97-483: (Redirected from GQG ) The Grand Quartier Général ( GQG or Grand QG ) was the wartime general headquarters of the French Army. There were two separate instances and a modern usage of the term: Grand Quartier Général (1914–1919) during World War I. Grand Quartier Général (1939–1940) during World War II. Grand Quartier Général des Puissances Alliées en Europe
194-698: A massive Anglo-French offensive on the Somme , to be accompanied by Italian and Russian offensives, as floated at the Chantilly meeting in 6–8 December 1915. There was also friction over Gallieni's assertion of his right to appoint generals, Joffre's practice of communicating directly with the British generals rather than going through the War Ministry, and Gallieni's maintaining contacts with generals whom Joffre had replaced. In autumn 1915 Lt-Colonel Driant ,
291-474: A Marine Artillery Brigade (mostly Breton reservist sailors) and the 84th Territorial Division. Sixth Army was soon augmented by IV Corps from Third Army. Maunoury had an active division of VII Corps, a 5,000 strong native Moroccan brigade, and four reserve divisions: 61st and 62nd under Ebener, and 55th and 56th which had fought in Lorraine. Joffre also added Drude's 45th Division of Zouaves from Algeria, who made
388-655: A boost to morale) and adopt a less conspicuous uniform. This was vetoed on the grounds that dull uniforms might be confused with those of the enemy and might turn the army into a citizen militia like the Boers. At the 1911 manoeuvres Gallieni used air reconnaissance to capture a colonel of the Supreme War Council and his staff. He expressed reservations about the limited offensive strategy. His views on fortifications, artillery, and use of information obtained from aviation and intelligence were seen as unusual views for
485-554: A colonial soldier. In the same year, Gallieni was considered the logical choice for supreme commander of the French Army, but because of advanced age and poor health, he declined in favour of Joffre. His date of retirement is given as February or April 1914. His wife died in early summer 1914. Before the war he wrote of Joffre in his diary, "When I was riding I passed him in the bois [woods] today—on foot as usual—how fat and heavy he is; he will hardly last out his three years." He warned Joffre, correctly as it would turn out, that
582-503: A company of the 19th Train Squadron, two companies of the 68th Territorial Infantry Regiment [ fr ] , a company of Forestry Chasseurs , two anti-aircraft sections, up to two carrier pigeon units, a unit of cyclist messengers, a medical detachment and a military police escort squadron. GQG played a key role at the start of the war. Due to illness Belin had delegated much of his role to Berthelot, further increasing
679-538: A conference. Having first informed President Poincare in Bordeaux—in Tuchman's view, to force Joffre's hand—at 9:45 am he had the first of a series of telephone calls, conducted through aides, as Joffre would not come to the phone, and Gallieni refused to speak to anyone else. Gallieni would later write that "the real Battle of the Marne was fought on the telephone." He proposed, depending on how much further
776-455: A correspondingly numbered reserve corps, effectively doubling the strength of that corps in the field. Throughout the war it maintained an inadequate means of calculating German casualty figures, simply assuming that for each two Frenchmen killed in battle three Germans must have fallen. In reality the figures were almost the reverse. By means of such estimations they calculated that Germany would run out of manpower reserves by early 1916. Thus
873-516: A huge impression marching through Paris, and IV Corps from Third Army. The Prefect of Police had resigned "on grounds of health" on being ordered to remain at his post. Gallieni stayed up with his staff all night drawing up plans for Sixth Army to give battle between the Oise and Pontoise. Joffre had Millerand place Gallieni under his own command on 2 September. The members of the Government of
970-717: A member of the Chamber of Deputies and commander of a chasseurs brigade, complained to Gallieni of how Joffre had been removing guns and garrisons from Verdun and even preparing some forts for demolition. Joffre was furious and disputed Gallieni's right to comment. Driant, who had served at Verdun, was a member of the Army Commission of the Chamber of Deputies . The Council of Ministers discussed his reports and President Poincare asked Gallieni to investigate. Gallieni wrote to Joffre (16 or 18 December 1915) expressing concern at
1067-523: A multi-national general staff that developed from the Supreme War Council . The GQGA was on similar lines to the GQG and came under General Ferdinand Foch , who had overall command of all Allied troops. Joseph Gallieni Joseph Simon Gallieni (24 April 1849 – 27 May 1916) was a French military officer, active for most of his career as a military commander and administrator in
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#17327721852181164-662: A new French possession. He stayed in Madagascar with one brief interruption until 1905; his future commander Joseph Joffre served under him there. In August 1896 Gallieni reorganised French forces, captured and executed several rebel leaders. Early in 1897 he abolished the Malagasy monarchy and exiled Queen Ranavalona III to Reunion. Gallieni practised the tache d’huile (the " oil spot " method, which continues to influence counterinsurgency theory to this day ) and politique des races (literally, racial policy; i.e., eliminating
