AMERICAN APPRECIATION OF GENERAL FOCH.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 219, 5 January 1917, Page 2

AMERICAN APPRECIATION OF GENERAL FOCH.

The New York Tribune published a l)(‘}1 piel'nre of_ General Foch, written ‘by Fred I’. Pitney, its Paris correspondent. Mr Pitney begins by quoting a prominent “personalit_\;"’ in Paris for; the following appreciation of the great 3 leader of the French armies on the: Somme:-—— “General Foch is the great general the war has produced in France. He has intuition and the power of divination. He is great in his instant grasp of a situation, his perception of the ‘needs, his vision -of the next. hour; ‘ General Je.fi’re is his warmest admirer.” Describing the General’s persone] appeal'aliee,, Mr 'Pitney say.’s.:——“=‘He is not tall, five feet six inches in height, ‘out you do not see that till aftCl.‘V‘.'?.’l'dS. What you see first in his eye. He has :1 1-urge, well-shaped -head, rather thin iron-;;1;1-e_v hair, and :1 broad high forehezxdl. His grey eyes, set Wide apart, bore through you and burn you up and smile on you, all at the same time. His nose is large, his mouth wide and stl‘aig'ht,.'all(l his fiercely benevolent iron-grey nionstaehe first comes down over. the corners of his mouth and then points straight up at his eye. His chin is massive from any point of view.

"In a short survey of the war situation. General Focli said:—"The battles in 'Artois and the Charnpaigne have shown that we can cut the German lines, go through thcm>and drive them back a s we please when the time comes that our plans are fixed.'' There was a matter-of-fact difinitcness about this statement that put it outside the realm of discussion, and when I recall this meeting with General Foch the picture my mind most dwells upon is of him at that moment. He stood facing us in his most characteristic attitude,, with his right foot a little in advance, his left hand in his pocket and his right hand dragging upon the point of his grey moustache, and there was in his expression a mixture of pleased recollection, happy anticipation, and grim determination.

"One must think of D'Artagnan when one thinks of General Foch; but one thinks also of Grant in the Wilderness. There is something in him that is steadfast and something more that is relentless.

Mr Pitney concludes his sketch by quoting the Order of the Day in which the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour was conferred on General Foch, and which said: —

"He has shown under all circumstances* both in offensive and defensive operation, a stragetic ability without parallel. Thanks to his indisputable authority and adrointness of his counsels, he has contributed in a great part to the co-ordination of the efforts of the Allied armies, and thus has rendered most eminent service to the nation."