- At 5am, Hentsch has a meeting with two of Bülow's staff officers, the General himself still asleep. The conversation confirms the conclusions of the previous day - 2nd Army can hold only if 1st Army immediately disengages and linked up with the former's western flank; if not, 2nd Army will retreat behind the Marne River. At 6am he departs 2nd Army headquarters for 1st Army.
At 9am, Bülow receives the latest aerial reconnaissance report, which states that numerous columns of enemy forces are north of the Petit Morin moving towards the Marne. For Bülow, the time has come. At 902am he signals a general retreat of 2nd Army. This is the crucial moment, and the crucial decision. Once 2nd Army has begun to retreat, the position of 1st Army is entirely untenable - it will have to retreat to avoid complete encirclement. Bülow's choice, made entirely without any communication with either Moltke at OHL or Kluck at 1st Army, is the effective end of the German offensive in the West.
- Along the Ourcq River the battle between the German 1st Army and the French 6th Army reaches its climax. General Kluck knows that time is running out to defeat the French before the advance of the BEF to the east cuts behind him. At 9am reports are received from German cavalry divisions that British and French units were across the Marne. In response, at 930am Kluck orders II Corps to turn to face southeast to confront the threat from the enemy. Kluck, however, remains convinced that the battle against 6th Army can be still won. He orders IX Corps, his northern-most unit, to attack with all its strength to turn the enemy's flank and force their retreat. As Kluck states to a staff officer: 'Every man must be convinced that the enveloping attack must bring the decision.' The attack of IX Corps shatters the French 61st Reserve Division and is poised to envelop the northern flank of the French 6th Army. To the commander of IX Corps, victory and Paris appear imminent. At that moment a visitor arrives at 1st Army headquarters - Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hentsch.
Hentsch arrives at 1130am after a journey of over five hours on roads clogged by refugees, wrecked vehicles, wounded soldiers, and German cavalry fleeing the supposedly imminent advance of the British and French. His personal experience of the gap between 1st and 2nd armies can hardly have improved the Lieutenant-Colonel's disposition. Hentsch meets with General Hermann von Kuhl, Kluck's Chief of Staff. The commanding general himself is not present, and though he is only a few hundred yards away at his command post neither Kuhl nor Hentsch summon him. The fate of 1st Army is thus decided by two staff officers.
Kuhl begins the meeting with an overview of the current situation, as it appears from 1st Army headquarters. Despite heavy fighting with the French 6th Army, the arrival of IV and IX Corps had stabilized the situation, and that the latter was about to turn the northern flank of the French. Further, he was not concerned by the threat posed by the BEF - after several battles with the British and pursuing them for two weeks, Kuhl was convinced that they were largely shattered and operated too slowly to make a decisive move (the latter opinion, at least, was not without reason).
Kuhl's presentation makes no sense to Hentsch, who with his larger perspective on the battle sees nothing but imminent disaster. He emphasizes the stalemate in Lorraine, and the inability of 5th Army to break through west of Verdun. 2nd Army, meanwhile, has been defeated and is retreating north of the Marne. 1st Army is to retreat in the direction of Soissons to link up with 2nd Army, and the redeployment of part of 7th Army to Saint-Quentin would allow for a resumption of the offensive. When Hentsch draws out 1st Army's line of retreat on a map, Kuhl objects - cannot Hentsch see that they are on the brink of victory? Hentsch's response is that 2nd Army has been reduced to 'cinders', a description that will become notorious in after-the-fact arguments in Germany over the appropriateness of the retreat from the Marne. Finally, Hentsch states that he has the full authority of Moltke to issue orders in his name. Kuhl, having no direct line of communication with OHL at Luxembourg, and confronted with the vision of a broken 2nd Army, has no option but to agree. At 130pm, Kluck, informed by Kuhl of the decision, issues orders to break off the attack on the French and withdraw towards Soissons.
- To the soldiers at the front, the order to retreat comes like a bolt from the blue. They have been on the march for almost month, every day advancing deeper and deeper into France. Where they have met the French or British, they have been victorious. Even in the past few days, most units have held the French counterattack. The order to retreat, then, appears to be snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. When General Oskar von Hutier, commander of the 1st Guards Division in 2nd Army, is informed of the retreat, his reply reflects the opinion of many: 'Have they all gone crazy?'
- At OHL, Moltke, remaining largely in the dark regarding the state of operations, is chronically pessimistic. To his wife he writes: 'It goes badly. The battles east of Paris will not end in our favour . . . . and we certainly will be made to pay for all that has been destroyed.' When news comes in of Bülow's order to retreat, Moltke voices no opposition, though it means the end of the great German offensive into France. Wilhelm II, present at OHL, is vehemently opposed to the retreat, and argues passionately with Moltke. According to the staff officers present, Moltke's nerves have been shattered, just as they had been on August 1st. Minister of War Falkenhayn notes in his diary today: 'Our General Staff has totally lost their heads. Schlieffen's notes have come to an end and therewith Moltke's wit.' The argument between the Kaiser and Moltke is immaterial anyway - even if they wanted to stop the retreat, they lack any means of communication to order Bülow and Kluck to stand and fight.
- By the middle of the afternoon, both the BEF and the French 5th Army have crossed the Marne, and by the evening it becomes clear to Joffre that the Germans on his left are in retreat. He issues instructions for 5th and 6th armies, plus the BEF, to pursue the enemy and attempt an envelopment of the German 1st Army. To the Minister of War in Bordeaux Joffre cables a reassuring note that, while unwilling to claim yet a decisive victory, assures the government that the situation is satisfactory and promising.
- The retreat of the German 1st and 2nd armies today brings an end to the Battle of the Marne, and indeed the first phase of the war on the Western Front. Over two million soldiers have fought along the front line, and while estimates vary, it is believed that a quarter of a million Germans and a quarter of a million Frenchmen are casualties, a ratio of one in four combatants. On a per-day basis, it is the bloodiest battle of the war on the Western Front.
The Battle of the Marne is one of the most decisive in human history, for two reasons. First, the Germans had staked all on a rapid invasion and defeat of France before Russia could deploy its full weight against them. For years the German army had been focused on this one mission - war games simulated various permutations of the advance, logistics officers poured over road maps of Belgium and northern France, the mobilization plan tweaked and retweaked down to the minute to ensure the Germans had every advantage of time. By today, the 39th day since German mobilization, the French were to have been crushed. Instead, it is the Germans who have been defeated. The sense of shock and disbelief among the officers of the German army can hardly be understated - it had been taken as a fundamental article of faith that the German army was inherently superior to the French army, and many simply cannot conceive of a world in which that is not true. Hence the almost immediate search for scapegoats, for an internal reason for their defeat. Had Moltke botched the plan? Had Hentsch exceeded his authority? Was Bülow over-cautious? Was Kluck's 'inward turn' the fundamental mistake? What all these questions ignore is the basic truth that not only had the Germans lost, but the French had won. In particular, Joseph Joffre had achieved a victory that almost looked impossible two weeks earlier in the aftermath of the disastrous Battle of the Frontiers. His ability to recover from the failure of pre-war planning cannot be understated (and stands in sharp contrast to Moltke's reactions as his pre-war plans collapsed) - without his recognition of the changed circumstances after August 24th and his immediate redeployment of forces from his left to his right, France surely would have been lost. Whatever else can be blamed on Joffre - and in the years to come there is much he can be blamed for - his service in the last week of August and the first week of September ensured the survival of the French republic. Credit must also be given to the French soldier - undertaking a constant retreat under enemy fire for two weeks, and then to turn and defeat said enemy, is one of the great feats of modern arms. Finally, there is the BEF. For all that Sir John French can be justly criticized for his pessimism, and the British slowness in movement, and indeed simply the minuscule size of the BEF in comparison to the armies of France and Germany, at the crucial moment it found itself largely by coincidence at the most important point on the front, and in advancing played a role out of all proportion to its size.
The second reason the Battle of the Marne is decisive is precisely that it is not decisive. The German army is defeated, but it is not destroyed. 1st and 2nd armies have suffered, but they are retreating in relatively good order, escaping the potential threat of encirclement. All sides had expected the first couple of months to see one or two climactic battles, after which one army would be destroyed and that side compelled to surrender. The climactic battles have occurred - the Battle of the Marne, as with the Battle of the Frontiers and indeed the battles in East Prussia and Galicia, have been among the largest in history - but the losing side has not been compelled to surrender. Indeed, the German expectation at the end of September 9th is that a brief retreat will be followed by a resumption of the offensive. The true legacy of the Marne is that it ensures that the war will not end in a quick victory by either side, but will continue. The Marne was not the end, but rather the beginning, of the war, the likes of which had hardly been imagined before the great armies took the field a month ago.
- Elsewhere on the Western Front today, the German 4th Army, in an attempt to emulate the partial success of 3rd Army yesterday, launches a morning bayonet charge on French artillery positions belonging to the French 4th Army. Its commander Duke Albrecht orders a lengthy artillery barrage to precede the attack, which gives the French ample warning. When the Germans advanced, they encounter active and vigorous resistance, and fail to accomplish anything. By 1030pm, the commander of the French 4th Army is able to inform Joffre that his position is secure.
- The Belgian army in the fortifications of Antwerp today sorties, in an effort to disrupt German lines of communication and force the Germans to keep additional forces in Belgium as opposed to on the front lines.
