Joseph Joffre

Joseph Joffre
Marshal Joffre, unknown date after 1916
23rd Chief of the Army Staff
In office
29 July 1911 – 14 December 1916
Preceded byAugustin Dubail
Succeeded byRobert Nivelle
Personal details
Born(1852-01-12)12 January 1852
Rivesaltes, France
Died3 January 1931(1931-01-03) (aged 78)
Paris, France
Spouses
Amélie Pourcheyroux
(m. 1873; died 1874)
Henriette Penon
(m. 1905)
Parents
  • Gilles Joseph Félix Joffre (father)
  • Catherine Plas (mother)
Alma materÉcole Polytechnique
Signature
Military service
AllegianceFrench Third Republic Second Empire
French Third Republic Third Republic
Branch/serviceFrench Army
Years of service1869–1916
RankDivision general[a]
Commands
List
    • 19th Artillery Brigade
    • 6th Infantry Division
    • 2nd Corps
Battles/wars

Joseph Jacques Césaire Joffre OM, GCB (French: [ʒozɛf ʒɔfʁ]; 12 January 1852[1] – 3 January 1931)[2] was a French general who served as Commander-in-Chief of French forces on the Western Front from the start of World War I until the end of 1916. He is best known for regrouping the retreating allied armies to defeat the Germans at the strategically decisive First Battle of the Marne in September 1914.

His political position waned after unsuccessful offensives in 1915,[3] the German attack on Verdun in 1916, and the disappointing results of the Anglo-French offensive on the Somme in 1916. At the end of 1916 he was promoted to Marshal of France, the first such elevation under the Third Republic, and moved to an advisory role, from which he quickly resigned. Later in the war he led an important mission to the United States.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ Government of the French Republic. "Birth certificate of Joffre, Joseph Jacques Césaire". culture.gouv.fr (in French). Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  2. ^ Government of the French Republic. "Death certificate of Joffre, Joseph Jacques Césaire". culture.gouv.fr (in French). Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  3. ^ Bourachot, André (30 June 2014). Marshal Joffre: The Triumphs, Failures and Controversies of France's Commander-in-Chief in the Great War. Pen and Sword. ISBN 978-1-4738-3826-0.

Developed by StudentB