Background
Paul Maistre was born in Joinville on June 20, 1858.
Paul Maistre was born in Joinville on June 20, 1858.
The son of a tax collector, Maistre graduated from St. Cyr, completed the course at the War College, and launched a distinguished career as an infantry officer.
He rotated through a succession of staff, line, and teaching posts. As a young major, he taught tactics at the War College under the direction of Ferdinand Foch. In 1909, by then a colonel, he received his own regiment, and a brigade command followed shortly. By 1914 Maistre was chief of staff to General Langle de Cary, the commander of the Fourth Army.
Maistre followed Langle and the Fourth Army from the Ardennes to the Marne in August/September 1914. His service at the battle of the Marne won him command of the XXI Corps, having skipped the usual step of holding a divisional command. He led the XXI Corps in the race to the sea. By November 1914, Maistre was entrenched near Armentières, where he remained for over a year. The XXI Corps felt the weight of both the major French campaigns of 1916. It did its turn at Verdun in the early months of the year; then Maistre led it to the Somme for the last phase of the offensive on that hot corner of the western front. Maistre's troops were a reserve formation in April 1917, and were, therefore, spared General Nivelles bloodbath at the Chemin des Dames.
On May 1, 1917, Maistre received command of the Sixth Army, which Nivelles pet commander, General Mangin, had shattered during the futile April attacks. He quickly informed General Pétain, Nivelles successor as commander in chief, to have "no illusions" about sending this force into new combat operations: the men would simply refuse to leave their trenches! Maistre's work in restoring his army into a formidable instrument of war was complete within five months. He convinced Pétain to use this force for a limited and carefully planned attack at Malmaison, where Nivelle had recently met a bloody repulse. Maistre succeeded (October 23-25) and Malmaison stands as the most impressive in Pétain's series of meticulous attacks designed to restore the fighting confidence of the French army by winning successes at small cost in French lives. It also displayed Maistre's skillful use of tanks, accompanying Pétain's favorite tool of massive artillery concentrations.
He rotated through a succession of staff, line, and teaching posts. As a young major, he taught tactics at the War College under the direction of Ferdinand Foch. In 1909, by then a colonel, he received his own regiment, and a brigade command followed shortly. By 1914 Maistre was chief of staff to General Langle de Cary, the commander of the Fourth Army.
Maistre followed Langle and the Fourth Army from the Ardennes to the Marne in August/September 1914. His service at the battle of the Marne won him command of the XXI Corps, having skipped the usual step of holding a divisional command. He led the XXI Corps in the race to the sea. By November 1914, Maistre was entrenched near Armentières, where he remained for over a year. The XXI Corps felt the weight of both the major French campaigns of 1916. It did its turn at Verdun in the early months of the year; then Maistre led it to the Somme for the last phase of the offensive on that hot corner of the western front. Maistre's troops were a reserve formation in April 1917, and were, therefore, spared General Nivelles bloodbath at the Chemin des Dames.
On May 1, 1917, Maistre received command of the Sixth Army, which Nivelles pet commander, General Mangin, had shattered during the futile April attacks. He quickly informed General Pétain, Nivelles successor as commander in chief, to have "no illusions" about sending this force into new combat operations: the men would simply refuse to leave their trenches! Maistre's work in restoring his army into a formidable instrument of war was complete within five months. He convinced Pétain to use this force for a limited and carefully planned attack at Malmaison, where Nivelle had recently met a bloody repulse. Maistre succeeded (October 23-25) and Malmaison stands as the most impressive in Pétain's series of meticulous attacks designed to restore the fighting confidence of the French army by winning successes at small cost in French lives. It also displayed Maistre's skillful use of tanks, accompanying Pétain's favorite tool of massive artillery concentrations.