- Joseph Gallieni
Infobox Military Person
name=Joseph Gallieni
lived=24 April ,1849 –27 May ,1916
placeofbirth=Saint-Béat ,France
placeofdeath=Versailles ,France
caption=Joseph Simon Gallieni
nickname=
allegiance=
branch=French Army
serviceyears=1868-1916
rank= General de division
commands=
battles=Franco-Prussian War World War I
awards=Grand cross of the Légion d'honneur
Marshal of France (posthumous)
laterwork=
portrayedby=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 madeMarshal 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 theFirst Battle of the Marne in 1914.Early Life and Career
Gallieni was born in
Saint-Beat , in the department ofHaute-Garonne . He was educated at the Prytanée Militaire inLa Flèche , and then theÉcole Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr , becoming aSecond Lieutenant in the Marines before serving in theFranco-Prussian War . He was promoted toLieutenant in 1873 andCaptain in 1878. He was later posted toAfrica in the mid-1870s, taking part in explorations and various military expeditions.After serving in
Martinique , Gallieni was made governor ofFrench Sudan , during which time he successfully quelled arebellion by Sudanese insurgents underMahmadu Lamine . From 1892-96 he served inFrench Indochina commanding the second military division of the territory, before being dispatched toMadagascar , where he served as governor until 1905. There he again suppressed a revolt, this time bymonarchist forces. Gallieni implemented the "oil spot" strategy, which would be again used during theMalagasy Uprising of 1947 .A favored choice for supreme
commander of theFrench Army in 1911, Gallieni declined the position in favour ofJoseph 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 theFirst 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 is 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 commandeeredtaxis 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.
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