colonies as a military engineer, serving with distinction in the Keelung Campaign during the Sino-French War (August 1884 – April 1885). As a major, he led a column from Ségou to Timbuktu in Mali, where he recovered the remains of Lt.-Col. Bonnier, who had been killed on a recent expedition. His mission killed over a hundred Tuareg and captured fifteen hundred cattle. He was promoted as a result. He served under Joseph Gallieni in Madagascar.
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