- Even as the great German offensive in the west is collapsing today, German Chancellor Theodor von Bethmann-Hollweg has drafted today a list of German aims. Designed to indicate the lines on which German negotiators should proceed after a quick victory over France, the September Programme, as it comes to be known, is nothing if not ambitious. Parts of Belgium, including Antwerp, were to be directly annexed to Germany, while the rest would become a client state. France would cede the vital industrial region of Longwy-Briey, and possible some of its Channel ports, to Germany. Luxembourg would also be annexed to Germany. To the east Russia was to be weakened through granting self-determination to minorities like the Poles, who would in turn become client states of Germany (this was preferably than directly annexing Russian territory - the last thing the Germans wanted was more Poles in their country). All of central Europe - Mitteleuropa - was to be united in a vast economic union, to operate for German benefit. All of central Africa was to be acquired, taking colonies from Britain, France, Portugal, and Belgium to form Mittelafrika. Coaling stations would also be acquired around the world to give the German navy a global reach.
These war aims are designed to secure permanent German hegemony in Europe and a secure place as a global power. As such, they are entirely unacceptable to the Entente - British policy for centuries had been to keep the ports of the Low Countries out of hostile hands - and could only have been achieved through an absolute and crushing victory that would allow the Germans to impose its terms on its enemies. The irony of the September Programme being drafted on the day the Germans begin their retreat from the Marne hardly needs stating.
- In East Prussia this morning General François' I Corps launches an attack on the far southern flank of the Russian 1st Army, where the latter is supported by elements of the newly-forming Russian 10th Army. Once again, with the rest of 8th Army stymied by the Russians, it is I Corps that makes the decisive breakthrough - they shatter Russian units southeast of Lötzen and begin to drive against the flank of the Russian forces holding up Mackensen's XVII Corps at Lötzen. As a result of the breakthrough I Corps takes thirty thousand prisoners and captures sixty artillery pieces. The commander of the Russian 10th Army refuses to send reinforcements, as he does not want his army to be exhausted through piecemeal contributions to the front. With the southern flank shattered, disaster now threatens to overtake the Russian 1st Army just as it had overtaken the Russian 2nd Army. However, General Rennenkampf of 1st Army, whatever his other faults, is not as foolish as to continue to advance in the centre while his flanks are turned - this evening he orders the Russian 1st Army to retreat.
- The right flank of the Austro-Hungarian 1st Army is defeated today by the Russian 4th Army, while two corps belonging to the Russian 5th Army have advanced to threaten the Austro-Hungarian line of retreat. Faced with the prospect of imminent encirclement and destruction, the commander of 1st Army orders a retreat behind the San River.
To the south, the Austro-Hungarian 2nd Army has achieved some tactical successes against the Russian 8th Army. Though the Russians are able to withdraw in good order and establish new defensive lines, the local victories convince Conrad that his grand scheme to envelop the two Russian armies in the south is still viable, despite the tide of news from elsewhere on the battlefield.
- The German East Asiatic Squadron departs Christmas Island today, sailing southwest for Samoa.
Showing posts with label Battle of the Marne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Battle of the Marne. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 09, 2014
Monday, September 08, 2014
September 8th, 1914
- Along the Ourcq the French 6th and German 1st armies continued to grapple. Both sides are exhausted after four days of near-constant combat, but with all of the German 1st Army now in the battle line, the breakthrough desired by General Manourey that his 6th Army is increasingly unlikely. Tonight two infantry divisions are forced back, and Manourey begins to plan a second line of defense should his entire army have to retire from its present positions. Far from turning the German flank, 6th Army is now just barely holding on, and it is increasingly a matter of whether the BEF can make its presence felt in the gap between the German armies before 6th Army is defeated.
- The BEF continues its advance into the gap between the German 1st and 2nd armies, and by noon has reached the Petit Morin River. There is a brief fight with General Georg von der Marwitz's II Cavalry Corps before the latter withdraws northwards - the German cavalry corps in the gap, exhausted by weeks of constant movement and with horses dropping dead from a lack of fodder, is able to do little more than observe the British advance. Later today a violent thunderstorm slows the already lethargic march of the BEF. After trying positive encouragement yesterday, Joffre is more direct today in trying to hurry the British along - at 8pm, Joffre telegrams Sir John French that it is 'essential' for the BEF to cross the Marne and exploit the gap between the German armies.
- The nighttime bayonet attack of the German 3rd Army begins this morning at 245 am. The soldiers advance with bayonets fixed and rifles unload. Despite clear skies and a pale moon, the Germans achieve complete surprise, and descend on the French positions without warning. The crews of the dreaded French 75s are put to flight, and within three hours four entire French divisions were in headlong retreat. At 615am the commander of XI Corps, the rightmost corps of Foch's 9th Army, orders his force to fall back ten kilometres, which then dragged 9th Army's centre backwards. The German 3rd Army has effectively outflanked the Marshes of St. Gond, and control the western exits. By any measure, the bayonet charge has been a success, and 9th Army has been decisively defeated.
Unfortunately for the Germans, General Foch refused to accept that he had been defeated, as embodied in a draft signal to Joffre: 'My centre is giving way, my right is in retreat, situation excellent. I attack.' It was most likely never sent, but the words enhance Foch's reputation and become part of the legend of the Marne. Counterattacks are ordered along the line to keep the advancing Germans off-balance. At 9pm, in response to a desperate appeal from Foch, Franchet d'Espèrey of 5th Army sends two divisions to reinforcement the left wing of 9th Army, allowing Foch to redeploy a division from his left to reinforce the right. Joffre also dispatches a cavalry division to help stop the German breakthrough.
The initial attack of the Germans had been a stunning success - three German divisions had forced back the French between ten to thirteen kilometres over a twenty kilometre section of the front line. It is a success that the Germans will not repeat on the Western Front until 1918. However, the initial momentum is quickly lost. French counterattacks and reinforcements slow the German advance to a crawl. Moreover, the Germans had advanced beyond the reach of their own artillery, were short on food and water, and have suffered 20% casualties. There were no additional units available to continue the advance, and an evening rain turned the ground into mud. By nightfall, despite the substantial advance, the Germans had been halted. In one of the decisive moments of the Battle of the Marne, Foch's 9th Army has held - if the Germans had been able to sustain their advance, the entire French line might have shattered. Instead, the reasons behind the German failure to exploit their breakthrough would become a common refrain in the years ahead on the Western Front.
- The retreat has carried the French 3rd Army past Verdun, and by today its front line was overstretched between Verdun to the northeast and 4th Army to the west. The German 5th Army has applied heavy pressure, and today pushes 3rd Army south of Revigny, raising the possibility that the Germans may break through the Revigny Gap. Late this evening, Joffre orders General Sarrail to withdraw his right wing and break off contact with Verdun. It was a reasonable order - the Germans were in no shape to take on the massive fortifications ringing the town of Verdun - but Sarrail refuses, which causes Joffre anxiety lest the Germans break through the weak link between 3rd Army and 4th Army on its left.
- The mood at OHL remains one of panic this morning, which is not alleviated when wireless intercepts indicate the advance of the BEF between 1st and 2nd armies. Moltke desperately desires clarity about the situation at the front, but wireless communications have not yet been established with 1st or 2nd Army, and he feels that he himself cannot absent himself from OHL at this moment of crisis. Meeting with his staff, Moltke decides to send Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hentsch, as he had visited Kluck and Bülow three days earlier and was thus more acquainted with the situation of the two German armies. Sending a junior officer on such an important mission was not unusual, and such officers had been sent as emissaries to other headquarters during the war, and the instructions they gave were seen as emanating from Moltke himself. Hentsch has private conversations with Moltke and the Kaiser, and though no direct records exist of what was discussed, it appears Hentsch was given the authority to order a withdrawal of 1st Army if the situation necessitated it. Certainly Hentsch believed he had the authority necessary to make such monumental decisions, though no orders were given in writing.
At 10am Hentsch departs OHL in Luxembourg City by automobile in what has been described as 'undoubtedly . . . the most important staff ride in military history.' He has decided to visit each German army as he proceeds west, so his first stop at 1pm is 5th Army headquarters. Here he learns that the Crown Prince plans further attacks for tomorrow, so Hentsch is satisfied with their position. He encounters a similar situation at 4th Army headquarters - while there he uses their telephone connection with OHL to report that both 4th and 5th armies are in good shape. At 3rd Army headquarters General Hausen expresses concern about his right wing, but otherwise reports the situation satisfactory. Hentsch then sets out for 2nd Army headquarters, which he reaches at 745pm. In a lengthy meeting with Bülow and his staff, the 2nd Army headquarters gives vent to his concerns about the gap between 2nd and 1st armies. For Bülow all of the blame rests on Kluck for his disobedience of Moltke's orders, which resulted in 1st Army advancing ahead of 2nd Army, and his repeated ignorance of the necessity of protecting the flank of 2nd Army. He insists that 1st Army must immediately break off the battle with the French 6th Army and march eastwards to close the gap and cover the western flank of 2nd Army. Bülow here is concerned solely with the plight of his army, not of the larger German offensive. The French 5th Army is applying increasing pressure on his right wing, and there are no signs yet that the French 9th Army on his left is broken. The insistence on 1st Army marching east immediately reflects a lack of regard for what 1st Army might accomplish by a victory over the French 6th Army. For him, the menace of envelopment is very realy, with the French 5th Army pushing on his right and the BEF marching through the gap beyond, potentially to attack his army from behind.
