Sir Arthur William Currie was the first Canadian commander of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, on the Western Front.
Currie was among the most successful generals of the war and he is still considered one of the finest commanders in Canadian military history, as well as one of the most capable commanders on the entire Western Front.
Under his excellent leadership the Canadian Corps won a long series of battles, fighting as a unit for the first time in a major war. They soon earned a fierce reputation as some of the most effective troops on the Western Front.
Marshal Ferdinand Foch (1851 – 1929)
Ferdinand Foch was a French soldier, military theorist, and writer credited with possessing “the most original and subtle mind in the French Army” in the early 20th century. He served as general in the French army and was made Marshal of France in the final year of the war.
Shortly after the start of the Spring Offensive, Germany’s final attempt to win the war, Foch was chosen as supreme commander of the Allied armies, a position that he held until November 11, 1918, when he accepted the German surrender.
General Otto Von Below (1857 – 1944)
One of the more capable German field commanders of the First World War, Otto Von Below was the youngest general to receive an army command in Germany and throughout the war, served on numerous fronts. He took part as a commander in the Battle of Gumbinnen, the Battle of Tannenberg (1914) and Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes (February 1915). He fought in campaigns in Macedonia (1916) and in Italy (1917), where he defeated the Italians at Caporetto. In 1918, he commanded the 17th Army on the Western Front.
Major General James Guthrie Harbord (1866 – 1947)
When the U.S. entered World War I in 1917, Harbord went to France as General Pershing’s chief of staff, which won him a promotion to Brigadier General. He continued to work closely with General Pershing throughout the war.
In June 1918, he was given command of the Fourth Marine Brigade, which was serving as part of the Army Second Infantry Division, and then on July 15, was given command of the Division itself for a brief period. He commanded the Marines during the Battle of Château-Thierry and the Battle of Belleau Wood.
In August 1918, Harbord was recalled from the front and put in charge of troop and supply movement. Following the war, he was promoted to Major General and awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.
