On this day, 94 years ago, on January 3, 1931 (November 15, 1930, the lunar calendar), Joseph Joffre, commander-in-chief of the French army during World War I, passed away. Joseph Jacques Cezaire Joffre was born in Rivesaltes, France in 1852. He joined the army at the age of 18. He performed outstanding in several colonial wars and gained some praise. In 1911, he was appointed chief of the general staff of the French army, and immediately began to rectify conservative ideas in the army. Two years later, a strategy aimed at defending Germany-Plan 17-was adopted. The plan was proposed by Ferdinand Foch and planned to launch a counterattack against the German army in Lorraine and south of the Ardennes. After the outbreak of World War I, Joffre served as commander-in-chief of the French army. Due to the fierce German offensive,"Plan 17" could not be effectively implemented. But Joffre still tried his best to combine the Schliefen Plan, which blocked the German army, with his own strategy. At the critical moment, he took the advice of General Joseph Galieni, the military chief of Paris, and decisively attacked on the Marne, severely injuring the German army. Due to the breakthrough of the Western Front and the heavy losses at the Battle of Verdun, Joffre was removed from his post in December 1916 and replaced by Robert Neville. However, his popularity among the French public remained high and he was soon promoted to Marshal. He died on January 3, 1931.