When he did at last receive recognition it was upon absolute merit. But
when he reached the General Staff, the remark was frequently heard: "Who
is this Joffre? We never heard of him."
It was not long, however, before he made his presence felt in Paris
official circles. They came to depend more and more upon this stocky,
hard-headed Gascon and his opinions. He never minced words and he went
to the root of the matter.
In 1911, when the need was universally felt, of a thorough reorganization
of the French army--a much-needed house-cleaning--they cast about for
some man big enough for the job. In a conference General Pau, a warm
adherent of Joffre, shook his single good fist in the faces of the Staff
officers, and exclaimed: "There is only one man who can do the job!"
So they sent for Joffre and made him chief of the General Staff, with
full power to reorganize. It was well for France that they did so, and
fortunate that he had three full years to work before the blow fell, and
the invaders were again at their gates.
"No German could be more thorough than Joffre," said one officer. "For
him no lasting results can be obtained without the utmost care. He has
limitless patience, joined with a wonderful breadth of view. His methods
resemble the head of a great business.
Pages:
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207