Ferdinand Foch (1851–1929), French general. Quoted in Reputations, "Ferdinand Foch," B.H. Liddell Hart (1928).
message allegedly sent to General Joffre during Battle of the Marne, Sept. 8, 1914. This was in all likelihood apocryphal, originating in Foch's repeated refrain to his troops, "Attaquez!" According to Liddell Hart, his insistence decimated the companies under his command, and the eventual German withdrawal astonished the exhausted French troops. Other variations of the message include, "Ma droite est enfoncée, ma gauche cède—tout va bien—j'attaque!" ("My right gives way, my left yields, everything's fine—I shall attack!"). See also Foch's words on "winning."
