Background
Louis Félix Marie François Franchet d'Espèrey was born at Mostaganem, Algeria on May 25, 1856.
Louis Félix Marie François Franchet d'Espèrey was born at Mostaganem, Algeria on May 25, 1856.
Franchet d'Espèrey attended St. Cyr military school.
When World War I started he was in command of the first Army Corps with headquarters at Lille. During the retreat to the Marne in September 1914 he commanded the Fifth Army, and in 1915 he succeeded General Ferdinand Foch at the head of the group of armies in the north.
In 1918 he was placed in charge of the central group of armies. In June 1918 d'Esperey was appointed to the command of the Allied armies in the Near East. In September 1918 he launched an offensive from Macedonia that forced capitulation of Bulgaria. He then launched offensives which, aided by General Allenby's successes, resulted in the capitulation of Turkey and Austria-Hungary. The collapse of the Eastern Front hastened German capitulation.
After the war d'Esperey served as inspector general in Africa and in 1921 he was made a marshal of France.
