Vintage Video - Joseph Gallieni, 1914
Having retired from the French Army just months prior to the outbreak of war in 1914, Joseph Gallieni was hastily recalled in August to oversee the defence of Paris prior to the First Battle of the Marne.
Although Gallieni could reasonably claim a good deal of the credit for the French victory at the Marne, the Commander-in-Chief, Joseph Joffre, wary of Gallieni's influence and reputation, sought to marginalise the latter's role, keeping him at arm's length from headquarters.
Gallieni subsequently served as minister of war in October 1915 before retiring on grounds of ill-health in March 1916; his relationship with Joffre had proved a quarrelsome one. The strain of high office having broken his already fragile health, Joseph Gallieni died in May 1916, and was posthumously appointed Marshal in 1921.
Use the player above to view brief footage of Gallieni in 1914.
"Bellied" was a term used to describe when a tank's underside was caught upon an obstacle such that its tracks were unable to grip the earth.
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