Ferdinand Foch short biography. See what "Foch, Ferdinand" is in other dictionaries. Foch Ferdinand: a short biography

Foch Ferdinand (Foch) (1851-1929), French military figure, Marshal of France (1918), British Field Marshal (1919), Marshal of Poland (1923), member of the French Academy (1918). During the First World War - Commander of the Army, Army Group, then (1917-1918) Chief of the General Staff of France, from April 1918 Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Entente. In 1918-1920. - one of the organizers of the armed intervention in Soviet Russia. Together with Poincare, one of the main initiators of the Ruhr occupation of 1923. Creator of works on military art, memoirs.

Foch (Foch) Ferdinand (10/20/1851, Tarbes - 3/20/1929, Paris), Marshal of France (1918), member of the French Academy (1918). The son of a civil official, the great-grandson of an officer in the army of Napoleon 1. With the beginning of the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-1871, F. joined the army as a volunteer in the 4th infantry. regiment, but did not take an active part in hostilities. Demobilized in March 1871, F. entered in October. in the Polytechnic School (Paris), then graduated from the Art.-Engineering Military School (1874) and the Academy of the General Staff (1887). Issued in the 24th art. regiment. In 1887-90 he served in the 3rd department of the General Staff, from 1890 he taught a course in general strategy at the Academy of the General Staff, in 1895-1900 he was a professor. He published a number of military-theoretical works on the application of Napoleonic tactics in modern technical conditions. Then he served as assistant commander of the 20th art. shelf. During the management of the Military Ministry, L. Andre F. was in bad standing as a believing Catholic, brought up in a Jesuit school, and his promotion to colonel followed only in 1903. Since 1903, the commander of the 35th art. shelf. In 1908 he was appointed head of the Academy of the General Staff. In 1910 he participated in military maneuvers Rus. army. From 1911 commander of the 14th division, from 1912 - VIII, from Aug. 1913 - XX AK (stationed in Nancy), with which he entered the war as part of the 2nd Army of the gene. N. Castelnaud. In Aug. 1914 the corps (under the chief of staff of General D. Duchesne) included the 11th (gen. Balforier; 21st, 22nd brigades, 8th artillery regiment), 39th (gen. Dantan; 77th and the 78th brigade, 39th artillery regiment) of the division, as well as the 218th and 249th infantry. regiments, 10th hussar and 58th art. shelves. With the outbreak of war, the F. corps served as a cover for exits through Mert (near Nancy). Successfully operated during the French. offensives in Lorraine and battles near Moranges (Aug. 14-20). On August 29, 1914, the commander of an army group consisting of the IX and XI AK, the 52nd and 60th reserve, 42nd infantry. and 2nd cav. divisions. 4 Sept. the army group was transformed into the 9th army. During the battle on the Marne, the army of F. was attacked by the 2nd and 3rd Germans. armies and showed great stamina. Soon, during the "run to the sea", F. 4 Oct. appointed Assistant Commander-in-Chief - Gen. J. Joffre, he was entrusted with coordinating the actions of the French, English. and Belgian troops moving towards the Flanders coast. In fact, F. had to coordinate the actions of all the armies operating in the North of France. This delicate mission during a major crisis, which for Great Britain was much more serious than the Marne, was carried out by F. successfully, mainly due to close relations with the gene. G. Wilson - Assistant Chief of Staff English. expeditionary army. After the battle of Ypres, when the war finally took on a positional character, F. 5/1/1915 was appointed commander of the Northern Army Group. During this period, F. led the offensive in Artois (spring and autumn 1915), and also took an active part in the battle on the Somme (July-November 1916). Shortly after the departure of Joffre F. on December 27, 1916, he was dismissed from command and with a group of officers settled in Senlis, his task was to develop a plan of military measures in case of violation of the germs. Swiss neutrality forces. 