At this point Hentsch states that he has full authority to issue orders to Kluck, which takes Bülow by surprise. He reiterates that at this point the best option is for 1st Army to move east, but Hentsch doubts that Kluck's force can successfully disengage from its fight with the French 6th Army. At this point, a report comes in to 2nd Army headquarters that the French have broken through the German VII Corps and was advancing on Montmirail. Bülow becomes concerned that his front is about to be pierced, and orders X Reserve Corps to fall back even further on his right. For the first time the word 'retreat' is uttered, as Bülow comments that the French may soon be in a position to compel a German retirement. They decide that the last possible moment to order a retreat that can still succeed would be when the British and French reach the Marne. For reasons that Hentsch takes to his grave, he decides to stay the night at 2nd Army headquarters instead of immediately driving to 1st Army. At 930pm, just before going to bed, he sends the following signal to OHL: 'Situation at 2. Army serious, but not desperate.' With that Hentsch ends his mission for the day, leaving for tomorrow the climax of the Battle of the Marne.
- The battle continues to rage near Nancy. In deference to Joffre's orders, Castlenau and 2nd Army continue to hold on. The attacks of the Bavarians nearly break through. They seize the vital village of Saint-Geneviève, nicknamed the 'Hole of Death', but a desperate counterattack by the French XX Corps retakes the village today. The Germans have suffered horrendous losses - one German corps alone has suffered ten thousand casualties - and despite minor progress have failed to break though.
- Today the entirety of the German 8th Army is engaged in attacking the Russian 1st Army in East Prussia. Four corps attempt a frontal attack on Russian lines north of Lake Mauer, but are repulsed. XVII Corps, aimed at the Lötzen gap just south of Lake Mauer, finds the terrain too constricting and in three attacks is unable to break through. I Corps, meanwhile, is still approaching the battle, marching 123 kilometres in four days.
- In Galicia, a German Landwehr Corps from Silesia, the only German unit available to assist the Austro-Hungarians and stationed to the west of the Austro-Hungarian 1st Army, is crushed by the Russian 9th Army, suffering eight thousand casualties today. Its retreat behind the Vistula River uncovers the left flank of the already-hardpressed 1st Army.
To the south, Conrad orders 4th Army to join with 3rd and 2nd armies in attacking Russian forces around Lemberg. However, the reorientation of the Russian 3rd Army to the northwest results in the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army attacking it not on its flank, but frontally around Rawa-Ruska. Exhausted from several weeks of constant battle and movement, 4th Army is unable to make any significant progress.
In the fighting near Rawa-Ruska, Conrad's third son Herbert, a Lieutenant in the 15th Dragoons, is killed today in a failed attack on a Russian position.
- In the Balkans, the second attempt to invade Serbia is launched by Austria-Hungary, with General Potiorek once again in command. With the departure of 2nd Army to Galicia, he has two armies remaining - 5th and 6th - both located to the west of Serbia along the Drina River, with 5th to the north in the same position as August (just south of the Drina) and 6th Army immediately next to it. The commander of 5th Army is reluctant to launch another attack in the same place as before - his army has suffered more than 25% losses already - but with a direct order from Potiorek sends his two corps across the Drina, accompanied by XVI Corps on the southern flank of 6th Army (XV Corps, on 6th Army's northern flank adjacent to 5th Army, is not prepared to attack). The attack by 5th Army is another disaster - most of their boats are grounded on sandbars in the river, leaving them under accurate Serbian fire. To the south, however, XVI Corps manages to cross the Drina with only light losses, and hits the Serbian 3rd Army in the flank. XVI Corps is thus able to secure a bridgehead in Serbian territory. Meanwhile, a scratch force of two divisions under General Alfred Krauss is assigned to contain the invasion of the Serbian 1st Army.
- The BEF continues its advance into the gap between the German 1st and 2nd armies, and by noon has reached the Petit Morin River. There is a brief fight with General Georg von der Marwitz's II Cavalry Corps before the latter withdraws northwards - the German cavalry corps in the gap, exhausted by weeks of constant movement and with horses dropping dead from a lack of fodder, is able to do little more than observe the British advance. Later today a violent thunderstorm slows the already lethargic march of the BEF. After trying positive encouragement yesterday, Joffre is more direct today in trying to hurry the British along - at 8pm, Joffre telegrams Sir John French that it is 'essential' for the BEF to cross the Marne and exploit the gap between the German armies.
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| Men of the 1st Battalion, Middlesex Regiment, 19th Brigade, BEF, come under shrapnel fire from German artillery on the Signy-Signets road during the Battle of the Marne, September 8th, 1914. |
- The nighttime bayonet attack of the German 3rd Army begins this morning at 245 am. The soldiers advance with bayonets fixed and rifles unload. Despite clear skies and a pale moon, the Germans achieve complete surprise, and descend on the French positions without warning. The crews of the dreaded French 75s are put to flight, and within three hours four entire French divisions were in headlong retreat. At 615am the commander of XI Corps, the rightmost corps of Foch's 9th Army, orders his force to fall back ten kilometres, which then dragged 9th Army's centre backwards. The German 3rd Army has effectively outflanked the Marshes of St. Gond, and control the western exits. By any measure, the bayonet charge has been a success, and 9th Army has been decisively defeated.
Unfortunately for the Germans, General Foch refused to accept that he had been defeated, as embodied in a draft signal to Joffre: 'My centre is giving way, my right is in retreat, situation excellent. I attack.' It was most likely never sent, but the words enhance Foch's reputation and become part of the legend of the Marne. Counterattacks are ordered along the line to keep the advancing Germans off-balance. At 9pm, in response to a desperate appeal from Foch, Franchet d'Espèrey of 5th Army sends two divisions to reinforcement the left wing of 9th Army, allowing Foch to redeploy a division from his left to reinforce the right. Joffre also dispatches a cavalry division to help stop the German breakthrough.
The initial attack of the Germans had been a stunning success - three German divisions had forced back the French between ten to thirteen kilometres over a twenty kilometre section of the front line. It is a success that the Germans will not repeat on the Western Front until 1918. However, the initial momentum is quickly lost. French counterattacks and reinforcements slow the German advance to a crawl. Moreover, the Germans had advanced beyond the reach of their own artillery, were short on food and water, and have suffered 20% casualties. There were no additional units available to continue the advance, and an evening rain turned the ground into mud. By nightfall, despite the substantial advance, the Germans had been halted. In one of the decisive moments of the Battle of the Marne, Foch's 9th Army has held - if the Germans had been able to sustain their advance, the entire French line might have shattered. Instead, the reasons behind the German failure to exploit their breakthrough would become a common refrain in the years ahead on the Western Front.
- The retreat has carried the French 3rd Army past Verdun, and by today its front line was overstretched between Verdun to the northeast and 4th Army to the west. The German 5th Army has applied heavy pressure, and today pushes 3rd Army south of Revigny, raising the possibility that the Germans may break through the Revigny Gap. Late this evening, Joffre orders General Sarrail to withdraw his right wing and break off contact with Verdun. It was a reasonable order - the Germans were in no shape to take on the massive fortifications ringing the town of Verdun - but Sarrail refuses, which causes Joffre anxiety lest the Germans break through the weak link between 3rd Army and 4th Army on its left.
- The mood at OHL remains one of panic this morning, which is not alleviated when wireless intercepts indicate the advance of the BEF between 1st and 2nd armies. Moltke desperately desires clarity about the situation at the front, but wireless communications have not yet been established with 1st or 2nd Army, and he feels that he himself cannot absent himself from OHL at this moment of crisis. Meeting with his staff, Moltke decides to send Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hentsch, as he had visited Kluck and Bülow three days earlier and was thus more acquainted with the situation of the two German armies. Sending a junior officer on such an important mission was not unusual, and such officers had been sent as emissaries to other headquarters during the war, and the instructions they gave were seen as emanating from Moltke himself. Hentsch has private conversations with Moltke and the Kaiser, and though no direct records exist of what was discussed, it appears Hentsch was given the authority to order a withdrawal of 1st Army if the situation necessitated it. Certainly Hentsch believed he had the authority necessary to make such monumental decisions, though no orders were given in writing.
At 10am Hentsch departs OHL in Luxembourg City by automobile in what has been described as 'undoubtedly . . . the most important staff ride in military history.' He has decided to visit each German army as he proceeds west, so his first stop at 1pm is 5th Army headquarters. Here he learns that the Crown Prince plans further attacks for tomorrow, so Hentsch is satisfied with their position. He encounters a similar situation at 4th Army headquarters - while there he uses their telephone connection with OHL to report that both 4th and 5th armies are in good shape. At 3rd Army headquarters General Hausen expresses concern about his right wing, but otherwise reports the situation satisfactory. Hentsch then sets out for 2nd Army headquarters, which he reaches at 745pm. In a lengthy meeting with Bülow and his staff, the 2nd Army headquarters gives vent to his concerns about the gap between 2nd and 1st armies. For Bülow all of the blame rests on Kluck for his disobedience of Moltke's orders, which resulted in 1st Army advancing ahead of 2nd Army, and his repeated ignorance of the necessity of protecting the flank of 2nd Army. He insists that 1st Army must immediately break off the battle with the French 6th Army and march eastwards to close the gap and cover the western flank of 2nd Army. Bülow here is concerned solely with the plight of his army, not of the larger German offensive. The French 5th Army is applying increasing pressure on his right wing, and there are no signs yet that the French 9th Army on his left is broken. The insistence on 1st Army marching east immediately reflects a lack of regard for what 1st Army might accomplish by a victory over the French 6th Army. For him, the menace of envelopment is very realy, with the French 5th Army pushing on his right and the BEF marching through the gap beyond, potentially to attack his army from behind.