1261-515: A reorganisation of GQG by ministerial decree on 13 December 1916. Joffre was "promoted" to a position as "technical adviser to the government" and was replaced by General Robert Nivelle . Such was Joffre's fall from grace that, entitled to take three staff officers from GQG with him to his new post, he could find only one volunteer. Finding he had actually been sidelined and left with few defined responsibilities, he resigned on 27 December 1916. The North Army and North-East Army were also removed from
1358-528: A result of the German advances in late 1914, GQG was forced to relocate its headquarters progressively westwards. It moved to Bar-sur-Aube on 31 August, Châtillon-sur-Seine on 6 September, Romilly-sur-Seine on 28 September 1914 and, on 29 November, to Chantilly , within the Paris metropolitan area, where it was to remain for the next few years. This location was suited to GQG operations due to its proximity to
1455-519: A three-hour meeting, the French generals proposed that Sixth Army was to move that afternoon, then on 5 September was to strike German IV Reserve Corps on the west flank. A provisional agreement was drawn up, with copies kept by Maunoury, Gallieni, and Lt-Col Brecard to take to GQG for Joffre's approval. The French came away with the impression that the British would not cooperate and that Murray had "une grande repugnance" for them, but he did in fact pass
1552-632: A working relationship in which he concentrated on supplying resources (not dissimilar to the role to which Kitchener was restricted in the UK from the end of 1915). However, Gallieni had prostate cancer, with pain making him less tolerant of criticism at a time when political disquiet was growing after the failure of the Second Battle of Champagne , especially the failed attack on Hartmannswillerkopf and its subsequent total loss. In Clayton's view, Gallieni may well have been sceptical of Joffre's plans for
1649-647: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Grand Quartier G%C3%A9n%C3%A9ral (1914%E2%80%931919) The Grand Quartier Général (abbreviated to GQG or Grand QG in spoken French) was the general headquarters of the French Army during the First World War . It served as the wartime equivalent of the Conseil supérieur de la guerre and had extensive powers within an area defined by
1746-745: Is the French name for the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe . [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about military units and formations which are associated with the same title. If an internal link referred you to this page, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. [REDACTED] Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Grand_Quartier_Général&oldid=1249744294 " Categories : Military units and formations disambiguation pages French Army Hidden categories: Short description
1843-427: The directeur de l'arrière (director of the rear [lines]). In addition GQG was responsible for co-ordination with allied armies. The French Chief of Staff, General Joseph Joffre , was convinced of the inevitability of the outbreak of the First World War and, on 30 July 1914, began organising the personnel for his GQG staff. Joffre persuaded the French government to enact mobilisation on 1 August and at 14.00
1940-516: The Chief of Staff of the French Army was created with responsibility for training and mobilisation in peace and the formation of the army high command in times of war. The establishment of GQG in 1911 formalised this situation, with GQG becoming the wartime counterpart of the Conseil supérieur de la Guerre (CSG) and the vice-president of CSG becoming the chief of staff of the GQG. The GQG received extensive military powers within an area defined as
2037-674: The Ecole Supérieure de Guerre (French Army staff college). Representatives from the allied powers were also present within the GQG structure and at various times included officers from the United Kingdom, Russia, the United States, Japan, Italy, Belgium, Serbia and Romania. The GQG established its physical headquarters at Vitry-le-François , in the Marne department, on 5 August. The location had been chosen as it
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#17327721852182134-695: The French colonies where he wrote several books on colonial affairs. He was recalled from retirement at the beginning of the First World War . As Military Governor of Paris he played an important role in the First Battle of the Marne , when Maunoury 's Sixth Army , which was under his command, attacked the German west flank. A small portion of its strength was rushed to the front in commandeered Paris taxicabs. From October 1915 he served as Minister of War, resigning from that post in March 1916 after criticizing
2231-491: The Lorraine offensive was beginning, Gallieni visited Joffre at the insistence of War Minister Adolphe Messimy , who felt intimidated by Joffre. Messimy imagined that Joffre would be more likely to listen to his former superior, but he was quickly palmed off onto the staff officer General Belin and his deputy Berthelot . As a condition of becoming Military governor of Paris , Gallieni demanded three active corps to defend
