Director and wrote two books, "The Principles of War" and "Conduct of
War," which have been translated into English, German and Italian and
are considered standard works. He was now recognized as a man of unusual
ability and was appointed to the command first, of the Thirteenth
division, then of the Eighth corps at Bourges, and then to the command
of the Twentieth corps at Nancy.

Unlike Marshal Joffre who was cool, careful, slow moving, Marshal Foch
is full of daring and impetuosity. Everything is calculated
scientifically but his strategy is full of dash. Many of his sayings
have been passed from mouth to mouth among the Allies.

"Find out the weak point of your enemy and deliver your blow there," he
said once at a staff banquet.

"But suppose, General," said an officer, "that the enemy has no weak
point?" "If the enemy has no weak point," replied the Commander, "make
one."

It was he who telegraphed to Joffre during the first battle of the
Marne: "The enemy is attacking my flank. My rear is threatened. I am
therefore attacking in front."

Foch is a great student, an especial admirer of Napoleon, whose
campaigns he had thoroughly studied. Even the campaigns of Caesar he had
found valuable and had gathered from them practical suggestions for his
own campaigns. He is the hero of the Marne, the man who on September 9th
marched his army between Von Bulow and Von Hausen's Saxons, drove the
Prussian Guards into the marshes of St. Gond and forced both Prussians
and Saxons into their first great retreat. Later his armies fought on
the Yser while the British were battling at Ypres. During the battle of
the Somme he was on the English right pressing to Peronne.

For a time he became Chief of the French Staff, until he was called into
the field again to his great command. Foch was one of those French
officers who had felt that war was sure to come, and had constantly
urged that France should be kept in a state of preparedness. The
appointment of General Foch to the Supreme Command was largely the
result of American urgency.

General March, the American Chief of Staff, in one of his weekly
announcements, stated: "One of the most striking things noticeable in
the situation as it is shown on the western front is the supreme
importance of having a single command. The acceptance of the principle
of having a single command, which was advocated by the President of the
United States and carried through under his constant press