FRANCHET D'ESPEREY, LOUIS FÉLIX MARIE FRANÇOIS

lwē fālēksˈ märēˈ fräNswäˈ fräNshāˈ dāpərāˈ, 1856–1942, marshal of France. He commanded the French 5th army in the battle of the Marne in 1914, the eastern army in 1916, and the northern army in 1917. In June, 1918, he took command at Thessaloníki, where the Allies were stalled. There, he brilliantly accomplished the defeat of the Bulgarian armies and led the Allies to victory in the Balkans. He was made a marshal of France in 1921 and was elected to the French Academy in 1934.

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