2328-461: The Marne department but rapid German advances in the early stages of the war forced its withdrawal to Chantilly , near Paris , by November 1914. It remained there for much of the rest of the war. General Joseph Joffre served as the first chief of staff of GQG from the start of the war until December 1916, when he was replaced by General Robert Nivelle . Nivelle in turn was replaced in May 1917, after
2425-729: The Nivelle Offensive of April 1917 led to his downfall and replacement by General Philippe Pétain on 17 May. Pétain expanded GQG's operations, establishing a new Section for Relations with the Civil Authorities and a Bureau for Aeronautics, Telegraphy and Aviation. He later reformed the Second Bureau, absorbing into it the newly formed section for relations with the civil authorities and a new responsibility for cryptography . A minor change in February 1918 saw
2522-451: The "Zone of Armies" was extended to cover the Paris suburbs. From 10 am to 10:15 am Gallieni held his one and only Council of Defence, at which his military and civil cabinets, standing up and without discussion, were made to sign the order placing Paris in a state of defence. He sacked two generals in his first two days. On 2 September, the anniversary of the Battle of Sedan ,
2619-534: The Anglo-French talks in Paris (along with Grey (British Foreign Secretary ), Kitchener (British War Secretary), Joffre and Briand) at which it was decided to maintain an Allied presence in Salonika, although it was unclear for how long. He later ordered Joffre to send an extra French division, although not the two Sarrail demanded. Gallieni made an effort to unite soldiers and politicians, and to establish
2716-577: The BEF's right flank to keep contact between the BEF and Franchet d’Esperey's Fifth Army (the French and British generals of 1914 were extremely concerned at the prospect of armies being encircled and besieged, after what had happened to the French Armies at Sedan and Metz in 1870). Joffre, concerned that Gallieni might arouse Sir John's "touchiness," sent a telegram to Lord Kitchener ( British War Secretary ) thanking him for Sir John's efforts. It
2813-621: The First and Fourth Bureaus. Each bureau was under the day-to-day control of a lower ranking officer, upon activation the Third Bureau was headed by Colonel Ferdinand Auguste Pont [ fr ] , the Fourth Bureau by General Édouard Laffon de Ladébat [ fr ] and the president's liaison officer was General Jean-Baptiste Pénélon . The other officers were generally selected by Joffre from those who had excelled at
2910-417: The French parliament. The GQG was activated by parliament on 2 August 1914, after the violation of French borders by German military patrols, and remained in existence until 20 October 1919. GQG was commanded by the chief of staff, assisted by a varying number of subordinate generals, and had representatives to the French government and president. The headquarters of GQG was originally at Vitry-le-François in
3007-472: The GQG staff or to Joffre's desire not to be upstaged by his staff. The GQG officers, isolated from the direct effects of the war, engaged in intrigue on a grand scale and there was little co-operation between the rival departments. The Second Bureau was often incapable of estimating the strength of the German forces committed to action. At the start of the war it took until 24 August for the Second Bureau to realise that each German army corps deployed alongside
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3104-903: The General Headquarters (GHQ) of the British, Italian and American armies, the Oberste Heeresleitung of the German army and the Stavka of the Russian forces. Though one was allowed for in the constitution, the Japanese army did not operate a General Headquarters during the war. After April 1918 all Allied troops on the Western Front were placed under the command of the Grand Quartier Général des Armées Alliées [ fr ] (GQGA) ,
3201-582: The German army took control of the GQG First World War archives and sent many of the most secret documents to Berlin for analysis. These documents were recovered by the USSR at the end of the war and taken back to Moscow for processing. They were not returned to France until after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. Equivalent bodies in the other nations of the war were
3298-468: The Germans in a more "disadvantageous" position. Tuchman argues that he may simply have been swayed by the dominant personality of Gallieni, his former superior. At 8:30 pm Gallieni ordered the attack by Maunoury's Army, which was in fact already under way. At 10 pm Joffre issued General Order No 6 , ordering a General Allied Offensive. On 5 September Gallieni informed Maunoury that there
3395-594: The Germans were to be allowed to advance, to attack north of the Marne on 6 September or south of the Marne on 7 September. Joffre's reply, saying he preferred the southern option (which would take a day longer as it forced Sixth Army to cross to south of the Marne, but would allow Sixth Army and the BEF to not be separated by the river), arrived too late to reach Gallieni. To ensure British cooperation Gallieni, accompanied by Maunoury, left Paris at 1 pm to drive to BEF GHQ at Melun, driving past lines of southbound cars leaving Paris. He had already received advice from
3492-590: The Germans would come west of the Meuse in strength (i.e. make an enveloping move deep into Belgium, rather than a shallow incursion through the south-east corner of Belgium and down through the Ardennes). Gallieni was designated as Joffre's successor "in case of emergency" on 31 July. Joffre refused to have him at his headquarters, saying "He is difficult to place. I have always been under his orders. Il m’a toujours fait mousser [He always riled me]." On 14 August, as
