Assessments
In the euphoria of victory Foch was regularly compared to Napoleon and Caesar; postwar historians took a less sanguine view of Foch's talents as commander, particularly as that idea took root that his military doctrines had set the stage for the futile and costly offensives of 1914 in which French armies suffered devastating losses. Supporters and critics continue to debate Foch's tactical ideas and instincts as a commander, as well as his exact contributions to the Marne "miracle": Foch's counterattacks at the Marne generally failed, but his sector resisted determined German attacks while holding the pivot on which the neighbouring French and British forces depended in rolling back the German line.
Foch's pre-war contributions as military theorist and lecturer have also been recognized, and he has been credited, in one instance, as "the most original and subtle mind in the French army" in the early 20th century.
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