Everything about Joseph Gallieni totally explained
Joseph Simon Gallieni (
24 April 1849 -
27 May 1916) was a French soldier, most active as a military commander and administrator in the
French colonies and finished his career during the
First World War. He was made
Marshal of France posthumously in 1921. Historians such as Georges Blond, Basil Liddell Hart, and Henri Isselin credit Gallieni with being the guiding intelligence behind the French victory in the First Battle of the Marne in 1914.
Early Life and Career
Gallieni was born in
Saint-Beat, in the department of
Haute-Garonne. He was educated at the
Prytanée Militaire in
La Flèche, and then the
École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr, becoming a
Second Lieutenant in the
Marines before serving in the
Franco-Prussian War. He was promoted to
Lieutenant in
1873 and
Captain in
1878. He was later posted to
Africa in the mid-
1870s, taking part in
explorations and various military expeditions.
After serving in
Martinique, Gallieni was made governor of
French Sudan, during which time he successfully quelled a
rebellion by Sudanese insurgents under
Mahmadu Lamine. From
1892-
96 he served in
French Indochina commanding the second
military division of the territory, before being dispatched to
Madagascar, where he served as governor until 1905. There he again suppressed a revolt, this time by
monarchist forces. Gallieni implemented the "
oil spot" strategy, which would be again used during the
Malagasy Uprising of 1947.
A favored choice for supreme
commander of the
French Army in
1911, Gallieni declined the position in favour of
Joseph Joffre, pleading advancing age and ill-health.
First World War
Retiring from the army in April
1914, Gallieni was recalled in August to assist in the defence of
Paris prior to the
First Battle of the Marne. Joffre, wary of Gallieni's influence and reputation, marginalised Gallieni's role to an extent. Joffre kept him at arm's length from headquarters, although it's widely believed that Gallieni's energy and foresight was what saved Paris from the
Germans.
Gallieni saw an opportunity to attack when the
German First Army turned east in early September, sending the
Sixth Army to strike its flank, and subsequently rushing
reserves to the front by commandeered
taxis in response to German counter-attacks. 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!"). The actual effects of the "taxicab army" on the French victory at the
Marne may have been more modest than the myth. Credit for the success of the defence of Paris was largely assigned to Joffre.
Gallieni subsequently served as
Minister of War in October
1915 before retiring, again citing ill-health in March
1916; his relationship with Joffre had proved a quarrelsome one, particularly over the tactics used at
Verdun. The strain of high office having broken his already fragile health, Joseph Gallieni died in May 1916. He was posthumously made
Marshal of France, in
1921.
Further Information
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