At this point Hentsch states that he has full authority to issue orders to Kluck, which takes Bülow by surprise. He reiterates that at this point the best option is for 1st Army to move east, but Hentsch doubts that Kluck's force can successfully disengage from its fight with the French 6th Army. At this point, a report comes in to 2nd Army headquarters that the French have broken through the German VII Corps and was advancing on Montmirail. Bülow becomes concerned that his front is about to be pierced, and orders X Reserve Corps to fall back even further on his right. For the first time the word 'retreat' is uttered, as Bülow comments that the French may soon be in a position to compel a German retirement. They decide that the last possible moment to order a retreat that can still succeed would be when the British and French reach the Marne. For reasons that Hentsch takes to his grave, he decides to stay the night at 2nd Army headquarters instead of immediately driving to 1st Army. At 930pm, just before going to bed, he sends the following signal to OHL: 'Situation at 2. Army serious, but not desperate.' With that Hentsch ends his mission for the day, leaving for tomorrow the climax of the Battle of the Marne.
- The battle continues to rage near Nancy. In deference to Joffre's orders, Castlenau and 2nd Army continue to hold on. The attacks of the Bavarians nearly break through. They seize the vital village of Saint-Geneviève, nicknamed the 'Hole of Death', but a desperate counterattack by the French XX Corps retakes the village today. The Germans have suffered horrendous losses - one German corps alone has suffered ten thousand casualties - and despite minor progress have failed to break though.
- Today the entirety of the German 8th Army is engaged in attacking the Russian 1st Army in East Prussia. Four corps attempt a frontal attack on Russian lines north of Lake Mauer, but are repulsed. XVII Corps, aimed at the Lötzen gap just south of Lake Mauer, finds the terrain too constricting and in three attacks is unable to break through. I Corps, meanwhile, is still approaching the battle, marching 123 kilometres in four days.
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| The German offensives on September 8th and 9th, 1914, at the Battle of the Masurian Lakes. |
- In Galicia, a German Landwehr Corps from Silesia, the only German unit available to assist the Austro-Hungarians and stationed to the west of the Austro-Hungarian 1st Army, is crushed by the Russian 9th Army, suffering eight thousand casualties today. Its retreat behind the Vistula River uncovers the left flank of the already-hardpressed 1st Army.
To the south, Conrad orders 4th Army to join with 3rd and 2nd armies in attacking Russian forces around Lemberg. However, the reorientation of the Russian 3rd Army to the northwest results in the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army attacking it not on its flank, but frontally around Rawa-Ruska. Exhausted from several weeks of constant battle and movement, 4th Army is unable to make any significant progress.
In the fighting near Rawa-Ruska, Conrad's third son Herbert, a Lieutenant in the 15th Dragoons, is killed today in a failed attack on a Russian position.
- In the Balkans, the second attempt to invade Serbia is launched by Austria-Hungary, with General Potiorek once again in command. With the departure of 2nd Army to Galicia, he has two armies remaining - 5th and 6th - both located to the west of Serbia along the Drina River, with 5th to the north in the same position as August (just south of the Drina) and 6th Army immediately next to it. The commander of 5th Army is reluctant to launch another attack in the same place as before - his army has suffered more than 25% losses already - but with a direct order from Potiorek sends his two corps across the Drina, accompanied by XVI Corps on the southern flank of 6th Army (XV Corps, on 6th Army's northern flank adjacent to 5th Army, is not prepared to attack). The attack by 5th Army is another disaster - most of their boats are grounded on sandbars in the river, leaving them under accurate Serbian fire. To the south, however, XVI Corps manages to cross the Drina with only light losses, and hits the Serbian 3rd Army in the flank. XVI Corps is thus able to secure a bridgehead in Serbian territory. Meanwhile, a scratch force of two divisions under General Alfred Krauss is assigned to contain the invasion of the Serbian 1st Army.
Sunday, September 07, 2014
September 7th, 1914
- Shortly after midnight, General Bülow orders X Reserve Corps on the western flank of his 2nd Army to retreat fifteen to twenty kilometres to take position behind the Petit Morin River. He also gives the same orders to III and IX corps, located to the west of X Reserve Corps. Though part of 1st Army, these two corps have been temporarily placed under his authority (as Kluck's attention is on the Ourcq and the French 6th Army). This maneouvre is designed to protect the flank of 2nd Army after the heavy attack by the French 5th Army yesterday - Bülow's focus is on a pending offensive by his eastern corps, and wants to avoid a disruptive attack on his right. In doing so, however, he has opened up a gap of thirty kilometres between the western flank of 2nd Army and the eastern flank of 1st Army. Crucially, he does not bother to inform Kluck at 1st Army of his redeployment.
- The gap that Bülow has created between his 2nd Army and 1st Army to the west is now the vital pivot of the battle. If Entente forces can occupy the gap, they can at minimum force the two German armies to retreat by threatening them with encirclement. By another of war's coincidences, just as in late August the initial deployment of the BEF happened to place them directly in the line of advance of the strongest German army, now the advance of the BEF that began yesterday just so happens to be aimed directly at this gap. The British march northeastwards thus is crucial to the entire success of the Entente forces in the Battle of the Marne. As Joffre realizes the importance of the BEF advance, his focal point for the battle becomes ensuring the French armies hold off the Germans until the British can penetrate the gap. This reliance on the speed of the British advance, of course, places Joffre in an awkward position. He cannot issue orders to the BEF, and so can only encourage them to move faster. On the other hand, given Sir John French's repeated pessimism, he is concerned that too strong words might cause him to overreact and try to take the BEF out of the battle entirely. Today Joffre attempts positive encouragement - in a note to Kitchener his offers, with tongue undoubtedly in cheek, his 'warmest thanks' for French's 'energetic' advance, while he chides Gallieni to not badger the British commander too often with requests to move faster. After another slow march today, advance guards of the BEF have crossed the Grand Morin.
- At 10am, 1st Army headquarters receives a reconnaissance report from an aviator that two columns of British soldiers have been spotted moving north from the Forest of Crécy towards the joint between 1st and 2nd armies. Kluck understands that this has the potential for disaster, and makes a crucial decision - he will concentrate his entire army on defeating the attack of the French 6th Army before the British are in position to turn his flank. He believes that 6th Army is the key piece of the French counteroffensive, while the BEF has been battered and is barely capable of effective action - better to destroy 6th Army first, in his mind, as the BEF is in no shape to do any immediate damage anyway. Further, there are two German cavalry corps watching the line east of his battle with 6th Army. To this end, he orders III and IX Corps to march immediately to the Ourcq to engage the French to join his other three corps. Kluck's orders, meanwhile, widen the gap between 1st and 2nd armies to fifty kilometres - the two cavalry corps are weakened by constant movement and battle losses, and utterly lack the ability to stop any serious enemy advance. The absence of communication between 1st and 2nd armies, and the inability of Moltke at OHL to co-ordinate their actions, has opened a major hole in the German line.
- Units continue to arrive in Paris from Lorraine, and General Gallieni moves them as quickly as possible to 6th Army fighting to the east. Early this morning, soldiers of the 103rd and 104th regiments arrive at the front having taken a unique means of transportation: taxis. Using his powers as Military Governor of Paris, Gallieni requisitioned 1200 taxis yesterday evening, and ordered them to take French soldiers to 6th Army. Each taxi could carry five soldiers, including one in the trunk, and enter history as one of the most famous aspects of the Battle of the Marne. Notwithstanding their patriotism, the taxi drivers still calculate the fare for each passenger, and send the bill to the French army, which will pay out 70 102 francs to the drivers.
- Just before the Ourcq River the French 6th Army and the German 1st Army continue to engage in a desperate struggle. The arrival of the German IV Corps before dawn stabilizes the German line, and in fierce fighting several villages pass back and forth between the two sides. One German attack at the village of Puisieux is repulsed only when Colonel Robert Nivelle, commander of the 5th Artillery Regiment, brings up five batteries and fires over open sights into the ranks of the advancing Germans from near-point blank range. The episode wins Nivelle acclaim, which will be unfortunate for thousands of French soldiers later in the war.
- After yesterday's victory over the west flank of the German 2nd Army, the leftmost corps of the French 5th Army find the Germans have abandoned the field in front of them as they retreated to the Petit Morin. Unlike yesterday, however, Franchet d'Espèrey does not drive his army forward, content instead with a methodical advance.
- On the east flank of the German 2nd Army, Bülow continues to push his corps against Foch's 9th Army, without success. The German 3rd Army to the east also makes no progress - indeed, it spends most of the day being torn apart by fire from French 75 mm field guns, artillery pieces able to fire up to a thousand rounds a day. Hausen is increasingly frustrated at his subordinate role to his neighbouring army commanders and inability to come to grips with the enemy. Tonight, he decides to seize the initiative. He believes the French cannot be strong everywhere, and given the pressure 1st and 2nd armies are under, concludes that the French opposite him must be weak. In order to silence the dreaded French 75s, he orders a bayonet charge for the pre-dawn hours tomorrow. No preliminary bombardment will be undertaken - the German soldiers are to approach the French lines in complete silence for maximum surprise. He telegrams his plan to OHL, and receives Moltke's approval at midnight.
