Among France's generals of the First World War, Marshal Joseph Joffre stands as one of the most accomplished and controversial. Starting his tenure as Generalissimo by modernizing the French Army, he presided over the dramatic victory at the Battle of the Marne that saved France...and the unrelenting slaughter in the trenches that followed. In this first volume, Joffre takes command of the French Army and races to prepare it for the war to come. Then, as the German Army crosses the border and advances towards Paris, he rallies his forces and allies for one of the most dramatic moments in modern military history.