The FRENCH ARMY in WWI 📖

In January 1914, the French army had 47 division. The strength of the army consisted of 777,000 French and 46,000 colonial troops in 21 regional corps. French troops were deployed within France and along the eastern frontier as part of "Plan 17" which was a strategy devised by General Ferdinand Foch and General Joseph Joffre for the invasion of Germany.

(General Ferdinand Foch and General Joseph Joffre)

With the fear of war with Germany becoming a reality, 2.9 million men were mobilized during the summer of 1914. The first months of the war saw heavy losses on the Western Front, forcing the French government to conscript men up to the age of 45.

As the war progressed, the structure of the French army changed. By 1918, 40% of French troops on the Western Front were artilleryman. The increased demand and use of machine guns armored cars, tanks and planes lowered the numbers in the infantry.

A total of 8.7 million soldiers had been called up to fight in the French army. By the end of the war, France suffered 4.2 million casualties, including 1.3 million dead.

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