3589-405: The Germans would not allow his forces enough time to rally. He spent the night of 2/3 September at his new HQ at Lycee Victor-Duruy, expecting a German attack the next day. On the morning of 3 September he learned that von Kluck was marching southeast across Paris, offering his flank to a French counterattack. The first public proclamation on the morning of 3 September promised to defend Paris "to
3686-556: The Minister of War, Joseph Gallieni , raised concerns that the pre-war policy was being violated. GQG failed accurately to assess German casualties, basing military operations on wildly optimistic assessments of the weakness of German units and reserves. The Grand Quartier Général had its origins in the reforms instituted by France after their defeat in the Franco-Prussian War . The position and supporting staff, of
3783-451: The Rear [lines]) for transport, communication and supply. The Third Bureau was considered by far the most powerful as it had control of active military operations. Its staff consisted mainly of liaison officers , embedded with individual unit headquarters. Though these officers were junior in rank to the generals commanding the armies, they held significant power over their careers through
3880-573: The Republic have left Paris to give a new impulse to the national defense. I have received the mandate to defend Paris against the invader. This mandate, I shall carry out to the end. Paris, 3 September 1914 The Military Governor of Paris, Commanding the Army of Paris, GALLIENI Gallieni believed that Joffre's strategy of retreating behind the Seine was "divorced from reality" as
3977-602: The Second Bureau, described as "perennial optimists" by Horne, again responsible for providing deceptive assessments of German casualties, at one point in the Battle of Verdun simply adding "a hundred thousand or thereabouts" every fortnight to the figures. The confused responsibility for intelligence between the Second and Fifth Bureaus, the Ministry of the Interior and the police also led to delays in providing intelligence to
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4074-648: The Third Bureau found itself directing French generals to undertake military operations based on wholly inaccurate assessments of the strength of opposing units. French set-backs in 1915 forced Joffre to reorganise GQG—on 11 December he replaced Belin with General Noël de Castelnau —and expand its remit. Three entirely new bureaus were formed, that of the North Army ( Armée du Nord ), the North-East Army ( Armée du Nord-Est ) and for external theatres of war bringing GQG direct control of French armies in
4171-592: The War College. In 1892-6 he served as a colonel in French Indochina commanding the second military division of the territory in Tonkin . In 1894 he led successful French action against the nationalist leader Đề Thám , but further military action was overruled by colonial administrators after Đề Thám was accorded a local fiefdom. In 1896 he was promoted to General and made Governor of Madagascar, then
4268-464: The War Minister's orders. A Presidential Decree of 2 December 1915 made Joffre "Commander-in-Chief of the French Armies" ( generalissimo ) over all theatres apart from North Africa. After considerable discussion this was approved by the Chamber of Deputies by 406–67 on 9 December. Gallieni cleared out soldiers from cushy jobs—three Paris theatres had been directed by Army officers. He authorised
4365-525: The armies in the field during the battle. The Third Bureau was responsible for withdrawing two and a half batteries of artillery from the fortresses of Verdun in the months leading up to that close-fought battle, despite receiving requests for reinforcements from the local commander General Frédéric-Georges Herr , who stated he could not hold if attacked in force. The autonomy and power afforded to GQG worried Minister for War Joseph Gallieni and after his death, one of his successors, Hubert Lyautey , ordered
4462-478: The armistice GQG moved to Metz in the newly reacquired Moselle department on 1 December 1918 and returned to Chantilly on 29 January 1919. GQG was dissolved on 20 October 1919 in accordance with a request from the War Ministry on 14 October which also abolished the zone of army control. The powers previously delegated to GQG were returned to the chief-of-staff of the army. During the Second World War
4559-498: The city. War Minister Messimy ordered Joffre to provide them on 25 August but Joffre, regarding this as interference with strategy, ignored the order. Gallieni learned from Messimy that 61st and 62nd Infantry Divisions, formerly the Paris Garrison, were being ordered north for Maunoury ’s planned offensive against the German west flank near Amiens, leaving Gallieni with only territorial troops. Already in poor health, Gallieni
4656-507: The day and a message from Wilson, insisted on speaking to Joffre personally on the telephone, informing him that it was too late to cancel the movement of Maunoury's Army. Joffre agreed to bring forward the Allied offensive to 6 September and to have Sixth Army attack north of the Marne instead, later writing that he had done so reluctantly as Maunoury would probably make contact with the Germans on 5 September, but that an extra day would have left