- The battle for Nancy reaches a climax today - three times the Bavarians of Rupprecht's 6th Army advance against the north front of the Grand Couronné, while murderous bayonet charges by the Germans continue into the night. General Castlenau of the French 2nd Army is increasingly concerned at his position. Furthermore, he is informed today that his son died in combat several days earlier. In the shadow of personal loss Castlenau again telegrams Joffre that a withdrawal may be necessary. This time, with the Battle of the Marne still in the balance, Joffre replies asking Castlenau to hang on for another twenty-four hours and suggesting that the Germans are likely no better off than his force. 2nd Army continues to cling to the Grand Couronné by its fingernails.
- At OHL Moltke has heard nothing from Kluck or Bülow since the French counteroffensive began early yesterday. In the absence of information, Moltke's pessimism comes to the fore - has 1st Army already been encircled? 2nd Army forced back? Writing to his wife today, he reflects on the death and destruction that has ensued from the invasion he is leading, and 'I often shudder when I think of this and feel as though I need to accept responsibility for this dreadfulness . . .' Not exactly the desired mindset in the Chief of the General Staff at the supreme moment of crisis on the Western Front.
- In East Prussia, the first skirmishes occur in the Battle of the Masurian Lakes, as advance elements of the German 8th Army attack the defensive line of the Russian 1st Army.
- On the home fronts of each of the major combatants, academics are among the most strident supporters of the war. They take advantage of the public's belief in their intelligence and authority to defend the conduct of their own country and condemn that of their enemies. In Germany today, a 'Declaration by German University Teachers' is published, in which hundreds of German academic renounce degrees they had received from British universities, on the basis that it was Britain that had started the war.
- In the Pacific, the German East Asiatic Squadron arrives today at Christmas Island. Located on the equator, the island is a unoccupied British possession. As Admiral Spee's ships arrive, they are rejoined by the light cruiser Nürnberg - as the squadron crossed the Pacific, Spee had ordered it to sail to Honolulu, in order to telegram Berlin as to his intentions to sail to the South American coast and learn the latest war news. Nürnberg reports the capture of Samoa on August 30th by New Zealand troops, and Spee decides to launch a surprise attack on the island, hoping to catch British ships anchored in its port.
- The gap that Bülow has created between his 2nd Army and 1st Army to the west is now the vital pivot of the battle. If Entente forces can occupy the gap, they can at minimum force the two German armies to retreat by threatening them with encirclement. By another of war's coincidences, just as in late August the initial deployment of the BEF happened to place them directly in the line of advance of the strongest German army, now the advance of the BEF that began yesterday just so happens to be aimed directly at this gap. The British march northeastwards thus is crucial to the entire success of the Entente forces in the Battle of the Marne. As Joffre realizes the importance of the BEF advance, his focal point for the battle becomes ensuring the French armies hold off the Germans until the British can penetrate the gap. This reliance on the speed of the British advance, of course, places Joffre in an awkward position. He cannot issue orders to the BEF, and so can only encourage them to move faster. On the other hand, given Sir John French's repeated pessimism, he is concerned that too strong words might cause him to overreact and try to take the BEF out of the battle entirely. Today Joffre attempts positive encouragement - in a note to Kitchener his offers, with tongue undoubtedly in cheek, his 'warmest thanks' for French's 'energetic' advance, while he chides Gallieni to not badger the British commander too often with requests to move faster. After another slow march today, advance guards of the BEF have crossed the Grand Morin.
- At 10am, 1st Army headquarters receives a reconnaissance report from an aviator that two columns of British soldiers have been spotted moving north from the Forest of Crécy towards the joint between 1st and 2nd armies. Kluck understands that this has the potential for disaster, and makes a crucial decision - he will concentrate his entire army on defeating the attack of the French 6th Army before the British are in position to turn his flank. He believes that 6th Army is the key piece of the French counteroffensive, while the BEF has been battered and is barely capable of effective action - better to destroy 6th Army first, in his mind, as the BEF is in no shape to do any immediate damage anyway. Further, there are two German cavalry corps watching the line east of his battle with 6th Army. To this end, he orders III and IX Corps to march immediately to the Ourcq to engage the French to join his other three corps. Kluck's orders, meanwhile, widen the gap between 1st and 2nd armies to fifty kilometres - the two cavalry corps are weakened by constant movement and battle losses, and utterly lack the ability to stop any serious enemy advance. The absence of communication between 1st and 2nd armies, and the inability of Moltke at OHL to co-ordinate their actions, has opened a major hole in the German line.
- Units continue to arrive in Paris from Lorraine, and General Gallieni moves them as quickly as possible to 6th Army fighting to the east. Early this morning, soldiers of the 103rd and 104th regiments arrive at the front having taken a unique means of transportation: taxis. Using his powers as Military Governor of Paris, Gallieni requisitioned 1200 taxis yesterday evening, and ordered them to take French soldiers to 6th Army. Each taxi could carry five soldiers, including one in the trunk, and enter history as one of the most famous aspects of the Battle of the Marne. Notwithstanding their patriotism, the taxi drivers still calculate the fare for each passenger, and send the bill to the French army, which will pay out 70 102 francs to the drivers.
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| The taxis of Paris conveying troops to the front, Sept. 7th, 1914. |
- Just before the Ourcq River the French 6th Army and the German 1st Army continue to engage in a desperate struggle. The arrival of the German IV Corps before dawn stabilizes the German line, and in fierce fighting several villages pass back and forth between the two sides. One German attack at the village of Puisieux is repulsed only when Colonel Robert Nivelle, commander of the 5th Artillery Regiment, brings up five batteries and fires over open sights into the ranks of the advancing Germans from near-point blank range. The episode wins Nivelle acclaim, which will be unfortunate for thousands of French soldiers later in the war.
- After yesterday's victory over the west flank of the German 2nd Army, the leftmost corps of the French 5th Army find the Germans have abandoned the field in front of them as they retreated to the Petit Morin. Unlike yesterday, however, Franchet d'Espèrey does not drive his army forward, content instead with a methodical advance.
- On the east flank of the German 2nd Army, Bülow continues to push his corps against Foch's 9th Army, without success. The German 3rd Army to the east also makes no progress - indeed, it spends most of the day being torn apart by fire from French 75 mm field guns, artillery pieces able to fire up to a thousand rounds a day. Hausen is increasingly frustrated at his subordinate role to his neighbouring army commanders and inability to come to grips with the enemy. Tonight, he decides to seize the initiative. He believes the French cannot be strong everywhere, and given the pressure 1st and 2nd armies are under, concludes that the French opposite him must be weak. In order to silence the dreaded French 75s, he orders a bayonet charge for the pre-dawn hours tomorrow. No preliminary bombardment will be undertaken - the German soldiers are to approach the French lines in complete silence for maximum surprise. He telegrams his plan to OHL, and receives Moltke's approval at midnight.
- The battle for Nancy reaches a climax today - three times the Bavarians of Rupprecht's 6th Army advance against the north front of the Grand Couronné, while murderous bayonet charges by the Germans continue into the night. General Castlenau of the French 2nd Army is increasingly concerned at his position. Furthermore, he is informed today that his son died in combat several days earlier. In the shadow of personal loss Castlenau again telegrams Joffre that a withdrawal may be necessary. This time, with the Battle of the Marne still in the balance, Joffre replies asking Castlenau to hang on for another twenty-four hours and suggesting that the Germans are likely no better off than his force. 2nd Army continues to cling to the Grand Couronné by its fingernails.
- At OHL Moltke has heard nothing from Kluck or Bülow since the French counteroffensive began early yesterday. In the absence of information, Moltke's pessimism comes to the fore - has 1st Army already been encircled? 2nd Army forced back? Writing to his wife today, he reflects on the death and destruction that has ensued from the invasion he is leading, and 'I often shudder when I think of this and feel as though I need to accept responsibility for this dreadfulness . . .' Not exactly the desired mindset in the Chief of the General Staff at the supreme moment of crisis on the Western Front.
- In East Prussia, the first skirmishes occur in the Battle of the Masurian Lakes, as advance elements of the German 8th Army attack the defensive line of the Russian 1st Army.
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| The Battle of the Masurian Lakes, September 5th to 9th, 1914. |
- On the home fronts of each of the major combatants, academics are among the most strident supporters of the war. They take advantage of the public's belief in their intelligence and authority to defend the conduct of their own country and condemn that of their enemies. In Germany today, a 'Declaration by German University Teachers' is published, in which hundreds of German academic renounce degrees they had received from British universities, on the basis that it was Britain that had started the war.
- In the Pacific, the German East Asiatic Squadron arrives today at Christmas Island. Located on the equator, the island is a unoccupied British possession. As Admiral Spee's ships arrive, they are rejoined by the light cruiser Nürnberg - as the squadron crossed the Pacific, Spee had ordered it to sail to Honolulu, in order to telegram Berlin as to his intentions to sail to the South American coast and learn the latest war news. Nürnberg reports the capture of Samoa on August 30th by New Zealand troops, and Spee decides to launch a surprise attack on the island, hoping to catch British ships anchored in its port.
