The First Battle of the Marne marked the end of the German sweep into France and the beginning of the trench warfare that was to characterise World War One.
It was fought from 6–12 September 1914. It resulted in an Allied victory against the German armies in the west.
Countries Involved: |
The First Battle of the Marne was fought between Germany and the allies of France and Britain fought near the Marne River in France. There were over 1,400,000 German soldiers under the leadership of General Helmuth von Moltke. The French and British had just over 1,000,000 soldiers including six French armies and one British army. The French were led by General Joseph Joffre and the British by General John French.
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What Happened?
Alerted by French air reconnaissance and radio intercepts, the first time either had been used in a major conflict, French commander in chief Joseph Joffre ordered an attack on Germany, At first, British leader Sir John French said his men were too tired from the retreat to attack. However, British war minister, Lord Kitchener, convinced him to join with General Joffre in the attack.
As the Germans advanced, their armies became strung out and a large gap grew between the First and Second German armies. The Allies took advantage of this gap and charged between the two armies splitting the German forces. Then they attacked from all sides confusing the Germans. After a few days of fighting, the Germans were forced to retreat. The German forces were exhausted by the time they reached Paris. Some of the soldiers had marched over 150 miles |
The armies on both sides of the First Battle of the Marne suffered heavy casualties. The Allies had around 263,000 soldiers wounded including 81,000 that died. Around 220,000 Germans were injured or killed.
The battle was considered a major victory, however, for the Allies. By holding off the German army, they had forced Germany to fight the war on two fronts. As the Russians began to attack from the east, German forces had to be diverted to the east while still trying to hold off the French and the British in the west. However, the Anglo-French victory had been due in part to the fact that the Germans had outrun their logistics and their heavy artillery, used to crushing advantage in earlier battles
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