12/1/1917 F. presented the plan to the commander-in-chief and received his approval. From 22 Jan. until March 30, he temporarily commanded the 7th and 8th armies (in the absence of General Castelnau). 8-15 Apr. F. was on a mission in Italy to meet with Gen. L. Kadornaya, which discussed the conditions under which the English. and French troops could enter Italy in the event of a threatening situation. On May 15, 1917, F. was appointed chief of the General Staff. In early Nov. 1917 F. sent to Italy, where at that time the catastrophe broke out at Caporetto. At Rapallo, near Genoa, 6 and 7 Nov. A conference was held that decided to form the Supreme Allied War Council, which was the first step towards unifying the command. F., Wilson and Gen. Cadorna. Nov. In 1917, when J. Clemenceau came to power in France, F.'s influence as a military adviser increased enormously. In Jan. 19.18 F. was simultaneously appointed chairman of the Allied Military Committee. When germ. troops almost broke through to Amiens, to the Anglo-French. conference in Dullance 26/3/1918, it was decided to instruct F. "to coordinate the actions of the Allied armies on the Western Front." At a conference in Bayol "F. entrusted to English, French. and American governments to coordinate the actions of the allied forces on the Western Front; for which he is given all the necessary powers to ensure the effectiveness of his work. To this end, English, French. and the American governments entrust F. with the overall management of military operations, ”the commanders in chief of English, French. and American troops were put under the control of F. On May 2, Italy joined the agreement. The Belgian command gave its consent only in August. 1918. In the future, the campaign, which lasted approx. 8 months, is described by fans of F. as a chain of facts that sequentially followed one from the other and are logically divided into two, approximately equal in duration, completely completed periods. In the 1st period (March-July) the Germans advance. troops, F., maintaining complete self-control, allows them to break on their positions. In the 2nd period (July-November), having waited for the arrival of American troops, F. goes on the offensive and, leading it methodically, breaks the Germans. army, forcing the Germans to surrender. On the contrary, F.'s critics point out that there was no maneuver in his offensive actions and the operation was reduced to a simple offensive along the entire front, to the gradual pushing back of the Germans. troops to their last position - the line of Antwerp, Brussels, Namur, Mezieres, Metz, Strasbourg. This is due not so much to F.'s lack of strategic talent as to general conditions in French. theater of war, namely: the accumulation of millions of masses in a relatively narrow space, the fettering influence of positional warfare and the accumulation of all kinds of equipment. P. von Hindenburg and E. Ludendorff, who are in Rus. Theater of operations managed to launch a mobile war, in France, due to the same conditions, they could also deploy only what is called "Materialschlachten" in Hindenburg's memoirs. And during severe crises in March and May 1918, when the German. troops threatened to break through to Paris and Calais, F. showed a rare strength of character and willingness to take responsibility. Only thanks to these properties, F. brought the war to a truce (11/11/1918) on unprecedentedly difficult conditions for Germany. Since 1919, President of the Supreme Military. advice. In 1919 he received the rank of Field Marshal of the British Army, and in 1923 - Marshal of Poland. Author of the books "On the conduct of the war" (M., 1937) and "Memoirs (the war of 1914-1918)" (M., 1939).