Saturday, September 06, 2014
September 6th, 1914
- At dawn this morning, the Entente offensive begins, pitting 980 000 French and 100 000 British soldiers with 3000 guns against 750 000 Germans and 3300 guns between Verdun and Paris. Along the front, French armies that have been in retreat for almost two weeks turn and fall on their German pursuers. Joffre issues an appeal to the soldiers of the French army:
President Poincarè reads Joffre's appeal in Bordeaux, and well understands the stakes of the fight: 'We are going to play our part for all we are worth in what will be the greatest battle humanity has ever known.' Almost as soon as the appeal is issued, German soldiers of 4th Army come across the statement on captured French soldiers. It is immediately relayed to Moltke at OHL, which realizes that the fighting of yesterday by IV Reserve Corps is not a rearguard action, but is only one element of a major French counteroffensive all along the line. The Germans, as much as the French and British, now understand that the climactic battle is at hand.
- On the far west of the line, General Gronau's report of yesterday's fight against the French 6th Army prompts Kluck at 3am to order II Corps to march north to reinforce IV Reserve Corps along the Ourcq River. During the day, 6th Army launches a major assault against the two German corps, experiencing heavy losses while making no headway. The Germans suffer as well, however - after two days of combat IV Reserve Corps is on its last legs. The commander of II Corps telegrams Kluck at nightfall that further reinforcements are needed by 5am or the French will break through. In response, Kluck orders IV Corps to undertake a night march to the Ourcq. He has now pulled two corps out of his front line facing south in order to redirect them west to face the French advancing from Paris. For Joffre, his original plan - use 6th Army to turn the flank of the German 1st Army - has misfired.
- There are two remaining corps of the German 1st Army - III and IX - that are adjacent to 2nd Army and orientated south. Early this morning they are subject to heavy artillery bombardments from the French 5th Army opposite. Initially believed to be just another rearguard action, it quickly becomes apparent that the pursuer is now the pursued - 5th Army has turned and has gone over to the attack. From noon until nightfall, the three corps of 5th Army's left wing - I, III, and XVIII - fight the German III and IX Corps. Despite being outnumbered and completely surprised, the Germans counterattack to throw the French off-balance. The counterattack temporarily succeeds, but cannot halt the French completely - by the end of the day the three French corps have advanced five kilometres. Further, the two German corps suffer heavily in their effort to delay the French.
- In between the French 5th and 6th armies, the BEF this morning finally halts its retreat, and begins to advance. While Sir John French has agreed to participate in the French offensive, the caution and hesitancy he has shown over the past two weeks has not completely abandoned him. The movement of the BEF northward is extremely slow, worried about German ambushes. Though encountering no resistance, by nightfall the slow pace of the BEF advance leaves them still ten kilometres behind where Joffre wanted the BEF to be this morning.
- Further east, Joffre needs the French armies between 5th Army and Verdun to hold the line long enough to allow the counteroffensive to the west to succeed. On the eastern flank of 5th Army sits Foch's 9th Army, dug in on the southern side of the Marshes of St. Gond, which greatly restricted movement by large forces. Joffre's instructions to Foch was to protect the right flank of 5th Army while it attacked the German 2nd Army. Foch, as was his nature, believed the best way to do so was to attack. While his right is locked in artillery duels with the Germans, he orders his left - 42nd Division and the Moroccan Division, supported by IX Corps - to attack. They crash into the eastern flank of the German 2nd Army as they attempt to work their way around the western edges of the marsh. Bülow of 2nd Army insists on reinforcements from 3rd Army to the east, and the battle devolves into a stalemate.
- Beyond the French 9th Army sits 4th Army, while opposite is the German 4th Army. Duke Albrecht, commander of the German 4th Army, plans a major attack this morning to push back the French and relieve the pressure on the German 6th Army before Nancy. At dawn, however, a preemptive artillery attack by the French disrupts the Germans, and the attack bogs down without making significant progress. Duke Albrecht appeals to Hausen of 3rd Army to his west for support - thus 3rd Army today is pulled in opposite directions to support its neighbours, and combined with the day of rest Hausen gave his army yesterday it is unable to decisively influence the course of the battle today.
- In Lorraine the French 2nd Army continues to be battered by Rupprecht's offensive at Nancy. In response to Castlenau's telegram of yesterday, Joffre informs him today that the main counteroffensive has begun, and that he hoped 2nd Army could hold its position. However, he also states that a withdrawal would be acceptable to prevent a breakthrough.
- Even as the climactic battle rages, Joffre continues to purge the French army of officers he feels have failed to live up to his expectations. As of today, he has fired three army commanders, seven corps commanders, and thirty-four divisional commanders.
- One good piece of news for the Germans today is the surrender of the French fortress of Maubeuge, taking almost 33 000 prisoners and seizing 450 artillery pieces. The three brigades of VII Corps freed up by this surrender are now available to head south to the fighting along the Marne.
- In Galicia, the Russian 3rd and 8th armies attack the Austro-Hungarian 3rd and 2nd armies opposite. While the Russians make no headway, they fix the enemy forces on this front, rendering them unable to come to the aid of Austro-Hungarian armies to the north.
- Responding to Russian demands for an attack, the four divisions of the Serbian 1st Army cross the Sava River near Belgrade today and move into southern Hungary. The advance is primarily about making a political point - i.e. the weakness of Austria-Hungary - as opposed to any military objective, since the Serbs can hardly expect to occupy any significant amount of Austro-Hungarian territory for a prolonged period. The sortie does push Conrad to approve a second offensive against Serbia, which Potiorek has been calling for since his first failure in August.
- Since late August five columns of British and Imperial soldiers had been advancing from Nigeria into the German colony of Kamerun to the southeast. Each of these columns has been rebuffed, the last defeat coming today when the Cross River column is ambushed by the Germans, suffering 50% casualties, which include eight of eleven officers. This halts the British attempt to invade Kamerun by land fails, and the focus will turn instead to a naval landing. In Kamerun itself the British defeats have a decisive effect on morale. The Germans in Kamerun, as in other colonies, make use of askaris, or African soldiers, and for the first time they experienced victory over Europeans. Even if in service of another European colonial power, the legacy of Africans defeating Europeans is not to be underestimated.
Now, as the battle is joined on which the safety of the country depends, everyone must be reminded that this is no longer the time for looking back. Every effort must be made to attack and throw back the enemy. A unit which finds it impossible to advance must, regardless of cost, hold its ground and be killed on the spot rather than fall back. In the present circumstances no failure will be tolerated.
President Poincarè reads Joffre's appeal in Bordeaux, and well understands the stakes of the fight: 'We are going to play our part for all we are worth in what will be the greatest battle humanity has ever known.' Almost as soon as the appeal is issued, German soldiers of 4th Army come across the statement on captured French soldiers. It is immediately relayed to Moltke at OHL, which realizes that the fighting of yesterday by IV Reserve Corps is not a rearguard action, but is only one element of a major French counteroffensive all along the line. The Germans, as much as the French and British, now understand that the climactic battle is at hand.
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| The Western portion of the Battle of the Marne, Sept. 5th to 9th, 1914. |
- On the far west of the line, General Gronau's report of yesterday's fight against the French 6th Army prompts Kluck at 3am to order II Corps to march north to reinforce IV Reserve Corps along the Ourcq River. During the day, 6th Army launches a major assault against the two German corps, experiencing heavy losses while making no headway. The Germans suffer as well, however - after two days of combat IV Reserve Corps is on its last legs. The commander of II Corps telegrams Kluck at nightfall that further reinforcements are needed by 5am or the French will break through. In response, Kluck orders IV Corps to undertake a night march to the Ourcq. He has now pulled two corps out of his front line facing south in order to redirect them west to face the French advancing from Paris. For Joffre, his original plan - use 6th Army to turn the flank of the German 1st Army - has misfired.
- There are two remaining corps of the German 1st Army - III and IX - that are adjacent to 2nd Army and orientated south. Early this morning they are subject to heavy artillery bombardments from the French 5th Army opposite. Initially believed to be just another rearguard action, it quickly becomes apparent that the pursuer is now the pursued - 5th Army has turned and has gone over to the attack. From noon until nightfall, the three corps of 5th Army's left wing - I, III, and XVIII - fight the German III and IX Corps. Despite being outnumbered and completely surprised, the Germans counterattack to throw the French off-balance. The counterattack temporarily succeeds, but cannot halt the French completely - by the end of the day the three French corps have advanced five kilometres. Further, the two German corps suffer heavily in their effort to delay the French.
- In between the French 5th and 6th armies, the BEF this morning finally halts its retreat, and begins to advance. While Sir John French has agreed to participate in the French offensive, the caution and hesitancy he has shown over the past two weeks has not completely abandoned him. The movement of the BEF northward is extremely slow, worried about German ambushes. Though encountering no resistance, by nightfall the slow pace of the BEF advance leaves them still ten kilometres behind where Joffre wanted the BEF to be this morning.
- Further east, Joffre needs the French armies between 5th Army and Verdun to hold the line long enough to allow the counteroffensive to the west to succeed. On the eastern flank of 5th Army sits Foch's 9th Army, dug in on the southern side of the Marshes of St. Gond, which greatly restricted movement by large forces. Joffre's instructions to Foch was to protect the right flank of 5th Army while it attacked the German 2nd Army. Foch, as was his nature, believed the best way to do so was to attack. While his right is locked in artillery duels with the Germans, he orders his left - 42nd Division and the Moroccan Division, supported by IX Corps - to attack. They crash into the eastern flank of the German 2nd Army as they attempt to work their way around the western edges of the marsh. Bülow of 2nd Army insists on reinforcements from 3rd Army to the east, and the battle devolves into a stalemate.
