Foch the Man

From the horsemarkets of Tarbes to the responsibilities of Allied command, Clara E. Laughlin follows Ferdinand Foch's formation as a soldier and teacher. This biography connects his childhood surroundings, study of Napoleon, military training and years in Brittany with the principles he later taught at the Superior School of War. Its chapters then turn to the fighting in Lorraine, the Marne, cooperation among Allied armies and the period after the armistice.

Laughlin writes with open admiration for France and for Foch, drawing on French publications, staff officers and personal accounts. An officer's letter in the text describes the force of Foch's manner during military instruction, while a family visit to Brittany gives a glimpse of his private life on the eve of war. Readers interested in military biography can examine both the leadership qualities the author emphasizes and the patriotic language through which she presents a commander whose public reputation was still taking shape.