France
Joseph Joffre
1852–1931 Commander in chief of the French armies, 1914–1916
A stout, taciturn engineer officer who had served in Indochina and Timbuktu, Joffre became chief of the general staff in 1911 and was the architect of Plan XVII. When it collapsed in the Battle of the Frontiers he did not panic. He slept his eight hours, ate his meals at set times, and sacked generals who failed him with a ruthlessness that astonished his staff: two army commanders, ten corps commanders and a long list of divisional generals within a few weeks. He then rebuilt the left wing from the right with railways, accepted Gallieni's idea of counterattacking from Paris, and won the Marne. 'Papa Joffre' was the savior of France in 1914, and his reputation fell only with the losses of 1915 and 1916. He was made a marshal in December 1916.