- Beyond the French 9th Army sits 4th Army, while opposite is the German 4th Army. Duke Albrecht, commander of the German 4th Army, plans a major attack this morning to push back the French and relieve the pressure on the German 6th Army before Nancy. At dawn, however, a preemptive artillery attack by the French disrupts the Germans, and the attack bogs down without making significant progress. Duke Albrecht appeals to Hausen of 3rd Army to his west for support - thus 3rd Army today is pulled in opposite directions to support its neighbours, and combined with the day of rest Hausen gave his army yesterday it is unable to decisively influence the course of the battle today.
- In Lorraine the French 2nd Army continues to be battered by Rupprecht's offensive at Nancy. In response to Castlenau's telegram of yesterday, Joffre informs him today that the main counteroffensive has begun, and that he hoped 2nd Army could hold its position. However, he also states that a withdrawal would be acceptable to prevent a breakthrough.
- Even as the climactic battle rages, Joffre continues to purge the French army of officers he feels have failed to live up to his expectations. As of today, he has fired three army commanders, seven corps commanders, and thirty-four divisional commanders.
- One good piece of news for the Germans today is the surrender of the French fortress of Maubeuge, taking almost 33 000 prisoners and seizing 450 artillery pieces. The three brigades of VII Corps freed up by this surrender are now available to head south to the fighting along the Marne.
- In Galicia, the Russian 3rd and 8th armies attack the Austro-Hungarian 3rd and 2nd armies opposite. While the Russians make no headway, they fix the enemy forces on this front, rendering them unable to come to the aid of Austro-Hungarian armies to the north.
- Responding to Russian demands for an attack, the four divisions of the Serbian 1st Army cross the Sava River near Belgrade today and move into southern Hungary. The advance is primarily about making a political point - i.e. the weakness of Austria-Hungary - as opposed to any military objective, since the Serbs can hardly expect to occupy any significant amount of Austro-Hungarian territory for a prolonged period. The sortie does push Conrad to approve a second offensive against Serbia, which Potiorek has been calling for since his first failure in August.
- Since late August five columns of British and Imperial soldiers had been advancing from Nigeria into the German colony of Kamerun to the southeast. Each of these columns has been rebuffed, the last defeat coming today when the Cross River column is ambushed by the Germans, suffering 50% casualties, which include eight of eleven officers. This halts the British attempt to invade Kamerun by land fails, and the focus will turn instead to a naval landing. In Kamerun itself the British defeats have a decisive effect on morale. The Germans in Kamerun, as in other colonies, make use of askaris, or African soldiers, and for the first time they experienced victory over Europeans. Even if in service of another European colonial power, the legacy of Africans defeating Europeans is not to be underestimated.
Friday, September 05, 2014
September 5th, 1914
- Today is the 35th day since the mobilization of the German Army. According to the schedule of the Schlieffen Plan, the French are to be defeated by the 39th day. The battle brewing on the Marne will thus be the decisive battle of the campaign, and indeed one of the most important in history. A German triumph would mean victory over France and guarantee permanent German hegemony over the European continent, while defeat would plunge Germany into a prolonged war in which the weight of numbers would be against them. It is a fight to determine the course of the 20th-century, and as the soldiers of both sides begin their marches this morning they advance into history.
- At 3am, Joffre, desperate to confirm British confirmation in the impending offensive, sends a staff officer to BEF headquarters with a copy of General Instruction No. 6. When the officer returns to Joffre's headquarters at 930am, he reports the British 'lukewarm' to the idea of joining the French attack. Meanwhile, General Wilson takes General Instruction No. 6 to Sir John French, and spends the morning trying to persuade him of the merits of attack.
Joffre decides that a personal appeal must be made to secure British co-operation, so he drives the 115 miles to BEF headquarters, arriving at 2pm and meeting with Sir John French and his staff. With every hour crucial, Joffre dispenses with formalities and immediately launches into a passionate appeal. He says that this is the decisive moment of the war, and that every French soldier will be thrown into a fight upon which the future of France itself depended. Turning to the British, he exclaims 'I cannot believe the British Army will refuse to do its share in this supreme crisis.' Banging his fist on the table, he concludes 'The honour of England is at stake, Marshal!'
Silence fills the room as all eyes turn to the British Field Marshal. He has been listening with rapt attention. For the past two weeks he has struggled to preserve his command, in obedience to Kitchener's original instructions, only to be upbraided by Kitchener in Paris on the 1st. Now, at the decisive moment, the emotional appeal of Joffre breaks through his fears. His face reddens, and tears rolls down his cheek. He struggles to say something in French before giving up. Turning to Wilson, he cries out 'Damn it, I can't explain. Tell him that all man can do our fellows will do.'
For Joffre it is a moment of great relief - the last piece of his counteroffensive is now in place. The fact that, due to last night's march, the BEF is further south that originally believed, is a matter of mere detail. On returning to his headquarters Joffre states simply to his staff: 'Gentlemen, we will fight on the Marne.'
- At 7am, Moltke's General Directive of yesterday arrives at 1st Army headquarters. Again, the instructions for 1st Army to halt its advance makes no sense to General Kluck. He has a growing awareness that the French army has not yet been decisively defeated, but to his mind this makes his advance that much more essential, in order to turn the flank of the French 5th Army as soon as possible. Moreover, ignorant of the wider strategic situation, he is unaware of the extent to which French units have been redeployed from Lorraine to Paris, and thus continues to underrate the threat from the west. Finally, by the time Kluck receives Moltke's General Directive, his army has already begun its morning march. Kluck thus does not alter his orders for the day, and 1st Army crosses the Petit and Grand Morin Rivers, two tributaries of the Marne.
- Further to the east, two corps of 3rd Army have been in heavy combat with Foch's newly-renamed 9th Army. This morning, 3rd Army commander General Hausen, believing his force exhausted and overstretched, orders it to rest for the day. This order is a crucial gift to Foch - it allows him to close up a gap that had opened between his army and 4th Army to the west, and to entrench itself at the Saint-Gond Marshes.
- This evening a visitor arrives at 1st Army headquarters at Rebais between the two Morins - Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hentsch, head of OHL's Intelligence Section. Moltke has sent Hentsch on the 175-mile drive from OHL headquarters in Luxembourg to explain the state of the fighting along the Western Front and ensure that his General Directive of yesterday is obeyed. The information Hentsch brings hits Kluck like a bolt out of the blue. The Colonel informs Kluck that 6th and 7th armies have failed to break through at Nancy, and 4th and 5th armies are making poor progress near Verdun. This has allowed the French to redeploy significant forces to Paris, and that Kluck can expect an attack from that quarter any day. Kluck at last grasps the reasons behind Moltke's instructions to halt his advance - the further he moves south, the less able he will be to parry a major French attack from Paris, one which IV Reserve Corps alone cannot halt. At 10pm Kluck reluctantly orders 1st Army to turn around and retrace its steps northward beginning tomorrow morning back over the Marne. It is portrayed as a redeployment to prevent the French from interrupting German attacks further to the east, but there is no disguising the fact that, on the 35th day after mobilization, the German army is not supposed to be marching north.
- Even as Hentsch is en route to Kluck, and Joffre on the road to BEF headquarters, the Battle of the Marne begins before either side expected it. The French 6th Army is marching eastward out of Paris this morning towards the start line for its attack scheduled to begin tomorrow. General Manoury expected no fighting today, his cavalry having informed him that there were no Germans directly on his line of advance. However, his cavalry had missed the German IV Reserve Corps. Its commander, General Hans von Gronau, has been informed this morning by his own cavalry patrols that the French are advancing in strength on his position. Gronau is acutely aware of his place on the western flank of the German line - not only is he guarding the flank of 1st Army, but he is protecting the flank of the entire German army as it advances southward into France. The rest of 1st Army has marched far enough south to leave Gronau's corps on its own, and it quickly becomes apparent that the approaching French force significantly outnumbers his own, and intends to push by him and roll up the German flank. Gronau thus makes the courageous choice to attack - if the French advance can be disrupted, it might buy enough time for reinforcements to arrive from 1st Army. At noon, as the French 6th Army approaches the Ourcq River near Meux north of the Marne, they come under heavy artillery and machine gun fire. Taken by surprise, 6th Army goes to ground, engaging in a fierce firefight with IV Reserve Corps through the afternoon. By nightfall, Gronau concludes that he has won enough time to avoid the risk of envelopment to 1st Army, and withdraws IV Reserve Corps to the defensive line the French expected to assault tomorrow. In the last hours of the day, elements of the French 6th Army launch attacks on German positions that have already been abandoned.
- Heavy fighting continues around Nancy, and is particularly fierce near the Grand Couronné, where villages and even houses exchange hands several times today. The unrelenting German pressure prompts 2nd Army commander Castlenau to inform Joffre that his army is under heavy attack and may have to withdraw. Meanwhile, the Kaiser visits 6th Army headquarters today, in the expectation that he will witness the fall of Nancy. His hopes are disappointed, and Rupprecht is not impressed by Wilhelm II's presence, decrying his 'crass dilettantism' and 'deficient knowledge' of the military situation.
