GENERAL JOFFRE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2307, 14 November 1914, Page 9

GENERAL JOFFRE

FRENCH COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF,

A correspondent, who claims to have inner-circle information about French, affairs, writes: —"I am a great admirer of Jon re's strategy. The Allies were evidently greatly - outnumbered at the beginning of the war; so his plan was to fight on tho defensive and draw them away ifrom their communications till'the French mobilisation was advanced. I fully believe the story that some Socialist members of the Government interfered with him (probably "objeoted to his abandoning the North of Franco to invasion). The story was couched for by a Governor of a French-colony, but appears to have been suppressed, It is however extremely probable. Wo know for a fact that the French Government was at that time reconstructed on broader lines. Joffre is said to have resigned,but tho new Government gavo him a free hand. This story might account for the disaster at Charleroi and the narrow escape, of our Army at Mons and Mauberge. After that Joffre took advantage of the desperate though brilliant attempt of Von Kluck's armv to cut tho communication of - tho Alsace wing. Having caught them at a disadvantage, he reformed in a crescent with tho convexity northwards, behind tho 'Marflo, until lie could collect his reinforcements. Then he drew down his centre and pushed up the horns of his crescent, so that tno convexity was now 'southwards. ho formed the old 55ulu enveloping formation with which he nearly succecdetl in routing tho German Army. Then, finding the, enemy too strongly entrenched for a frontal attack, he directed all his endeavours to outflanking their Right Wirig with tile help of tho Navy."