The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-08-18


most timely in these days when We are
anxiously watching the counter. attack
under the direction of the new Generals
simo against the great German offensive
on the northwest front in France.
The title of Generalissimo is not very
familiar to Englishmen or Americans;
but in its genealogical sense it aptly in
dieates the character Of Gen. Foch's COM
mand. The word is the superlative of
the Italian Generate and signifies the
highest of Generals, being the commander
in chief of a number of armies, each Of
which is under an individual commander
of its own. Thus tLere must be at least
five different armies under the command
of Generahssimo Foch, namely, tn
French, under Gen. Petain; the British
under Field Marshal Haig; the American
under Gen. John J. Pershing; the Belgian,
under commander whose name We have
not seen, and the Portuguese expedition
airy force, also under General whose
name has not been made public here. Ac-
cording to the New Oxford Dictionary
the title Generalissimo is also sometimes
applied to the commander of Joint mill
tary and naval force
Foch at the Marine. 1oI4.
The name of Ferdinand Foch first be.
came known to Americans shortly after
the first battle Of the Marine, in which he
was entrusted by Marshal Joffre with the
execution of counter offensive against
the German General Won KlueS which
turned the tide of the campaign against
Paris and made it a gigantic failure. A
little later Foeh was placed in command
of the French forces north of Paris in
the direction of Amiens and Calais to
check the German effort to reach the Eng
ish Channel.
Major Johnston tells a characteristic
story of Foch at this juncture. He had
sent French cavalry corps to q point
In the valley of the Aire to cover a
northward movement of she remnant of
the British army. aft the Germans
should succeed in driving away the cav
airy the British army would be seriously
threatened under conditions of grave dis
advantage. At the close of the dav Gen.
Foch's headquarters were rung up by the
cavalry corps commander. The General
himself seized the telephone. The corps
commander informed him that he had
withdrawn from the banks of the River
Aire, as the Germans had been reinforced
with infantry and artillery.
"'Did you throw the bulk of your
forces into the ightf No You will
Immediately reoccupy the banks of the
Aire; you will line them with your ma
chine guns and artillery; you will hold
the enemy there tomorrow, and when all
your guns have been destroyed or cap
tured, you will report to headquarters
for further instructionsr" This story.
current among the officers Of the French
army, shows what sort of man thew be-
heve the Generalissimo to be.
Foch's Career in Brief.
The career of Ferdinand Foch NAV
conveniently be epitomized as follows:
Born at Tarbes in the Pyrenees, Au-
gust 4, 1851.
Entered the Ecole Polytechnique, 1871.
Captain, 1878.
At the Ecole de Guerre as a student.
1884.
Major and instructor at the Ecole de
Guerre, 1896.
Lieutenant Colonel, 1901.
Brigadier General, 1907.
General of Division at Chau,nont
Thirteenth Division), 1911.
Attended British maneuvres in east
ern. counties, 1912
Commander of Eighth Army Corps,
1912.
Commander Of Twentieth Army Corps
ut Nancy, 1914.
Generalissimo of Allied Armies. 1918