Battle of the Marne 1914
 1914 Sept. 9 Marne - reserve
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Sep. 5 - First Battle of the Marne began when Maunoury's 6th Army attacked the right wing of Kluck's 1st Army northeast of Paris. The battle was not one of manoeuvre, but one of French preparation and German exhaustion. The Schlieffen Plan had failed and Germany now faced a two-front war. Britain increased its forces in France, Italy did not join the Central Powers, Erich von Falkenhayn replaced Moltke after Sep. 14 and prepared the defensivive line from the Aisne to the Yser.
Sep. 6 -Kluck turned his army to meet the attack, and thus opened a 30-mile gap on his right between his 1st and Bulow's 2nd Army.
Sep. 7 - Gallieni rushed 6000 troops to Maunoury in 600 taxicabs (perhaps less). The French 5th Army of d'Esperey pushed back Bulow's right flank six miles and widened the gap.
Sep. 8 - BEF attacked Kluck's center at the River Petit Morin, and Kluck pulled back to the Ourcq. Bulow pulled back the right wing of his 2nd Army and widened the gap. Moltke lost the ability to coordinate the armies, and sent Col. Richard Hentsch to gather information. Bulow supported Hausen's 3rd Army attack against Foch's 9th Army. Hausen attacked by surprise at dawn without artillery barrage and using bayonets. Foch was almost defeated but reinforcements from d'Esperey helped hold the line.
Sep. 9 - The Battle of the Marne ended when Moltke ordered a general retreat to the Aisne in heavy rain and high wind. Moltke believed the false rumors that 40,000 British and 80,000 Russians had landed in Belgium, convincing him of the need to retreat. The BEF crossed the Marne on undamaged bridges at Chateau-Thierry.
Links:
- map from USMA
- Battle of the Frontiers - Lorraine and Ardennes and Mons from World War One - The War To End All War
- Battle of the Frontiers from Western Front Association
- Chapter 3, Battle of Mons, Military Operations France and Belgium 1914, by Gen. James E. Edmonds, 1933
- Great War In a Different Light
Sources:
- Keegan, John. The First World War. New York : A. Knopf, 1999.
- Strachan, Hew. The First World War: To Arms. Vol 1. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.
- Blond, Georges. The Marne: The Battle that Saved Paris and Changed the Course of the First World War. Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 1966, Prion paperback ed. 2002.