François Paul Anthoine (28 February 1860 – 25 December 1944) was a

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

general during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. When the Great War began, Anthoine was General Castelnau's Chief of Staff ( Second Army). Anthoine played an important role in

Robert Nivelle Robert Georges Nivelle (15 October 1856 – 22 March 1924) was a French artillery general officer who served in the Boxer Rebellion and the First World War. In May 1916, he succeeded Philippe Pétain as commander of the French Second Army in the ...

's ill-fated campaign in spring 1917. Anthoine was eventually promoted to command French Fourth Army in March 1917 then

French First Army The First Army () was a field army of France that fought during World War I and World War II. It was also active during the Cold War. World War I On mobilization in August 1914, General Auguste Dubail was put in the charge of the First Army, ...

in June 1917. At the

Third Battle of Ypres The Third Battle of Ypres (; ; ), also known as the Battle of Passchendaele ( ), was a campaign of the First World War, fought by the Allies against the German Empire. The battle took place on the Western Front, from July to November 1917, f ...

in autumn 1917, Anthoine and the First Army participated in the attacks on the northern flank of the salient and guarded the BEF's northern flank from enemy attack across the Yser Canal. Herbert Plumer's Second Army was given a parallel task, attacking the southern flank of the salient and guarding the BEF's southern flank. Anthoine then served as chief of staff to Petain, French commander in chief, but was dismissed as he was thought “too pessimistic” after the near catastrophe of the

Third Battle of the Aisne The Third Battle of the Aisne () was part of the German spring offensive during World War I that focused on capturing the Chemin des Dames Ridge before the American Expeditionary Forces arrived completely in French Third Republic, France. It w ...

in May 1918.Greenhalgh 2014, p.313 After this disgrace, François Anthoine died many years later in 1944.

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Colour picture of Gen. Anthoine
from 1917
Biography of Gen. Anthoine
in French 1860 births 1944 deaths French generals 19th-century French military personnel French Army generals of World War I Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour Grand Officers of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Grand Officers of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) People of the Tonkin campaign Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium) {{France-mil-bio-stub

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