1/4 I& #39;ve now read both biographies of Foch, Notin and Greenhalgh. Greenhalgh is meticulously researched but has a very narrow focus on Foch as a WWI commander and as such is only really of interest to WWI scholars who want to know his precise role at a given moment.

2/4 She provides no sense of Foch the author of "The Principles of War." Notin is less in the weeds, more holistic, and I found his book far more interesting. He reflects on Foch the thinker and the evolution of his thinking. What happens when the author of Principles

3/4 finds himself in command when the shooting starts in 1914? What happens after the slaughter of that fall? Notin has answers, and, in the process, I end up with a better appreciation of Foch& #39;s role in the war than I get through Greenhalgh& #39;s super detailed account.

4/4 So, unless you& #39;re a hardcore WWI scholar--in which case Greenhalgh& #39;s going to be a valued resource--read Notin if you have the French.