Joseph Joffre
1852–1931
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Joffre was born in Roussillon and attended the École Polytechnique, where he graduated as a career officer. He participated in the Franco-Prussian War but spent much of his early years in China, serving in the Keelung Campaign during the Sino-French War. He returned to France and was made commander-in-chief of the French army, despite his limited leadership experience. His troops were forced to retreat when Germany descended on Paris at the start of the First World War, but he organized a counterattack and led France to victory in the First Battle of the Marne. He was replaced two years later following several enormous losses, but, still widely popular, he was made Marshal of France. Joffre was also appointed head of the French Military Mission meant to reform the struggling Romanian army, and, after spending a year in the country, he was moved to a similar position in the United States. There he was chosen as leader of the Supreme War Council, and Mount Joffre in Canada was named after him. He passed away in 1931, and his memoirs were published a year after his death.
Key events during the life of Joseph Joffre:
| Born | |
| Franco-Prussian War | |
| Served durign the Sino-French War | |
| Was made commander-in-chief of the French Army | |
| Defeated the Germans at the First Battle of the Marne | |
| Replaced as commander-in-chief but made Marshal of France | |
| Appointed head of the French Military Mission in Romania | |
| Appointed head of the French Military Mission in America | |
| Was made leader of the Supreme War Council | |
| Mt. Joffre in Canada was named after him | |
| Passed away in Paris |
Other Resources
| General Joffre in | Heroes and Heroic Deeds of the Great War by Donald A. Mackenzie |
| Joffre in | Boy's Book of Famous Soldiers by J. Walker McSpadden |
| Campaign on Paris in | The Story of the Great War by Roland G. Usher |
Image Links | ||
|---|---|---|
General Joffre in Heroes and Heroic Deeds of the Great War |
 Four Allied Commanders in France in The Little Book of the War |
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