Joseph Alfred Micheler (23 September 1861

Phalsbourg Phalsbourg (; ; Lorraine Franconian: ''Phalsburch'') is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France, with a population of about 5,000. It lies high on the west slopes of the Vosges, northwest of Strasbourg by rail. I ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

– 17 March 1931

Nice, France Nice ( , ; Niçard dialect, Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department in France. The Nice urban unit, agg ...

) was a French general in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Life

Born in Phalsbourg, Moselle from a Lorrainian family which preferred to be French than German when the city was annexed by the

Kaiser ''Kaiser'' is the German word for "emperor" (female Kaiserin). In general, the German title in principle applies to rulers anywhere in the world above the rank of king (''König''). In English, the (untranslated) word ''Kaiser'' is mainly ap ...

in 1871. He entered St. Cyr in October 1880, and was appointed a sub-lieutenant on the completion of his course in 1882. He was promoted lieutenant in 1886, captain in 1891, major in 1901 and lieutenant-colonel in 1909. Three years later he was made a colonel. At the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he served as chief-of-staff to VI Corps. In October 1914, he was promoted

brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...

, and in January 1915 was transferred as chief-of-staff to the First Army. On 3 August 1915, he took over command of the 53rd Infantry Division, being later (25 March 1916) promoted a temporary

General of Division Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corp ...

and appointed to command XXXVIII Army Corps. Ten days later he was placed in command of Tenth Army. On 22 June 1916, he was confirmed in his rank as General of Division. He commanded Tenth Army during the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...

, and was then promoted to command a new Army Group (known as G.A.R. – Army Group "Reserve" or "Rupture") formed behind the centre for the exploitation of the victory counted upon in

General 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 Aisne scheme. He was thus involved very deeply in the controversies which centred upon that scheme both before and after that offensive. It was principally his criticisms that initiated the internal crisis, and led to the council of war, in which, however, he seems not to have followed up his objections. He also enjoyed strained relations with his subordinate Mangin as well as with Nivelle; Mangin sought afterwards to saddle him with part of the responsibility for the relative failure of the offensive. After his Army Group had been broken up he was demoted back to command of an Army. He briefly commanded First Army, then Fifth Army for a year, until June 1918, before being removed after the near debacle of the

Third Battle of the Aisne The Third Battle of the Aisne (french: 3e Bataille de l'Aisne) was a battle 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 ...

. He was made a commander of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

on 30 September 1916. He was buried at

Saint Roch Cemetery Saint Roch Cemetery (french: Cimetière Saint-Roch) is the first municipal cemetery in the city of Grenoble, France. It was blessed by the bishop of Grenoble Claude Simon on 19 August 1810.According to web site of Association Saint-Roch ! Vous a ...

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External links

*http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/micheler.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Micheler, Joseph Alfred 1861 births 1931 deaths French military personnel of World War I French generals Officiers of the Légion d'honneur People from Moselle (department) French people of Lorrainian descent

Life

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Further reading

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