Used material from the book: Zalessky K.A. Who was who in World War I. Biographical encyclopedic dictionary. M., 2003

Ferdinand Foch was born in the city of Tarbes in the Pyrenees department in the family of a civil official. Foch received his early education at the Jesuit colleges in Saint-Étienne and Metz. When the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871 began, he was drafted into the French army as a private in an infantry regiment. After the war, he entered the Polytechnic School, which he did not finish.

Foch decided to link his fate with the French army and entered the School of Applied Artillery. The junior officer moved up the ranks fairly quickly. In 1887 he graduated from the Higher Military Academy of France.

In 1895 he returned to the Military Academy as a teacher. military history and strategy, soon became a professor.

In 1907, Ferdinand Foch was promoted to brigadier general and until 1911 served as head of the French Military Academy.

In 1911, Foch received another general rank and was appointed commander of an army division, and in 1912 - commander of the 8th corps in Bourges, in 1913 - commander of the 20th corps in Nancy. In this position, he met the First World War.

The corps of General Foch covered the approaches to the Mert River near the city of Nancy, thanks to which Nancy managed to defend.

Soon the army group was transformed into the 9th French army, and General Foch received it under his command. This army distinguished itself in the battle on the Marne River in September 1914, when it withstood the onslaught of two German armies - the 2nd and 3rd. Despite heavy losses, the troops of General Ferdinand Foch again saved the city of Nancy from the Germans.

After the battle at Ypres, when a positional war was finally established on the Western Front, General Foch in 1915-1916 commanded Army Group North. He led offensive operation in Artois (spring and autumn 1915), and also participated in the battle on the Somme (July - November 1916), which ended in victory for the Germans. The allied troops he commanded suffered huge losses. As a result, Ferdinand Foch was relieved of his post.

In May 1917, General Ferdinand Foch was appointed Chief of the General Staff under the French Minister of War. At the end of this year, he was sent to Italy.

On November 6 and 7, 1917, General Ferdinand Foch participated in the anti-German conference in Rapallo near Genoa, at which it was decided to form the Allied Supreme Council (Entente), which was the first step towards unifying the command.

At the end of January 1918, General Foch was appointed chairman of the Allied Military Committee, as he enjoyed great prestige among the high military command of the Entente countries.

As Commander-in-Chief of the Entente armies, Marshal Ferdinand Foch made a great contribution to the victory of the allied states over the coalition of the Central Powers led by Imperial Germany.

The French commander, having carefully studied the bitter experience of the first years of the World War, managed to correctly plan the course of further hostilities on the Western Front. First of all, he streamlined the use of reserves, which allowed the Allies to stop the German offensive in Picardy.

When making strategic decisions, Marshal Foch had to take into account the peculiarities of the French theater of operations: the accumulation of millions of fighting people in a relatively narrow space, the fettering influence of positional warfare, and the heap of all kinds of military equipment.

This was not the case in any of the last great European wars. Foch was greatly helped by his theoretical developments, which he did during his stay at the Military Academy. The commander-in-chief was well aware that, unlike the Russian front, maneuvering operations on the Western Front after the start of a positional war were simply impossible.

The last military campaign of the First World War lasted about eight months. March to July 1918 German troops conducted their last active offensive operations, threatening to break through to Paris and the seaside city of Calais. A crisis situation for the Allies was brewing on the Western Front. In May, the Germans defeated the French army at Chemin des Dames.

The commander-in-chief of the allied armies, Marshal Foch, with enviable equanimity, led the fighting on the Western Front, and the German offensive, having once again encountered a strong positional defense of the enemy, gradually fizzled out. During the second battle on the Marne River, the allied forces under the command of Marshal Foch bled the German armies of Field Marshal Hindenburg advancing towards Paris. After that, the allied forces themselves launched a counteroffensive in the Aisne-Marne region and restored the situation on the Western Front.

Marshal Ferdinand Foch brought military action to its logical conclusion - in November 1918, the Allies forced Germany to ask for peace by force. The armistice concluded on November 11 was signed under conditions that were unprecedentedly difficult for Germany. It was the commander-in-chief of the armies of the Entente who dictated them as a winner.

In 1919, Marshal Foch was appointed President of the French Higher Military Council, the same year he received the rank of Field Marshal of the British Royal Army. He, as the commander-in-chief of the allied armies of the Entente, was entrusted by history to put last point in the First World War.

As chairman of the Supreme Military Council of the Entente, Marshal Foch became one of the organizers of the military intervention against Soviet Russia in the years civil war. However, he did not know well the true situation in the former Russian Empire. In addition, Foch sought to use in the intervention more troops from Japan and the United States than from France and Great Britain.

Under the leadership of Marshal Ferdinand Foch, the Entente carried out several operations against Soviet Russia: the rebellion Czechoslovak Corps in the summer of 1918, the French military expedition to Ukraine and the Crimea in early 1919, the mission of General Janin to Siberia in 1919-1920. The continuation of the anti-Soviet intervention was the suppression of the Hungarian Revolution of 1919 and the Weygand mission in the summer of 1920 during the Red Army's counteroffensive against Warsaw.

