The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-04
ORGANIZER OF FRENCH ARMY

From the New York Telegram. IT ESS spectacular than service in the field, but of vast importance, Is the A post of honor to which Gen. Joseph Gallieni was assigned by General Joffre at the opening of the war-that of carry | ing out the mobilization of the French forces and the organization and equip ment of it's armies to meet and overcome 1 the peril of the German invasion. | In spite of German assertions to the contrary, it is now known beyond all doubt that the war found France stiil hoping for peace and with her troops not l yet under call
 In other words when the Germans at tackled Liege the French had in the field | only the regular army of about 6OO,oOo men. and it was not hundreds of thou
 sands but millions that were needed. | With the designation of General Joffe as commander in chief, that officer pro- ceeded to point near the Belgian border, l but before he left Paris he named Gen. I eral Gallieni as the chief of the bureau | at the capital to direct all the details of
 the massing of Frances reserves of some l ,OOo. GOO or more and to undertake the vast work of supplying such a huge force with
 rifles, ammunition and food and to op- I tain the new cannon that would be re-
 ouired for an adequate artillery arm Of the service.
 1 It was decided at that time that Gen
 eral Gallieni should remain in Paris and
 that he should act as the virtual head or
 the department of war under Mr. Miller and, the minister of war.
 l Later when the drive of General Alex
 ander von Kluck had progressed half way
 to Paris, General Gallieni was appointed military governor of the city and charged
 with it's defense if it were to be besieged. At this critical juncture General Gal lieni showed a flash of the genius that
 distinguishes great commanders from those army officers who are merely cap
 able directors along known stategic lines. After consultation with General Joffre, he called up from southwestern France and central France force of about 7oOoO soldiers-some of them of the regular army and others of the first line of re- serves
 This army was marched northward be- tween Paris and the coast-far from Ger
 man spies-and was stationed at point northwest of Paris.
 What happened afterward is written
 large in the history of this war The on-
 rushing German army, just at the point where it was almost in gun range of the
 outer forts of Paris, found that this sep
 crate French force known as the Army
 of the Northwest, was threatening its
 right flank and General Von Kluck was compelled to turn in flight before the
 successful strategy of the French, in which General Gallieni had played so bril- liant a part.
 |. When the Germans had been defeated , at the River Marne and had been thrown back across the River Aisne, General , Gallieni superintended the organization of what has become the great ieft wlns , army of the French, the enormous oods of troops which, in cooperation with tne
 Belgians and the British, holds the line , against the Germans from the North sea in Belgium. to Rove, in France. The effect of the mobilization of this great force was to coerce the Germans into lengthening and thus weakening theil battle front.
 f From Rove they were forced to draw out their lines until they stretched into Belgium and as far north as Nieuport. Then began the French aggressive under which the Germans have been yield . ing ground for weeks past. and no smal 7 share of the honor and glory for thu , achievements of the field commander
 ia due also to General Gallieni. for i was his superb executive ability that say , to it that the troops were adequate il |, number and that they lacked for nothing l to make them efficient in their vast task n, No sooner was this part of the cam z paign scheme an accomplished fact thai a General Gallieni was called upon to ar a range for the invasion of Alsace by stil r another French army-for the recon
 quest of the Lost Province" drean r dear to the heart of every Frenchman e The fighting in that region is now fl e progress, developing into one of the mos n savage conflicts of the entire war. n According to unofficial reports fror h Paris, General Gallieni left Paris fo c Thann several days ago for persona d inspection of the army in that region.
 The cannorshin cnucea1a fho number a