The ''École supérieure de guerre'' ("Superior School of Warfare") was the most senior military education institute and

staff college Staff colleges (also command and staff colleges and War colleges) train military officers in the administrative, military staff and policy aspects of their profession. It is usual for such training to occur at several levels in a career. For e ...

of the

French Army History Early history The first permanent army, paid with regular wages, instead of feudal levies, was established under Charles VII of France, Charles VII in the 1420 to 1430s. The Kings of France needed reliable troops during and after the ...

, from 1876 until 1993, when it was merged into the inter-service ' (Joint Defense College), which was succeeded in 2011 by the ' (School of Warfare). Located in the

École militaire École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savo ...

complex in Paris, it was responsible for the training of staff officers and

general officers A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

Establishment

Drawing on lessons from the defeat in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, General

Ernest Courtot de Cissey Ernest Louis Octave Courtot de Cissey (; 1810–1882) was a French general and Prime Minister. de Cissey was born in Paris, educated at the Prytanée National Militaire and, after passing through St Cyr, entered the army in 1832, becoming capt ...

, Minister of War between 1871 to 1876, decided on 26 January 1876 to establish courses intended to prepare in two years for the functions of military

staff Staff may refer to: Pole * Staff, a weapon used in stick-fighting ** Quarterstaff, a European pole weapon * Staff of office, a pole that indicates a position * Staff (railway signalling), a token authorizing a locomotive driver to use a particula ...

and command officers of whom Marshal

François Certain de Canrobert ) is most senior serving (oldest or responsible) and leading figure in a particular function of society (religious, education, diplomatical, governmental). In this case, the Dean is referring to de Canrobert, at the époque, as the most senior fi ...

, a member of the ''

Conseil supérieur de la guerre The Conseil supérieur de la guerre (CSG, Superior War Council) was the highest military body in France under the Third Republic. It was under the presidency of the Minister of War, although vice presidents presided in his absence and took care of ...

'' (Superior War Council), said that they should henceforth "have a thorough knowledge of the particular and combined use of various weapons". General Henri-Pierre Castelnau drew up the project for the creation of "special military courses" and in particular fixed the conditions for the entrance examination. On 15 May 1876, 72 trainees of the first promotion were temporarily installed at the ''

Les Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides ( en, "house of invalids"), commonly called Les Invalides (), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, ...

'' under the orders of General Gandil. General

Jules Louis Lewal Jules Louis Lewal (13 December 1823 – 22 January 1908) was a French general, who also wrote scripts like Stratégie de combat (translation: Combat strategy). Biography He was born in Paris; entered the army in 1846; served in the Italian camp ...

, who had graduated from the ' (Military Staff School) in 1848, replaced General Gandil in 1877 and tried to build a theoretical, practical and multidisciplinary education. Ministerial legislation of 20 March 1880, formally confirmed the establishment of the ''École supérieure de guerre''. In July that same year it moved into the

complex.

Maillard and Bonnal

Battalion commander took charge of the applied infantry tactics course in 1884. Working mainly on the

Battle of Gravelotte The Battle of Gravelotte (or Battle of Gravelotte–St. Privat) on 18 August 1870 was the largest battle of the Franco-Prussian War. Named after Gravelotte, a village in Lorraine, it was fought about west of Metz, where on the previous day, h ...

, he highlighted the moral factor and deduced principles of action (surprise by concentration of resources, massive artillery action, use of cavalry for shock and pursuit) and a tactical doctrine (slow and progressive wear and tear of the enemy with economy of force to concentrate them at the breaking point). His course became the main course of the school. Battalion commander took charge of the course in military history, strategy and general tactics in 1892. Basing his course on the study of the

Battle of Wörth The Battle of Wörth, also known as the Battle of Reichshoffen or as the Battle of Frœschwiller, refers to the second battle of Wörth, which took place on 6 August 1870 in the opening stages of the Franco-Prussian War (the first Battle of ...

and the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fre ...

, he retained three principles: freedom of action, ability to impose his will on the enemy, economy of force. Bonnal thought he detected in

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

a system, that of the

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretica ...

(

Vanguard The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. History The vanguard derives f ...

), which he still considered valid. Together, they designed the first wargame exercises similar to the German

Kriegsspiel ''Kriegsspiel'' is a genre of wargaming developed by the Prussian Army in the 19th century to teach battlefield tactics to officers. The word ''Kriegsspiel'' literally means "wargame" in German, but in the context of the English language it ref ...

Foch

From 1895 to 1901, Chef d'escadron

Ferdinand Foch Ferdinand Foch ( , ; 2 October 1851 – 20 March 1929) was a French general and military theorist who served as the Supreme Allied Commander during the First World War. An aggressive, even reckless commander at the First Marne, Flanders and Ar ...

taught military history, strategy and general tactics. In 1896 he took over from Bonnal as the course director. Based on the study of the little-known

Battle of Náchod The Battle of Náchod (''German: Nachod'') on 27 June 1866 was the first major action of the Austro-Prussian War. The advance guard of General Karl Friedrich von Steinmetz's 5th Corps occupied some high ground near Náchod as part of a Prussian ...

during the

Austro-Prussian War The Austro-Prussian War, also by many variant names such as Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), (; "German war of brothers") and by a variety of other names, was fought in 186 ...

of 1866, his doctrine gave priority to two notions: that of the "mission" to be fulfilled and that of "safety" to be guaranteed. Always imperatively bringing attention to the orders received and the specificity of each situation, he constantly employs the formula: "What is it about?". To stigmatize the error of a troop which emerging from a cover to approach the enemy does not hold its starting position solidly, he uses the metaphor of the

parrot Parrots, also known as psittacines (), are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes (), found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittacoide ...

: "The parrot, a sublime animal, when it rises on its perch, does not let go of a bar until after having firmly gripped the next one ...".

References

Military academies of France Educational institutions established in 1876 Training establishments of the French Army 1876 establishments in France 1993 disestablishments in France Education in Paris {{France-mil-stub

Establishment

Maillard and Bonnal

Foch

See also

References