births
May 25, 1856
Louis Franchet d'Espèrey, Algerian-French general (died 1942)
Louis Franchet d'Espèrey
Louis Félix Marie François Franchet d'Espèrey was a French general during World War I. In September 1914, as the new commander of the French 5th Army, he played a notable role in organising allied the allied response that led to the First Battle of the Marne. As commander of the large Allied army based at Salonika, he conducted the successful Macedonian campaign, which caused the collapse of the Southern Front and contributed to the armistice.