Imperial Valley press., 1929-03-20
ALLIED
A[)E:R
is DEAD
End Comes For Marsha
Foch After Brave TRY
To Recover.
NOTED STRATEGIS1
AS Supreme Commando
In World War He Head
ed Greatest Army.
BY RALPH HEINZEN
United Press Staff Correspondent1

PARIS, March 20. U.P) = Fiel
Marshal Ferdinand Foch, suprem|
commander of the allied armies il
the World War, and probably th|
worlds most brilliant modern mil
tary strategist, died at his honl
here today He was II years old.
The mild little Frenchman. vii
never before had known actual de
feat, surrendered to death only afte
he had battled to the last ounce O
strength in his slender, shrunkc
body.
Heart trouble and complication
which developed into uremia caused
his death.
Only a short time before his death
priest had been sent to give him
the last saeraments.
Death came at 5:55 p. m.
Earlier in the day it had been an
not,nced that the marshal passed !;
more comfortable night, but that hi
heart had proved troublesome afte
weakening considerably for SOM
days His lungs apparently wer|
clear, the morning bulletin said, will
his temperature 80 and his pulse 90
Ferdinand Foch, Commander o
the Allied Armies during the WorlC
War, had under his direct command
the largest forces of warriors as
sembled since the dawn of history
They came from score of nations
They numbered at the high tide o
the conflict nearly forty millions
Countless more millions were at hi
beck and call. The battle line h
had to hold and defend stretche,
across a continent.
French fortunes were at yer,
low ebb when in August, 1870, boz
of Is read an official proclamation
that Marshal MasMahon S army ha(
been routed by the Prussians anC
was in full retreat. The boy decided
that it was up to him to become !
soldier and at some future date re
trieve the fortunes of his country
The boy was Ferdinand Foch. HI
was then student at the famous
college of st. Clement at Metz. III
saw the surrender of the famous
stronghold to the Germans but lived
to see it come back to France a
the fruit of the victory of the armie.
of many countries led by him.
Selected Army Career
Born in 1851 at Tarbes, in thu
south of France, Foch belonged II
an ancient Catalonian family. This
explains his name which, while not
being typically Gallo, is not Ger
man. After his preliminary studies
in Metz he entered the Polyteeh
niquc, the French preparatory mill
tary school, just as the disastrou,
war of lS70-l871 was drawing to q
close. Choosing the cavalry arm al
his graduation from the "Poly
tech, - Foch went to the cavalry
school at Saumur and joined the ac
tive service Of the army as cap
tain in 1878.
In 1851 Foch had made such pro
gr,ss i'll his chosen branch of the
arr Of warfare that he was admit
ted TO the War College in Paris
where he spent several years as as
sistant professor Of strategy. He
wrote several books bat they were
unknown outside military circles
After reaching the rank of BrIga.
dicr General in the ordinary course
of promotion in 1907, Fo.h became
commando OF the Fifth ArtillIt
Corps. stationed at Orleans. He wa~
soon afterwards called back to th,
War College as it's commander. Whn
he reached The rank Of full gen rHI
he was assigned to command ~.
Twentieth Army Corps, with hraa
quarters at Nancy, There the ont
break of the Great War found h,.
His corps was in the center Of
French line at the Marne. For II
DAYS aud nights they fought aga
terrific odds, Withstanding the
siaughts of Won kluek's troops, r
held his own.
After the battle OF the All
which followed immediately the G.a
man retreat, Foch was sent W
FLANDERS and later to the Son
where he displayed the same lag.
military qualities. During 1915 tp.
1916 he was charged with import
military missions outside France. i.
went to Italy, TO reorganizc the Ital
ian forces on the Isonzo.
In Supre ne Command
When it became apparent to th.
allied governments that the V
could not be conducted sueeesafuilg
unless supreme command ~ aii lbl
armies were vested in one man thap.
came a clash Of personalities aua
politics and national prides. At flpsl
England refused 10 consent to hn..
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