Foch: Supreme Allied Commander in the Great War

by Michael S. Neiberg

Book Overview

Ferdinand Foch is the prototype of the twentieth-century general. Better than any other general of the First World War, Foch came to understand how technology and modern alliance systems had changed the nature of warfare. He is most famous for his role as Allied commander in chief in 1918. In this position, unparalleled in the history of warfare, Foch welded together the disparate war efforts of France, Great Britain, the United States, Italy, and...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 157488672X
• ISBN13: 9781574886726
• Release Date: October 2003
• Publisher: Potomac Books
• Length: 124 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 4.8" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Intriguing look at a dynamic French leader

Marshal Foch is largely forgotten today except by military historians and Francophiles, yet he was among the most important leaders during the Great War. In this illuminating biography, Neiberg restores Foch to his proper place in the annals of military history. Foch wasn't always right--his faith in the offensive proved costly to France in 1914--but the man had elan and cran, verve and guts. As generalissimo of Entente forces in 1918, he was instrumental in defeating Germany's warlords (Hindenburg and Ludendorff) on the Western Front. Neiberg's fast-paced and sympathetic account makes for heady reading. Neither pedantic nor polemical, this book is a "must read" for students of World War I or anyone interested in military matters. In short, I liked it!