Michel-Joseph Maunoury (17 December 1847-28 March 1923) was a Marshal of France who commanded the French 6th Army during World War I.
Biography[]
Michel-Joseph Maunoury was born in Maintenon, France on 17 December 1847, and he was wounded while serving in the Franco-Prussian War as a French Army lieutenant. In 1905, he was given his first corps command, and he served as Military Governor of Paris before retiring in 1912. In 1914, the start of World War I led to Maunoury coming out of retirement to command the newly-formed French 6th Army as the Great Retreat came to a close at the River Marne. He led the counterattack at the First Battle of the Marne in September 1914, turning the tide of the war by halting and defeating the German advance on Paris. On 11 March 1915, he was shot through the eye by a German sniper while touring the front, forcing the wounded Maunoury to retire. He died in 1923 at the age of 75.