Military Operations, France and Belgium 1914, vol. 1

23 August 1914

Battle of Mons

XXV

" Mons " : " Die Schlacht bei Mons."

SITUATION AT NIGHTFALL 83

2 Lieut.-General von Zwehl in " Militar Wochenblatt " No. 36, of September 1919. For the German formations in action at Mons see later in this Chapter.

THE GERMAN ACCOUNT OF MONS

The monograph " Die Schlacht bei Mons," published by the German General Staff at the end of 1919, gives a very clear account of the fight, with excellent maps showing the attacks of the different corps. According to this, sketch 3. 3J divisions (the 17th, 18th, 6th and part of 5th) of the Map 5. First Army attacked the British 3rd Division, and 2J (part of 5th, the 7th and 8th) the British 5th Division.

APPENDIX 29 489

I have tried to write a bit of my despatch on every day when I could spare a few minutes. I have got the story fairly complete and accurate in despatch form up to our retirement from St. Quentin on Friday the 28th. That is practically when we threw off the bulk of the enemy after our first fight on the Mons position.

26 August 1914

Battle of Le Cateau (1914)

PREFACE

The British Expeditionary Force in France in 1914 was not acting independently, and formed only a small part of the Allied Armies engaged ; it has therefore been necessary to include an account of the action of the French and Belgian forces sufficient to provide a proper frame- work for the British operations. As regards the Belgian Army, ample material for this purpose has been published by the Belgian General Staff. The French General Staff has not yet issued any history, but much information with regard to the French plans and operations has already been made public : officially in the reports of Parliamentary Enquiries, semi-officially by historians like M. Hanotaux, M. Engerand, M. Madelin and General Palat (Pierre Lehautcouri), and in the form of reminiscences and memoirs by actual participants, such as Generals Lanrezac, Gallie'ni, Dubail and Mangin. It was not, therefore, thought necessary to trouble the French General Staff except as regards the incident of the assistance rendered by General Sordet's Cavalry Corps at the battle of Le Cateau, when a copy of the war diary of the troops concerned was very courteously furnished. With this exception, it must be understood that for the French operations the only absolutely authoritative statements quoted are the orders, instructions, intelligence reports, etc., received officially by G.H.Q. from the French Grand Quartier General.

THE CLOSE OF THE BATTLE OF LE CATEAU AND THE CONTINUA-

THE CLOSE OF THE BATTLE OF LE CATEAU AND THE CONTINUA- TION OF THE RETREAT. 26TH-28TH AUGUST. 5 P.M. TO NIGHTFALL : The Right of the Line . . . . . .176

THE CONTINUATION OF THE RETREAT ON THE 27TH AND

II. The German Corps at the Battle of Le Cateau . 200

DIFFICULTIES OF THE RETIREMENT 111

1 The leading German corps avoided crossing the Forest from north to south. The III. Corps sent advanced guards by two of the transverse roads from west to east to secure the eastern edge ; and the IV. Corps also sent a column from west to east by the road south of the Forest to Landrecies, as will be seen. The IX. Corps crossed it with infinite pre- cautions by the main road from Berlaimont from east to west, two days after the battle of Le Cateau. The next corps to the east, the X. Reserve (at Etreux on the 27th), with Richthofen's Cavalry Corps, moved well to the east of the Forest. 2 Appendix 13.

26–30 August 1914

Battle of Tannenberg (1914)

BULOW'S VIEWS 299

All this time, from the 5th to the 9th September,2 no orders came from the Supreme Command, which was established more than 130 miles away at Luxembourg, in no better communication with the Armies than was possible by wireless and by liaison officers in motor cars.3 Much of its attention seems to have been directed towards the Russian front. Tannenberg had been fought (26th-29th August) and Samsonov's Army annihilated, but the battle of the Masurian Lakes against Rennenkampf was beginning only on the 8th September. On the south-east front, though the Austrians had had some small initial successes on the left at Krasnik (25th August), and Komarow(26th August to 2nd September), the Russians had steadily

5–12 September 1914

First Battle of the Marne

FROM THE GERMAN SIDE .... 296

The German Retirement from the Battle of the Marne . 319

PAGE

32. General Joffre's General Order for the battle of the Marne

TO WHICH MOST FREQUENT REFERENCE IS MADE

An account of the battle of the Marne and the events leading to it, founded on official records. It is written particularly from the point of view of the German Third Army by a Saxon general. This was the first German book which told the truth about the Marne.

TO WHICH MOST FREQUENT REFERENCE IS MADE

A further contribution to the solution of the question of responsibility for the orders to retreat at the battle of the Marne.