The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1918-05-01
FOCH SACRIFICES
ONLY GERMANS;
never FRENCH
Writer Gives Closeup of New
Supreme Commander,

General Foch docs not sacrifice his
own men, d. officer said, "He sac
r,ilres the ermans"
Then he told me a story.
"ln -notacr sector during battle not
long ago ic said, tho colonel COM
handing a certain reg ,at was
supposed 10 advance IN conformation
with the general Ian telephoned to the
regiments on his right and left and
found that they had not advanced be-
cause the wire entanglements in front
1l them had No been cut SO this col
0ucl remained in the trenches A little
later the brigade commander telephoned
~ know II the colonel had advanced.
lie explained why he had not-~becausc
th" rroim, IT'S on either side OF him
.aad not move and if he went forward.
I. would be IN the air and unsupported.
Must Go Forward.
"'Iou must go forward the general
sa.1 II is 'rderS
"Ihr colonel telephoned again 20
the regiment, beside him and remained
b. lis trcnchcs Once more the brigade
commander ordered him forward.
ait Is ORDERS the general lid again.
"A third time the colonel was ordered
iouy ! and he had D take his men out
of tine trenches. He took them to the
crest Of the hill in front OF them, where
they waited all day for the others 10
ON them, and at nightfall ,etired to
their trenches Although this was ac
compli,hed so skifully that there was
but a single casual,y--one corporal
wounded. hom the colonel, himself
carried back to the trenches on his
,houldcrS-a great risk has been run for
wasted move lcnt
Such a periormanc, would be in
conceivable under General Foch. He
would have known whether the wire
was cut in front OF all the regiments. J..
and the orders for that regiment to ad-
vance vuul never have been given un-
less e others could have supported il.
General Fol, makes formidable
thing for the enemy, but h men know
that he never sacrifices them needless
ly"
Another tradition is that in a battle
General Foch always goes on the field
himself This, doubtless, arose at the
Battle of he Marne, when twice the
French center was driven back very
| nearly to the chateau wher the general
IN His headquarters. | asl. about
this also.
1T is ridiculous" replied the officer,
TO think that Gcnerl Foch would be
so unconScientious as TO go TO a loop
hole in the first line trenches Just 10
see fifty yards OF Germans"
The Off r gave me a description OF
the scene, when General Foe COM
mands an army in bat
"Geneial Fo,h is to be found in IN,
big room a. his headquarters. durini
battle th> officer said. "He stand
before large scale map with penci
in his hand and the telephone receive
at his ear His staff stands in semi
| circle behind him There is perfect 81
lence and the ouly movement is Of tht
generals pencil on the map as he fol,
lows the battl- and ponders the detail
Of the district where the fighting is in
Iprog, ,ss
He Has Two Gestures.
Gle has two gestu es One is per-
,i>tent and constant. 1t is his hand
rising to his musta he to tug at it slowly
and strongly The other is to wave
back into his place in the semicirels
an officer who has come in AMI made
his report. This is a true picture OF
General Foch commanding in battle,
and the thing that is most impressive is
the utter stiffness as the semeircle OF
officers watches the general before the
map-Fred b. Pitney in Leslie's.