4753-495: The direct control of GQG. This course of action was justified by the Ministry of War as an essential step in restoring the independence of the two armies, a key pre-war policy that had been established in a ministerial decree on 28 October 1913. Nivelle ordered his own reorganisation on 1 January 1917, returning control of external theatres to the Ministry of War. In February the 2nd and 5th Bureaus were re-united, though there remained an informal division and intense rivalry between
4850-590: The event other French leaders refused to join Viviani's government so Briand formed a new government on 29 October 1915, with Viviani as vice-president of the Council of Ministers (Deputy PM) and Gallieni as War Minister. Since July 1915 Joffre had been demanding that he be appointed commander-in-chief over all French forces, including those at the Dardanelles and Salonika. By November 1915 President Poincare
4947-472: The expansion of the Third Bureau, gaining telegraphy and liaison from the Bureau for Aeronautics and cryptography from the Bureau for Special Services. In March the Bureau for Aeronautics gained control of anti-aircraft matters and the army medical departments under their own Bureau of Health Services. This organisation would last until after the armistice with Germany in 1918. At 19.00 on 16 February 1918
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#17327721852185044-505: The failure of his spring offensive , by General Philippe Pétain , who retained command of GQG until its dissolution in 1919. In April 1918 the Grand Quartier Général des Armées Alliées [ fr ] (GQGA) was established under General Ferdinand Foch as an equivalent organisation with authority for Allied operations in France. GQG was organised into a complex series of departments and bureaux that changed frequently throughout
5141-462: The field. Two major-générals were appointed, General Maurice Janin for the two army bureaus and General Maurice Pellé for the Bureau for External Theatres of War. The Second Bureau was also reformed with its censorship, counter-espionage and intelligence gathering duties being passed to a new Fifth Bureau; though the Second Bureau retained some of its former intelligence responsibilities. Despite this reorganisation GQG remained dysfunctional with
5238-669: The gap between their First and Second Armies, began to pull back on 9 September, giving the Allies a strategic victory in the Battle of the Marne. When the German warships Goeben and Breslau went to Constantinople, Gallieni proposed attacking the Turkish straits. By early December 1914 some of Gallieni's supporters were suggesting that he be appointed Commander-in-Chief in Joffre's place, or be made Minister of War, or both. Gallieni
5335-454: The government left Paris for Bordeaux, with the evacuation continuing through the night of 2/3 September. Paris was made a "camp militaire retranché" . Before departing, Millerand ordered Gallieni to defend Paris "à outrance," repeating the order when Gallieni explained that it meant destroying buildings and bridges. Gallieni later recorded that he had been certain that he was remaining behind to die. That day Gallieni told Joffre that without
5432-468: The government. Poincare wrote that Gallieni was trying to force Joffre's resignation, although it is unclear whether he was specifically trying to do so. Briand knew that publication of the report would damage morale and might bring down the government. Gallieni was persuaded to remain in office until a replacement had been designated and approved. Rocques was appointed as his successor after it had been ensured that Joffre had no objections. This would be
5529-514: The individual departments of GQG. GQG was originally organised into four bureaux (or departments). The First Bureau was responsible for organization, personnel and equipment; the Second Bureau for intelligence, information and political affairs; the Third Bureau for the planning of military operations and the Fourth Bureau (sometimes called the Direction de l'Arrière - Directorate of
5626-508: The last extremity." That morning Gallieni set engineers and civilian labourers to work cutting down woods and trees, and preparing bridges and buildings for demolition to clear lines of sight for guns. For three days concrete was poured and barbed wire strung up. Even the Eiffel Tower was prepared for demolition. Paris had 2,924 guns, ranging from 155mm to 75mm. Hospitals and fire departments put on alert. Gas for three months of electricity
5723-433: The liaison officer Victor Huguet that BEF Commander-in-Chief Sir John French , influenced by BEF Chief of Staff Murray and concerned about his supply lines along the lower Seine, was unlikely to join in any offensive. They arrived at 3 pm and with some difficulty located Murray, who had no idea when Sir John, who was out visiting British I Corps , was to return and was unwilling to make any decision in his absence. In
5820-484: The meeting of the Superior Council of Defence (24 November 1915) Joffre had Briand address the demarcation of his own and Gallieni's authority, and objected to the Council discussing operational matters, threatening to resign if they attempted to interfere with his "liberty." Joffre met with Poincare and Briand both before and after the meeting to discuss the issue. Gallieni complained bitterly in his diary about