- Moltke is increasingly concerned with the situation west of Verdun. In addition to feeling that the decisive fight is on the front of 3rd, 4th, and 5th armies, a variety of reports prey on his pessimism. One agent reports numerous British reinforcements have landed in Belgium, while another report is downright fantastical. For the past two weeks, rumours have been rampant among the civilian population in Britain that tens of thousands of Russian troops have arrived in Scotland en route to the Western Front. It seems everyone knows someone who has seen the Russians moving south to the Channel ports. There is no factual basis for this rumour whatsoever, but by today the rumour has reached OHL, and Moltke, pessimistic and lacking confidence, is inclined to believe such reports. He is thus convinced there is a massive Anglo-Russian force assembling in Belgium and the French Channel ports, ready to descend on the rear of his armies on the Marne and annihilate them.
To forestall such a disaster, Moltke decides to create a new army in Belgium. His initial plan, however, is foiled by, of all people, the Kaiser. When OHL telegrams Rupprecht to redeploy two 6th Army, Wilhelm II, present at 6th Army headquarters, vetoes the order, believing that Rupprecht is on the brink of victory. Moltke lacks the will to overrule the Kaiser, so he has to scale down his plan. Instead, only XV Corps, currently part of 7th Army, is withdrawn from Lorraine to Belgium. In addition, General Heeringen and 7th Army headquarters accompanies XV Corps, and will assume command not only of XV Corps but of all other German forces in Belgium.
- In order to protect his own reputation in the worsening situation in Galicia, Conrad looks for scapegoats among his subordinate commanders - today he fires the commander of 3rd Army.
- The British light cruiser Pathfinder is torpedoed by the German submarine U-21 off the Scottish coast. Pathfinder, which sink with over half of her crew of 360 lost, is the first British warship to be sunk by a German submarine.
- Britain, France, and Russia today sign the Declaration of London, in which each agrees not to sign a separate peace with Germany and to continue in the war together until absolute victory is achieved.
 |
| The Western Front, Sept. 5th, 1914. |
Joffre decides that a personal appeal must be made to secure British co-operation, so he drives the 115 miles to BEF headquarters, arriving at 2pm and meeting with Sir John French and his staff. With every hour crucial, Joffre dispenses with formalities and immediately launches into a passionate appeal. He says that this is the decisive moment of the war, and that every French soldier will be thrown into a fight upon which the future of France itself depended. Turning to the British, he exclaims 'I cannot believe the British Army will refuse to do its share in this supreme crisis.' Banging his fist on the table, he concludes 'The honour of England is at stake, Marshal!'
Silence fills the room as all eyes turn to the British Field Marshal. He has been listening with rapt attention. For the past two weeks he has struggled to preserve his command, in obedience to Kitchener's original instructions, only to be upbraided by Kitchener in Paris on the 1st. Now, at the decisive moment, the emotional appeal of Joffre breaks through his fears. His face reddens, and tears rolls down his cheek. He struggles to say something in French before giving up. Turning to Wilson, he cries out 'Damn it, I can't explain. Tell him that all man can do our fellows will do.'
For Joffre it is a moment of great relief - the last piece of his counteroffensive is now in place. The fact that, due to last night's march, the BEF is further south that originally believed, is a matter of mere detail. On returning to his headquarters Joffre states simply to his staff: 'Gentlemen, we will fight on the Marne.'
- At 7am, Moltke's General Directive of yesterday arrives at 1st Army headquarters. Again, the instructions for 1st Army to halt its advance makes no sense to General Kluck. He has a growing awareness that the French army has not yet been decisively defeated, but to his mind this makes his advance that much more essential, in order to turn the flank of the French 5th Army as soon as possible. Moreover, ignorant of the wider strategic situation, he is unaware of the extent to which French units have been redeployed from Lorraine to Paris, and thus continues to underrate the threat from the west. Finally, by the time Kluck receives Moltke's General Directive, his army has already begun its morning march. Kluck thus does not alter his orders for the day, and 1st Army crosses the Petit and Grand Morin Rivers, two tributaries of the Marne.
- Further to the east, two corps of 3rd Army have been in heavy combat with Foch's newly-renamed 9th Army. This morning, 3rd Army commander General Hausen, believing his force exhausted and overstretched, orders it to rest for the day. This order is a crucial gift to Foch - it allows him to close up a gap that had opened between his army and 4th Army to the west, and to entrench itself at the Saint-Gond Marshes.
- This evening a visitor arrives at 1st Army headquarters at Rebais between the two Morins - Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hentsch, head of OHL's Intelligence Section. Moltke has sent Hentsch on the 175-mile drive from OHL headquarters in Luxembourg to explain the state of the fighting along the Western Front and ensure that his General Directive of yesterday is obeyed. The information Hentsch brings hits Kluck like a bolt out of the blue. The Colonel informs Kluck that 6th and 7th armies have failed to break through at Nancy, and 4th and 5th armies are making poor progress near Verdun. This has allowed the French to redeploy significant forces to Paris, and that Kluck can expect an attack from that quarter any day. Kluck at last grasps the reasons behind Moltke's instructions to halt his advance - the further he moves south, the less able he will be to parry a major French attack from Paris, one which IV Reserve Corps alone cannot halt. At 10pm Kluck reluctantly orders 1st Army to turn around and retrace its steps northward beginning tomorrow morning back over the Marne. It is portrayed as a redeployment to prevent the French from interrupting German attacks further to the east, but there is no disguising the fact that, on the 35th day after mobilization, the German army is not supposed to be marching north.
- Even as Hentsch is en route to Kluck, and Joffre on the road to BEF headquarters, the Battle of the Marne begins before either side expected it. The French 6th Army is marching eastward out of Paris this morning towards the start line for its attack scheduled to begin tomorrow. General Manoury expected no fighting today, his cavalry having informed him that there were no Germans directly on his line of advance. However, his cavalry had missed the German IV Reserve Corps. Its commander, General Hans von Gronau, has been informed this morning by his own cavalry patrols that the French are advancing in strength on his position. Gronau is acutely aware of his place on the western flank of the German line - not only is he guarding the flank of 1st Army, but he is protecting the flank of the entire German army as it advances southward into France. The rest of 1st Army has marched far enough south to leave Gronau's corps on its own, and it quickly becomes apparent that the approaching French force significantly outnumbers his own, and intends to push by him and roll up the German flank. Gronau thus makes the courageous choice to attack - if the French advance can be disrupted, it might buy enough time for reinforcements to arrive from 1st Army. At noon, as the French 6th Army approaches the Ourcq River near Meux north of the Marne, they come under heavy artillery and machine gun fire. Taken by surprise, 6th Army goes to ground, engaging in a fierce firefight with IV Reserve Corps through the afternoon. By nightfall, Gronau concludes that he has won enough time to avoid the risk of envelopment to 1st Army, and withdraws IV Reserve Corps to the defensive line the French expected to assault tomorrow. In the last hours of the day, elements of the French 6th Army launch attacks on German positions that have already been abandoned.
- Heavy fighting continues around Nancy, and is particularly fierce near the Grand Couronné, where villages and even houses exchange hands several times today. The unrelenting German pressure prompts 2nd Army commander Castlenau to inform Joffre that his army is under heavy attack and may have to withdraw. Meanwhile, the Kaiser visits 6th Army headquarters today, in the expectation that he will witness the fall of Nancy. His hopes are disappointed, and Rupprecht is not impressed by Wilhelm II's presence, decrying his 'crass dilettantism' and 'deficient knowledge' of the military situation.
- Moltke is increasingly concerned with the situation west of Verdun. In addition to feeling that the decisive fight is on the front of 3rd, 4th, and 5th armies, a variety of reports prey on his pessimism. One agent reports numerous British reinforcements have landed in Belgium, while another report is downright fantastical. For the past two weeks, rumours have been rampant among the civilian population in Britain that tens of thousands of Russian troops have arrived in Scotland en route to the Western Front. It seems everyone knows someone who has seen the Russians moving south to the Channel ports. There is no factual basis for this rumour whatsoever, but by today the rumour has reached OHL, and Moltke, pessimistic and lacking confidence, is inclined to believe such reports. He is thus convinced there is a massive Anglo-Russian force assembling in Belgium and the French Channel ports, ready to descend on the rear of his armies on the Marne and annihilate them.
To forestall such a disaster, Moltke decides to create a new army in Belgium. His initial plan, however, is foiled by, of all people, the Kaiser. When OHL telegrams Rupprecht to redeploy two 6th Army, Wilhelm II, present at 6th Army headquarters, vetoes the order, believing that Rupprecht is on the brink of victory. Moltke lacks the will to overrule the Kaiser, so he has to scale down his plan. Instead, only XV Corps, currently part of 7th Army, is withdrawn from Lorraine to Belgium. In addition, General Heeringen and 7th Army headquarters accompanies XV Corps, and will assume command not only of XV Corps but of all other German forces in Belgium.
- In order to protect his own reputation in the worsening situation in Galicia, Conrad looks for scapegoats among his subordinate commanders - today he fires the commander of 3rd Army.
- The British light cruiser Pathfinder is torpedoed by the German submarine U-21 off the Scottish coast. Pathfinder, which sink with over half of her crew of 360 lost, is the first British warship to be sunk by a German submarine.
- Britain, France, and Russia today sign the Declaration of London, in which each agrees not to sign a separate peace with Germany and to continue in the war together until absolute victory is achieved.
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