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Ferdinand Foch, soldier, military theorist, and writer served as a general in the French army during World War I and was made Marshal of France in its final year: 1918. He became the supreme commander of the Allied armies shortly after the start of the Spring offensive, Germany's final attempt to win the war. He commanded the Ninth Army during the First Battle of the Marne and the Race to the Sea and managed to do this while the whole French Army was in full retreat. Only a week after taking command of the 9th Army, he was forced to fight a series of defensive actions to prevent a German breakthrough. It was then that he spoke the famous words that I love: "Hard pressed on my right. My center is yielding. Impossible to maneuver. Situation excellent. I attack." |