5917-582: The next day parliament, following the violation of the French borders by German military patrols, gave Joffre full wartime powers and activated the GQG. The zone of army control was initially limited to just 8 departments of France , but on 10 August was expanded to 33 departments out of 86 in Metropolitan France . In this area Joffre was the absolute authority and no civilian, not even President Poincaré or his ministers, could enter it without his permission. Joffre used this authority to exclude
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#17327721852186014-625: The north bank of the Marne, although not specifying a date. This was in line with his modification of Instruction General No 4 (2 September), envisaging a giant pocket from Paris to Verdun, of which he enclosed copies to Gallieni. Gallieni decided that it was "vital to act quickly" so as not to leave Paris uncovered. At 09:10 on 4 September, based on the previous day's reports of Paris aviators, which he had passed on to Joffre, and on his own authority, he sent orders to Maunoury to be ready to move his army that afternoon (now reinforced with Drude's 45th Infantry Division) and to be ready to come to Paris for
6111-561: The officers of the "old" and "new" 2nd Bureau. This division remained until the arrival of Georges Clemenceau as Prime Minister and Minister of War in November 1917. Nivelle moved the GQG headquarters forward to Beauvais in Picardy on 10 January and to Compiègne in Oise on 4 April. At this stage the GQG staff numbered 450 officers and 800 enlisted personnel. However, the failure of
6208-749: The offices of the Third Bureau on Algiers Street in Compiègne were hit by a bomb from a squadron of three German bombers. Serious damage was caused to the building and two officers were killed, Commandant Mathis and Captain Mallet. The dead officers were buried at the Saint-Jacques Church in Compiègne. Fourteen additional officers were injured by flying glass, two of whom were hospitalised. The GQG headquarters moved further eastwards to Provins in Seine-et-Marne on 26 March 1918. After
6305-443: The performance of the French Commander-in-Chief, Joseph Joffre (formerly his subordinate, earlier in their careers), during the German attack on Verdun . He died later that year and was made Marshal of France posthumously in 1921. Gallieni was born in 1849 at Saint-Béat , in the department of Haute-Garonne , in the central Pyrenees. He was of Corsican and Italian descent. His father, born in Pogliano Milanese , had risen from
6402-415: The period, but Joffre had made no such order in writing, merely despatching de Castelnau to assess the situation. Gallieni launched an angry report at the Council of Ministers on 7 March—read in his usual precise way—criticising Joffre's conduct of operations over the last eighteen months and demanding ministerial control, then resigned. Gallieni was falsely suspected of wanting to launch a military takeover of
6499-483: The plans along to Sir John. While this was going on, Wilson (BEF Sub Chief of Staff) was negotiating separate plans with Franchet d’Esperey ( Fifth Army , on the British right), which envisaged Sixth Army attacking north of the Marne. In the absence of news from Franchet d'Esperey, Joffre ordered Major Gamelin to draft orders for Maunoury to attack south of the Marne on 7 September. That evening Gallieni, who returned to Paris find Joffre's message from earlier in
6596-451: The police to find "emergency locations" for them. That day Gallieni was ordered not to communicate directly with the government. This left Joffre "all-powerful" (in Gallieni's description), as he had sacked so many generals and Gallieni was his only serious rival. The same day, frustrated at the slowness at which the British were advancing into the gap between the German First and Second Armies, Gallieni sent Lartigue's 8th Infantry Division to
6693-426: The politicians’ unwillingness to stand up to Joffre. On 1 December Poincare and Briand met with Gallieni. They rejected the proposal prepared by his staff to vest authority in the Minister of War, Briand objecting that he would be obliged to answer questions in the Chamber about operational matters. Gallieni agreed that Joffre be commander-in-chief, with de Castelnau—who was soon sidelined—as his chief of staff, and under
6790-413: The power of his influential Third Bureau. The officers in that department, particularly the recent staff college graduates who were known as the Young Turks , favoured strong offensive action. Having failed to initially perceive the German advance through Belgium, it was these officers who were key in persuading Joffre to attack the exposed German right flank during the Great Retreat from Mons . As
6887-432: The press and his own government's parliamentary commission on military affairs from his zone of control. Upon activation the major-général of GQG was General Émile Belin [ fr ] and the two aides-majors were General Henri Berthelot and General Céleste Deprez [ fr ] . Each aide-major had responsibility for two of the bureaus; Berthelot oversaw the Second and Third Bureaus, Deprez oversaw
6984-428: The previous day, Joffre telegraphed Millerand (8 September) demanding that he cancel Gallieni's "dangerous" message, and insisting that Gallieni was under his orders and had no business communicating directly with the government. On 8 September Gallieni ordered Maunoury, under heavy pressure from von Kluck, to hold his ground. Joffre gave permission for Maunoury to pull back his left if necessary. The Germans, concerned at