Marshal Foch contributed to the fact that the Soviet-Polish war ended not in favor of Moscow. That is why he was awarded in 1923 the highest Polish military rank - Marshal of Poland. It was he who, at the Versailles Conference in 1919, demanded the strengthening of Poland as a counterbalance to Soviet Russia.

Foch entered military history, along with Joffre, as a prominent commander of the First World War and the largest French military theorist of the early 20th century. Marshal Foch wrote "Memoirs (the war of 1914-1918)", which were published in many languages, including in the USSR in 1939.

Used materials from the site http://100top.ru/encyclopedia/

Foch (Foch) Ferdinand (October 2, 1851, Tarbes - March 20, 1929, Paris), Marshal of France (1918), Brit, Field Marshal (1919) and Marshal of Poland (1923), member. Franz. Academy (1918). Graduated from the Higher Military. Academy (1887), in which he was an adjunct in 1895, and a professor in 1896-1900. In 1908-11 the head of this academy. He gave a course of lectures on strategy, which influenced the formation of operational-tact. and strategist, the views of the officer corps of France and played a certain. role in the formation of its military. doctrines before World War I. However, due to class limitations and vicious methodology, mechanical. transferring a number of provisions from the experience of the Napoleonic wars, underestimating the socio-political. factors and the role of technology in his military strategist. views on character future war presented in the lectures were not confirmed by the practice of the 1st World War. In 1911, F. commanded a division, from 1912 - a corps, then the 9th Army, which took part in the Battle of Marne in 1914. In 1915-16, he commanded the North Army Group. For the heavy losses suffered by the troops, and will not satisfy. leadership in the operation on the Somme F. was removed from his post and appointed head of the “Center for Military. research". From 1917 chief of the General Staff, from 1918 top, commander in chief. allied troops. It means that he played a role in the victory of the Allies over the coalition of the center, the powers led by Germany. From 1919 before, the highest military. council of the Entente. One of the active inspirers of antis. politicians and organizers of the military. intervention in the Soviet Russia in 1918-20. F. is the author of military memoirs, in which he tendentiously covered his role in World War I of 1914-18.

Used materials of the Soviet military encyclopedia

Compositions:

On the principles of war. Per. from French Pg., 1919;

About the conduct of the war. Maneuver before the battle. Per. from French Ed. 2nd. M., 1937;

Memories. (War 1914-1918). Per. from French M., 1939.

Read further:

World War I(chronological table).

Participants of the First World War(biographical guide).

- (Foch) (1851 1929), Marshal of France (1918), British Field Marshal (1919), Marshal of Poland (1923), member of the French Academy (1918). In the 1st World War, the commander of the army, army group, in 1917 1918 the chief of the General Staff, from April 1918 the supreme ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

- (French Ferdinand Foch, October 2, 1851, Tarbes March 20, 1929, Paris) French military leader, Marshal of France (August 6, 1918). In 1870 he was enrolled in the infantry, participated in the Franco-Prussian war. Soon he entered the Higher Polytechnic School, ... ... Wikipedia

Foch Ferdinand- (Foch, Ferdinand) (1851 1929), Marshal of France. During World War I, he took part in hostilities on the Western Front: he coordinated the actions of the allied forces to prevent the enemy from seizing the ports on the English Channel in 1914, commanded the French ... ... The World History

Foch (Foch) Ferdinand (October 2, 1851, Tarbes, √ 3/20/1929, Paris), Marshal of France (1918), Brit. field marshal (1919) and marshal of Poland (1923), member of the French Academy (1918). Since 1873 artillery officer. He graduated from the Higher Military Academy in France (1887) ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Foch, Ferdinand- Foch (Foch) Ferdinand (1851 1929), French military figure and theorist, Marshal of France (1918), British field marshal (1919), Marshal of Poland (1923). In the 1st World War he commanded a corps, army, army group, in 1917 18 chief of the general staff, with ... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

Foch, Ferdinand Ferdinand Foch Ferdinand Foch October 2, 1851 (18511002) March 20, 1929 ... Wikipedia

