MARSHAL JOEERE

Hokitika Guardian, 6 January 1931, Page 2

MARSHAL JOEERE

SERVICES DURING - WAR

Joseph Jacques Cesairo Joffre, Marshal of France, the great leader who stayed the flowing tide of German aggression at the Battle - of* the;. Marne, was seventy-eight years of age. He was born on January 12, 1852; at Rivesaltes, near Perpignan. In 1870 he was .•a student of the Ecple Polytechnique, "but was commissioned sous-lieutenant in the Engineers. After the war lie resumed his military studies,’ and was gazetted lieutenant in 1872 and captain ill 1876. In 188-5 he was with Admiral Courbet’s expedition, in the Far, East.

From 1888 to 1892 he was employed at

home, but in 1892 was sent to Africa, where lie commanded the ’ column which captured the famous ’Nigerian

town of Timbuktu. On his return to France LieutenantColonel Joff re was appointed a professor at the' Ecole de Guerre.' His great knowledge of his profession was now becoming known, and thenceforth his rise was steady. In 1901 lie was promoted General de Brigade, and in 1905 General de Division, In 1909 he commanded the 2nd Army Corps. In 1910 he was appointed a member of the Superior War Council, and in the following year was made its Vice-Presi-dent, thus becoming the virtual Com-mander-in-Ghief of the French Army. His work in restoring its diminished fighting efficiency waa of inestimable service.

SAVED FRANCE.

The tremendous Battle of the Mftrpe saved France from being overrun by the Germans; and General Joffre became the foremost figure on the side of the Allies. His task was a tre-

mendous one, for the French Army had

to hold firm for many months against i the still threatening forces of Germany, until Britain had completed the training of her fresh levies. This task General Joffre successfully achieved; he made some partial, but successful offensive movements during 1915. In 1916 he dealt ably with the situation created by the German attacks on Verdun rearranging his front in conjunction with the British. In the latter half of the year he saw his well-tired troops gaining victory after victory. For the dra- , matic completion of the life of this splendid soldier and patriot he should have led the armies of France to fin ill success. This, however, was apparently not to he. After three years of arduous service General Joffre retired early in 1917 from the active command of the French Army with the rank of Marechal de France, the highest French military dignity, which had been dormant since the death of Marshal Canrobert in 1895. Politics accounted in a large measure

for Joffre’s being “kicked upstairs.” i He was sacrificed to the political necessities of M. Briand, who.gave up the General rather than give up the Premiership.

FRANCE UNPREPARED

When the great German attack pn Verdun occurred In the spring of 1910 and the fortress on the Meuse was. in Buch grave danger it was no ■ secret that there had been an Inconceivable and unforgivable lack of preparation on the French side. The chief trouble lay in the lack of means of communication. Work had been ordered and started but never finished. General Petain was compelled to organise an entirely new transportation service for the defence of Verdun, and it was'due to bis genius that Verdun was saved. For bis part in this affair General / Dub ail was withdrawn from the command of the armies of the East and made Military Governor of Paris. Generl de Bangle do Cary, whose command had adjoined that of General Du. bail, was retired, But Joffr.e,' as com-mander-in-chief, bore the burden of the blame. He narrowly missed retirement in the spring of 191 b. Briand and Poincare were strong' enough at that time, however, to overbear the - Chamber, and Joffre held on. The main argument used was that a change in the high command in the midst of a

great battle would present an appear- ? - ance of weakness that would have a most unfortunate effect not only in France but on her Allies, i.' IGNORED POLITICS.

The only way to get at Joffre was

, through Briand. He fought the Deputies for months on the question of the High Command, but at last it became a choice for him between Joffre and himself and he sacrificed Joffre, The general was made a marechal and withdrawn from command in the field. For a brief period he was called technical adviser to the Government and was supposed to have a headquarters and staff at Neuilly, just outside of Paris, it was a ridiculous division of authority, subtracting from the responsibility and powers of the commander in the field, while making it impossible' to lay blame for mistakes on any one. General Lyautey, as Minister of War, refused to sanction such an anomaly, and Joffre passed from public view. He was variously reported as having retired to his birthplace in the Pyrenees and as having taken to his houseboat on the rivers and canals. No one knew just wdiere lie was and on one thought much about it. NIVELLEi SUCCEEDS HIM. Nivelle was chosen as the successor to Joffre because he wanted/the job. ivliile other men refused it. . Things wont very well until there came the offensive from Soissons to Auberive. beginning April 16. It was Nivel le’s first big test. It was the thing he 1 had been put on the job to do purl he had the good wishes and high

hopes of every one in France. He foiled lamentably. Eighty-five thousand men were lost in three days, while the German position remained practically intact. The nttnek cost 15,000 killed, 65,000 wounded and 5000 prisoners for no decisive results, Joffre. was on the ocean on the way to America when the Soissons to Auberive offensive was started. He received the communique by wireless and his simple comment wns, "The offensive has failed.” Trance was staggered. Tf Joffre had been in Paris at the moment, the chances were even that he would have been returned to the high command. Joffre in 1918 was made a Member of the Academic Francaise and took his seat in December of that year. His military career was ended.