7081-559: The racial hierarchy that had prevailed and suppressing tribes that resisted French rule). Initially military, his role became more administrative, building roads, a railway, markets, medical services and schools. In 1905 Gallieni defended the code de l’indigenat (the right of French officials to mete out summary punishment, including corporal punishment and confiscation of property, to individuals and to entire villages), as it administered punishment more arbitrarily and swiftly than would be possible under due legal process. In 1905 Gallieni
7178-538: The ranks to be a captain. As a student, he was educated, hard-working, and studious at the Prytanée Militaire in La Flèche , and then the École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr . He was also gifted and outstanding in mathematics and languages. He later became a second lieutenant in the 3rd Marine Infantry Regiment before serving in the Franco-Prussian War . Gallieni fought at Sedan and
7275-627: The renewed use of black African troops—50,000 in total—on the Western Front. He introduced foyers du soldat —waiting rooms for soldiers in transit at railway stations. Although Gallieni supported the Salonika expedition , he shared Joffre's low opinion of Sarrail ’s military abilities. On 12 November Gallieni ordered Sarrail to retreat to Salonika with as much of the Serb Army as he could gather. After Sarrail lobbied politicians for reinforcements Gallieni wrote back to 19 November telling him that he
7372-419: The reports made on their operations to GQG. One officer from the Third Bureau liaised with the French government and another with the president and they were said to wield "considerable political power". The Fourth Bureau had a wide remit, with responsibility for the management of military railways, motor vehicles, water transport, financial offices, post offices and telegraphy and its chief was sometimes called
7469-404: The resignation of Delcasse as Foreign Minister, the unsuccessful autumn offensive and the entry of Bulgaria into the war , he asked Joffre, who had told him that nine out of ten generals would make poor ministers of war, whether Gallieni would be a good replacement for Millerand as Minister of War . Joffre replied "perhaps," then after a pause for thought "maybe." Although Gallieni agreed, in
7566-409: The seat of government and the ministries in Paris. Joffre found his new command difficult; while he was able to dismiss army commanders at will (he limogered 54 generals by the time of the First Battle of the Marne ) he seemed unable to remove officers from GQG. The reasons for Joffre's lack of action are unknown but historian Alistair Horne speculated that it was due to the vast power granted to
7663-461: The state of trenches at Verdun and elsewhere on the front—in fact matters were already being taken in hand at Verdun. The political atmosphere was poisonous after the opening of the German attack at Verdun (21 February). Rumours circulated in Paris that Joffre had ordered the abandonment of Verdun at the end of February 1916 when the Germans first attacked. Gallieni demanded to see all paperwork from
7760-579: The taxicab troops had even less impact than sometimes supposed. Although "great publicity for Gallieni; militarily it was insignificant" in Herwig's view. Upon seeing the "taxicab army" ferrying troops to the front, Gallieni made one of the most oft-quoted remarks of the First World War: " Eh bien, voilà au moins qui n'est pas banal! " ("Well, here at least is something out of the ordinary!"). Learning of Gallieni's contingency plans to evacuate Paris
7857-475: The three corps it would be "absolutely impossible to resist." Joffre placed Maunoury's Sixth Army , which was retreating down from the Amiens area, under Gallieni's direct command as the "Armies of Paris." Gallieni at once drove out to inspect his new command—he was horrified by the sight of the refugees—and to visit Maunoury. Gallieni had four territorial divisions and the 185th Territorial Brigade. He soon received
7954-589: The upper Niger. He also served in Reunion and Martinique . In 1886, he had risen to the rank of lieutenant-colonel , and was later appointed governor of the French Sudan , during which time he successfully quelled a rebellion by Sudanese insurgents under Mahmadu Lamine . He was outstanding at colonial penetration without open hostilities in West Africa in 1880 and 1886–8. In 1888 he was appointed to
8051-542: The war. This structure has been criticised by historians for failing to encourage co-operation between departments and for widespread infighting. There were also concerns about the autonomy and power vested in GQG. French policy, laid down in 1913, had been for the two most important field armies, the north and north-east, to retain operational independence. GQG, under Joffre, assumed control of these armies in December 1915 and retained them until his replacement by Nivelle when
8148-509: The zone of army control; control of the remainder of the armed forces was retained by the Minister of War . GQG was activated upon the mobilisation of the French Army by Parliament, who also defined the zone of army control. The chief of staff was assisted by an état-major-général , who ran the GQG general staff of around 50 officers and saw that the commander-in-chief's orders were carried out and two aides-majors with responsibilities for
