French commander in chief visits Strasbourg ' When trumpet sounds on the Rhine ... ' . General Gamelin , French commander in chief of the French army , inspected infantry and artillery of the Strasbourg Garrison when he visited the centre of the new line of French defences on the German frontier . During his visit General Gamelin said , ' When the trumpet sounds on the Rhine we shall remember that we are Frenchmen ' during his visit to the mighty fortifications stretching from Luxembourg to Switzerland . General Gamelin took part in services for war dead . In a speech he said ' Conscious of our strength , secure in the subtle might of our fortifications today more than ever we should remember my old master Joffre . To meditate and reflect in solitude on the eve of action that was the habit of Joffre . General Gamelin , attached to Joffre ' s staff during the retreat of the French Army in 1914 , advised his chief to make a stand on the Marne . Photo shows , General Gamelin ( facing camera left ) , leaving after he had made a speech in Strasbourg . 16 March 1936