Alsace was a region of France. Francois Lacombe was a native, leaving for Haiti near the beginning of the 20th century. (PROSE: White Darkness [+]David A. McIntee, Virgin New Adventures (Virgin Books, 1993).)
By the outbreak of World War I in June 1914, Alsace-Lorraine was held by Germany. As France wanted these provinces back, Germany attacked France first. (PROSE: Human Nature [+]Paul Cornell, Virgin New Adventures (Virgin Books, 1995).)