Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-03-20
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him numerical superiority over the
enemy and on July 18 he began the
ponderous smash that was to end
In the complete collapse OF Ger
many and the cessation OF HOSTILE
ties.
The quintuple conflict. the great
est in all history, In which the al
lies recaptured in three weeks
ground that had cost the Germans
four months of hardship and super
human struggle as well as 1,000,000
men to attain, was at its Insight on
November 2.
It's status was somewhat as fol-
lows: The American army, with
| Sedan as its objective, was attack
ing on both sides Of the Meuse. One
French army was battling. III con-
junction with the Americans, left
of the Aisne for Mezieres. Another
French and British army was
pressing forward between the river
Disc and the city Of Valenciennes,
with Maubeuge and Mons as their
goal. The British and Belgians
were driving ahead in Flanders for
Journal and Client. South Of the
Disc, between that river and the
Aisne. another French army bat
tered it's way toward the important
railway functions at Vervis and
| Hirson. Roughly, this constituted
Foch's wise" in which the enemy
was being squeezed. "
The Germans held on desperate
ly but, even "as the stars in their
| course fought against Sisera." were
| forced to yield. And then came
that eventful day when the enemy,
practically routed by the superior
strategy of Foch. sent its embas-
sage praying for an arnlistice. 1t
was then. according to a correspof-
dent for the Paris Matin. that Mat
thias Erzberger, one Of the German
plenipotentiaries, extending his
hand to Foch, declared:
Marshal, we are at your mercy.
Our reserves of men and ammuni-
ton are exhausted and we can no
longer continue the war"
An American correspondent, re-
ferred to the wanton slaughter per-
mitted by the German commander,
to which Foch laughingly replied:
Did not your own General Grant
believe that battles could not be
won without sacrificing men?"
That is true" admitted the
American. eff you would win you
are obliged to sacrifice men"
do not misunderstood me-"
quickly replied the generalissimo, q
twinkle in his eye. Its the Ger
mans that I sacrifice. I never
throw away my own soldiers"
Speaking to a group Of officers
one night Foch is reported to have
saidl
FIRST find out your enemy's
weak point and concentrate your
blows there. That is a common
place Of tactics which is self EVIL
dent"
But, general" broke in an cffi-
Ger of artillery, suppose your en-
envy has no weak points? That
sometimes happens"
Certainly" replied Foch. Ard
in that case you make a weak
point"
Again and again he would quote
Joseph de Maistre's aphorism, "a
battle lost Is a battle which one be-
lieves to have lost, for battles are
not lost materially" And he would
add: Battles therefore are lost
morally, and it is morally, there
fore. that they are won"
Foch'S career could be summed
up in the word prepare" Born
October 2, 1851, at Tarbes, a little
city in the Pyrenees, close to the
Spanish border, his boyhood was
not characterized by brilliancy as
a student. In a class Of 10 at the
Ecole Polytechnique. which he en-
tered in 1871 just after the Franco
PruSsian war. he graduated forty
fifth. But he was q hard worker.
with a wonderful memory and
great p~ersistency.
He served for the next years as
an artillery officer, passing through
various garrisons until 1884 when
ne was admitted to the Ecole de
Guerre as a student.
Twelve years later, as Major
Foch, he returned to the war col
lege as an instructor. Later he won
a colenelsy and in 1907 became a
brigadier general. During his serv-
ice as a teacher and later as COM
mandant of Frances military
school General Foch wrote a num-
Der Of technical books. Two Of
these, works on the subject Of war
fare, both of which were translated
into German, English and Italian,
were entitled Principles of War"
and THE Conduct Of War"
Foch was in command Of the
Twentieth Army Corps, with head
quarters at Nancy, at the begin
ming Of the war in 1914, and of all
the subordinates Of that other great
French soldier, Marshal Joffre, his
record was said to be the most 0 n
Sistent.
In the first battle of the Marne.
Foch's army Of 10000 men held
the line from La Fere Champenoise|
TO Mondement. They we're opposed
by 100000 Germans, including the|
Prussian guard, the flower of thel
German army. At time the press-|
ure was 50 great it seemed the thin|
French line must break. Aides|
came up to Foch with reports tha5|
right and left wings had beenl
compelled to give ground.
In that case there is nothing toI
do bust to smash them in the cen-|
ter" calmly responded Foch, add
ing: Order UP tle Moors!"
Retired from active service in
April. 1917. at the age Of IS years.
it was thought the fighting days oil
Foch were over. He then became
one of the most important advisors
Of the French government and was
the French military member Of the|
Supreme War Council at Versailles
when made commander-in-cI1ief.
After his victory II the first bait