8245-401: Was Gallieni's decision to send 103rd and 104th Infantry Regiments (5 battalions, part of Trentinian's 7th Infantry Division, itself part of IV Corps; most of 7th Infantry Division, including artillery, had been sent to the front by rail and truck the previous night) to the front on the night of 7/8 September, in taxicabs commandeered the previous evening. The division's attack failed completely so
8342-512: Was an early supporter of some kind of expeditionary force to the Balkans. Early in 1915 Gallieni supported the proposal of Franchet d’Esperey and Aristide Briand (Justice Minister) for an expedition to Salonika, which he hoped would detach first Turkey then Austria-Hungary, leaving Germany "doomed." President Poincare came out in favour of such a scheme, over Joffre's opposition, on 7 January 1915. With Viviani ’s government in trouble following
8439-725: Was appointed Military Governor of Lyon and commandant of the Army of the Alps (XIV Corps). Also in 1906 he became a member of the Conseil Superieur de la Guerre (the Superior War Council, a body of senior generals chaired by the President ). General Victor-Constant Michel ( Generalissimo , i.e. Commander-in-Chief designate of the northeast front, and vice-president of the Superior War Council),
8536-411: Was appointed on 26 August, not yet knowing that he did not have the resources he had demanded. However, on that day Viviani formed a new government ( Union sacrée ), and on 27 August the new War Minister Millerand (who had replaced Messimy largely because of the poor state of the Paris defences) visited Joffre, who promised to provide the three corps if Maunoury's attack should fail. On 28 August
8633-452: Was critical of the tactical doctrine of offensive à outrance (taking the offense to the limit). He also wanted to thrust into Belgium in the event of war, and to increase the size of the army by attaching a regiment of reservists to each regular regiment to form demi-brigades. Along with Yvon Dubail and Pol Durand, Gallieni was one of those who told War Minister Messimy that Michel must be removed. Following Michel's removal Gallieni, who
8730-423: Was halfway between Paris and Nancy and roughly equidistant (at around 80 to 90 miles) to the headquarters of each of the five French armies. The staff occupied a school building with the second bureau located in the classrooms and the third bureau in the gymnasium, with the sports equipment pushed up against one wall. The staff at GQG had the use of a detachment of the 8th Engineer Regiment [ fr ] ,
8827-507: Was not going to receive the four corps he wanted, although on 20 November he sent Sarrail (whom he thought "indecisive and not up to the task") a telegram giving him a free choice as to whether to assist the latest Serb attack and when to fall back on Salonika. With evacuation of the Gallipoli bridgeheads under discussion, Gallieni was willing to divert troops there from Salonika for one last attempt. On 9–11 December Gallieni took part in
8924-414: Was not strong enough to advance into Belgium, and that Maubeuge should be fortified more strongly. His successor Lanrezac shared his concerns. After tours of the area Gallieni had failed to persuade the authorities to modernise Maubeuge. Like a number of officers with colonial experience, Gallieni wanted the French army to give up the pantalon rouge (red trousers worn by French soldiers, allegedly as
9021-413: Was persuaded, and Briand, initially reluctant because of the difficulty of defending Gallieni's inclusion in his new ministry, agreed and on his first day in office asked Poincare to help him persuade Gallieni to accept Joffre's enhanced role. Gallieni agreed and wrote to Joffre—having first shown the letter to Briand—assuring him that "you can count on me." Briand had the two men meet and shake hands. At
9118-404: Was stockpiled, along with bread for 43 days, salt for 20 days and meat for 12 days. Pigeons were brought under state control for carrying messages. Lt-Col Dreyfus rejoined the artillery. Civilian paniquards were encouraged to leave and reconnaissance patrols were set up. On the night of 3–4 September Joffre sent a handwritten note to Gallieni, wanting Maunoury's Sixth Army to push east along
9215-477: Was taken prisoner at Bazeilles , scene of the stand of the colonial marines. He learned German while a prisoner there, and later kept a notebook in German, English and Italian called "Erinnerungen of my life di ragazzo" ("Memories of my life from boyhood [onwards]"). He was promoted to lieutenant in 1873. His colonial career began in 1876 in Senegal. He was promoted to captain in 1878. He led an expedition to
9312-557: Was the preferred choice of Prime Minister Caillaux , declined the job of Army Chief of Staff. This was partly because of scruples after having forced Michel out, partly because of age—he was two and a half years away from retirement—and partly because the Metropolitan Army might resent a colonial soldier getting the job ( "une question de bouton" ). His former subordinate Joffre was appointed instead. Gallieni commanded Fifth Army until his retirement, and protested that it
9409-604: Was to be no retreat and issued secret orders for the destruction of important parts of Paris, including the Pont Neuf and the Pont Alexandre III . On 7 September Gallieni, concerned that with Maunoury's Sixth Army fighting out in the open, Paris was now vulnerable, telegraphed the government in Bordeaux to discuss the possible evacuation of the civilian population from the Paris suburbs, and ordered prefects and
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