Foch Ferdinand (fr. Ferdinand Foch, October 2, 1851, Tarbes March 20, 1929, Paris) French military leader, Marshal of France (August 6, 1918). In 1870 he was enrolled in the infantry, participated in the Franco-Prussian war. Soon he entered the Higher ... ... Wikipedia

Ferdinand (Foch) (1851 1929). French military figure, marshal. During the First World War, the commander of the French armies, then the chief of the General Staff of France, the supreme commander of the armed forces of the Entente. In 1918 1920. one of… … 1000 biographies

- (1851 1929) Marshal of France (1918), British Field Marshal (1919), Marshal of Poland (1923), member of the French Academy (1918). In the 1st World War, the commander of the army, army group, in 1917 18 early. General Staff, from April 1918 Supreme Commander ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

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• , Ferdinand Foch. Ferdinand Foch, a prominent French military commander and military theorist, met the First World War in…
• Memories. War 1914-1918 In two volumes, Foch F.. Ferdinand Foch, a prominent French military commander and military theorist, met the First World War in ...

Foch Ferdinand is one of the most famous French generals. He took part in two wars. Empires collapsed around Ferdinand, revolutions took place, millions died.

In addition to successes on the battlefield, the marshal made a significant contribution to the development of military affairs. His works are still being studied in the world.

Foch Ferdinand: a short biography

Ferdinand was born on October 2, 1851 in Tarbes. His parents were very wealthy officials and played important role in the life of the city. Therefore, Foch received a good education, by the standards of that time. He studied at school, and after graduation he entered the Jesuit College in Saint-Étienne.

In 1869, the reform of the army in the country began. The government and the emperor understand the danger looming over France because of Prussia and are trying to quickly prepare for a possible war. Foch Ferdinand is drafted into an infantry regiment, in which he has served since 1870.

Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871)

Prussia prepared for war in advance and thought through every step. The French emperor was unable to adequately assess the situation and himself fell into the trap arranged by Bismarck. launched an offensive in July. and allied German states were well trained and equipped the latest species weapons, while the French army did not have time to properly prepare and, in fact, was taken by surprise.

Already by the fall they laid siege to Paris. Foch Ferdinand fought on the front lines. The balance of power was about the same, but the French army consisted mainly of fighters from the reserve units and a hastily recruited militia. Therefore, the superiority of the regular German army was obvious. And in 1871, Napoleon III signed a shameful surrender, according to which France was obliged to pay huge indemnities to Prussia.

Scientific activity

After the war, Foch Ferdinand decides not to follow in his father's footsteps, but to continue military career. At the age of twenty he enters the Higher Polytechnic School. However, Ferdinand failed to finish it. In 1873, the army of the French Republic experienced an acute shortage of personnel. Therefore, even the Polytechnic School, Foch receives the rank of lieutenant of artillery. Serving in the 24th Artillery Regiment.

Four years later he graduated from the Academy at the General Staff. Starts scientific activity. He studies the strategy and tactics of warfare. In 1895 he became a professor and began teaching at the academy, which he graduated from not so long ago. Of particular interest to Ferdinand is the study of Napoleon Bonaparte's strategy.

He will improve the tactics of warfare, taking into account modern methods waging war. Continues to detail decisive battles Franco-Prussian War, in which he himself took part. In 1908 he became head of the Academy at the General Staff.

Foch is engaged research work in military history and tactics. Two years after receiving a high post, he is sent to Russian empire to take part in the maneuvers.

In 1912 Foch Ferdinand became commander of the 8th Army Corps. The memoirs of the marshal of his associates contain information that he was very nervous when taking on a new position. But a year later he was entrusted with a more combat-ready formation - the twentieth army corps.

The beginning of the First World

Ferdinand Foch met the great war in Nancy. Its fighters almost from the first days took part in the hostilities. The first blow of the German Empire fell on the territory of Belgium. Initially, the country declared its neutrality, but the French assumed that it was through Belgium that the invasion would begin. Ferdinand Foch repeatedly pointed out the weakness of the Franco-Belgian border.

