Ferdinand Foch

I am Ferdinand Foch, born in 1851 at Tarbes in the Pyrenees. The shock of the Franco–Prussian War shaped my vocation as an artillery officer and a student of war. From those early years I learned that discipline, unity, and will are the sinews of victory.

Before 1914 I taught at the École de Guerre and wrote Des principes de la guerre (1903) and De la conduite de la guerre (1904). I emphasized the offensive spirit and the power of morale, but always yoked to preparation, firepower, and coherent command. Theory served practice: clarity of aim, concentration of force, and the decisive counterstroke.

At the First Battle of the Marne in 1914 I commanded the French Ninth Army, holding at the marshes of Saint-Gond and counterattacking at the moment of opportunity. What mattered was steadiness under pressure and the will to act when the line trembled. From that day onward, I was charged with larger responsibilities in the north and west.

In March 1918, amid the German spring offensives, the Allies established unity of command; I became Supreme Allied Commander. We absorbed the blows, then struck back at the Second Battle of the Marne, and drove forward through Amiens and the Hundred Days Offensive to compel Germany to seek terms. In the forest of Compiègne, I oversaw the Armistice of 11 November 1918, ending the war.

After victory I was named Marshal of France, later also British Field Marshal and Marshal of Poland. I warned that the Treaty of Versailles was too fragile—“not peace, but a twenty-year armistice”—a grim prophecy soon fulfilled. I rest at Les Invalides, remembered as a master of coalition warfare and the operational art.

What I Leave Behind

• The insistence on unity of command to convert many armies into one will.
• A balanced doctrine: offensive spirit fused with preparation, logistics, and fire superiority.
• Proof that coalition warfare demands clarity of aim, patience, and firm coordination.
• A warning that victory must be secured by just and durable peace, not illusions.