Race to the Sea 1914

1914 Front - reserve

Sep. 22 - Battle of Picardy began when French 6th Army now commanded by Castelnau advanced up the Oise River north of Compiegne to attack Roye and Montdidier. Castelnau was aware the Germans were ahead of him and moved too cautiously to out-flank them. He also paused to fight a counter-attack by Heeringen's Seventh Army at Roye.

Sep. 26 - Siege of Antwerp began by Beseler's reserve corps and 173 heavy guns. The Belgians appealed to Allies for an offensive in the west that would pull the Germans away from Antwerp. Gen. John French proposed Sep. 27 to secretly move the BEF to Flanders to join another British army to be landed on the coast, and save Antwerp. Winston Churchill offered to send the navy to support the British army along the coast.

Sep. 27 - Battle of Artois began when French divisons led by Maud'huy, soon to become the French 10th Army, moved north and attacked Arras and captured the town by Sep. 30. Rupprecht's 6th Army counter-attacked, threatened to encircle Arras, but Joffre put Foch in command of the 2nd and 10th Armies in the north, and Foch drove 500 miles along the front south to north to stop the German attack by Oct. 6: "No retirement. Every man to the battle." Foch ordered Maud'huy to hold Arras "hang on like lice."

Oct. 1 - BEF III Corps began to move from the Marne to Flanders, reached St. Omer by Oct. 10, and planned to move east to join the Belgian army moving west.

Oct. 8 - German cavalry sweep of 8 divisions stopped west of Lille by French XXI Corps.

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