And it was there that the German army hit. A group of one and a half million people captured Belgium in a matter of days and advanced towards the French border. If not heroic defense Liege, the Allied armies simply would not have had time to redeploy from eastern border. Ferdinand Foch commanded the twentieth army corps. Immediately after the start of the war, his fighters invaded the territory of Lorraine. This area was taken from France as a result of the Franco-Prussian War. And its at least partial capture, according to the plan of the General Staff, was supposed to increase the morale of the soldiers. And in the beginning, everything went well enough. However, in mid-September the Germans counter-attacked and drove the French back to the border.

State of the army

Even on the eve of the war, more and more supporters of the radical reform of the army appeared in France, among whom was Foch Ferdinand. Professor's quotes were published on the front pages of newspapers. But conservatives did not want to change traditions. The German army was completely re-equipped and strategic decisions were made based on the capabilities of new weapons.

France still underestimated the power of artillery. The forts were outdated, and the generals did not want to change the usual way of life in their units. The most significant point is the use of the old form. and Austria-Hungary switched to inconspicuous gray or brown uniforms, while the uniform of the French army included red trousers and blue coats. In the early days of the fighting, officers went into battle wearing white gloves and dress uniforms, becoming easy targets in their bright outfits. Therefore, the general took up the urgent reform of the army.

Army reforms

In all parts, soldiers began to hastily "dress up", French engineers desperately tried to increase the number of modern weapons. Already in early September, one of the largest battles of the first year of the war began - the battle on the Marne.

The French strike force was commanded by Foch Ferdinand. The marshal's memories of those events are filled with the atmosphere of disorder and turmoil in which the soldiers were. Due to the lack of means of transportation, taxis were delivered to the battlefield for many soldiers. But this battle made it possible to stop the advance of the Germans and start an exhausting positional war, which would end only after four years.

End of the war

By the spring of 1918, Marshal Ferdinand Foch was the head of the French Armed Forces. It was he who signed which put an end to the First World War. It happened on the eleventh of November in the carriage of a private train.

After the war, he was engaged in the improvement of military tactics and strategy. Prepared intervention on the territory of Soviet Russia.

On March 20, 1929, Ferdinand Foch died in Paris. A monument to the commander is installed in the Parisian Les Invalides.

Participation in wars: Franco-German (1870-1871) war. First World War
Participation in battles:

(Ferdinand Foch) Outstanding commander of France, commander-in-chief of the Entente

Originally from the city of Tarbes in the Pyrenees department. Educated at the Jesuit Institutes of Saint-Étienne and Metz. At the beginning Franco-Prussian War 1870-1871, was drafted as a private in the infantry. After the war, he entered the Polytechnic Secondary educational institution which he did not finish.

Foch connected his fate with the French army, enrolling in the Secondary School of Tactical Artillery. He graduated from the Higher Military School in 1887. In 1907 Foch was appointed brigadier general and served as head of the Military Academy until 1911. He received the next general rank of commander of an army division in 1911, and in 1912 he became commander of the 8th detachment in Bourges.

Back to top World War I served as commander of the 20th detachment. The detachment of General Foch closed the approaches to the Mert River near the city of Nancy, which made it possible to defend the city. Soon the military group was transformed into the ninth French army, and General Foch became its commander. His troops distinguished themselves in September 1914, when they were able to resist the onslaught of 2 German detachments. And, despite considerable losses, the army of General Foch again saved the city of Nancy from capture.

In May 1917, General Foch was appointed head of the General Staff under the Minister of France. At the end of the year he was sent on a business trip to Italy. He made a significant contribution to the victory of the Allies over the coalition of great powers, along with Kaiser's Germany, as the chief commander troops of the Entente.

The military leader, having painstakingly studied the bitter experience during the war, was able to correctly plan the course of subsequent military actions on the Western Front. First of all, he put in order the use of supplies, which allowed them to stop the German attack in Picardy. This has never happened before in any of the European battles. General Foch was helped by his own theoretical developments, which he created while at the Military Academy. He knew perfectly well that, compared with the Russian front, maneuvering actions on the Western Front at the beginning of a positional war were unthinkable.

Foch went down in history as a famous commander and the largest military theorist of France at the beginning of the 20th century.