The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1929-03-21

Official city. State and County Newspaper
FOCH
Ferdinand Foch won the World in the first battle
Of the Marne He merely consolidated the victory four
years later when American reinforcement OF the Allied
operations and exhaustion of German made it
possible to push home the chcckmatc OF the enemy
he had. as subordinate general accomplished in 1914
When Ferdinand Foch drove wedge into Won Klucks
German right wing the Marine in September. 1914
the German march Paris received its first check The
game foiled right there but neither side realized
Ut the time. The triumphant swing Of the foe hesitaed
then the seemingly invincibe advance turned back The
seed Of final victory there France had been
saved. but it had not been freed Of the invader 1t
was fated that four years Of bloody first should
intervene before that should be accomplished Other
leaders. holding the supreme command without that
operation that finally won the war for the Allies had
first to fail by the strategy Of nibbng before the abest
Of the stratgsts could be recognized and assigned the
task Of ending the war.
The Allies mudded on. blandly insensibc to the key
idea which should have made their armies potent to
thrust the Germans back all along the line while show
ing capacity to do this in spots 1t was as though
destiny for nscrutabe purpose had achieve the
entry Of America into the before 1t willing to
confer victory the French and their friends With
that addition finally transprng, came tho consolida-
ton Of the Allied front under the supreme command of
Foch The rapidly approached It's end after these
two developments. The German reverse the Marine
came ct last to its natural consequence when fol-
lowed up victory required. after four years of
laundering by Fochs strategy Of pushing the fighting
along the whole line from Switzerland to the sea.
Foch was much like General Grant In the American
civil war, but he was In addition to the Americans
quality Ut dogged persistence and refusal to recognize
iefcat, possessed Of more snowy temperament He
sparkled soldier and strategist He fought like
iAitgnan. His forte that Of the rapier he was
ways the alert for thrust that should penetrate
the oversight the weak spot in the foc 1t was these
qualities that enabled him to make the master stroke
OF the war at the Marne In the very beginning.
The story is an epic Of the titanic struggle. Fochs
army held the line from La Fere Champenoisc to Mon
dement, They were opposed by 100000 Germans These
had bludgeoned their way south through Belgium in r-
resible blows In every contact with the defenders
The Prussan Guard. flower OF the German army was
with them
At times the pressure was great 1t seemed the thin
French lire must break Aides came up to Foch with
reports that the right and left wings had been COM
PEELED to give ground
I'm that there nothing to do but to smash them
In the center. calmly responded Foc. adding: Order
up the Moorsl"
General Dubois with the Moroccan rifenen struck so
hard In the center that the Prssian Guard was thrown
back into the st. dond marshes.
Retiring south Of Chslons Foch discovered by an
airpane reconnaissance that two German armies had
failed to make junction and left gap in their line
near vitry-le-Francais Immediately the French COM
uander thrust huge wedge Of infantry supported by
heavy artillery into this gap and had them we'll esab-
lhed before the Germans to their oversight The
result was German panic and retreat in which the in
vaders suffered heavily
Neither defender invader able to see the real
consequences Of the Foch feat as the great stroke OF
the war ut the time. The German advance once broken
and thrust back, was able to recover its lost
ground. The taking Of Paris permanently averted
The war became vast irascbe deadlock which for four
years lacked Ill accomplishment except to breed mon
ssous engines Of destruction while the long stalemate
vas fought out in the trenches There came the tank
the poison gas. the Big Bertha that threw shells into
Paris from . distance Of u miles.
Then came the two great and decisive events the entry
0fAnerca and the elevation Foc to the supreme COM
mand With authority and cooperation which moved the
huge Allied line - the wheels Of clock move-a to-
gether These events might not have meant so much.
however had there not been the military genius Of Foc
to animate Ill the subsequent Allied operations With
the Americans the right Of the line dislodging the
Germans from the trenches In the Sedan sector the
war reganed its flexbility and became again mobile
operation That provided the conditions for the most
effece exercise Of the Foch style Of fighting series
Of quick snases ct the German line along the entire
'front.' with thrusts against the points shown especially
vulnerable. brought the inevitable result and the Ger
man request for A aTistice ret Ferdinand Foch for
cv6r among the inamortas Of military history
Nov this great leader has fought his last battle
Ferdfnand roch has gone west" The one figure able
u wTeas vicey out d the grapple Of Ttans has flick
efedtat - Though star had Vanished from the heav-
- 1utsin ~ armament Of slory. In the galaxy Of
- 1cgdS god wrath In the memory Of genera
49, q m1n fans has set him forever.
.----------------
DEFNING A GENTLEMAN
kE1on onee analv1od the characteristics Of true
r md ~ manners witch one who eoes BY
= - = po1Isak gentleman frst Of
r hnge pogoks = ~ sense of original energy"