This is the first study in English of the French general who led the Allies to victory in 1918.

Introduction; Part I. From Theory to Practice: 1. From the Ecole de Guerre to August 1914 in Lorraine; 2. 'He held to the last quarter hour': with Ninth Army on the Marne; 3. Commander-in-Chief's deputy in the north, October¿November 1914; 4. The end of the war of movement and reflections on 1914; 5. Second Artois, January¿June 1915; 6. Third Artois, June¿October 1915; 7. The scientific method: planning the Somme, 1916; 8. Fighting on the Somme, July¿November 1916; 9. In disgrace: reflections on two years of command; 10. Intermezzo 1917; Part II. Supreme Command: 11. At the Supreme War Council, November 1917¿March 1918; 12. Michael and Georgette, March¿April 1918; 13. BLÜCHER and GNEISENAU, May¿June 1918; 14. Marneschutz-Reims and Second Marne, July 1918; 15. 'Les Boches sont dans la purée': the Huns are really in the soup; 16. 'Tout le monde à la bataille'; 17. Waffenstillstand, October¿November 1918; 18. Losing the peace; Conclusion: 'supreme command is less than people think'.