Activation of French HQ

Date: August 2, 1914 • Location: Chantilly, France

This milestone marked the outbreak and beginning of this historic period, which spanned 1914–1918.

The French army's general headquarters was activated in anticipation of war with Germany.

The Grand Quartier Général was the general headquarters of the French Army during the First World War. It served as the wartime equivalent of the Conseil supérieur de la guerre and had extensive powers within an area defined by the French parliament. The GQG was activated by parliament on 2 August 1914, after the violation of French borders by German military patrols, and remained in existence until 20 October 1919.