The march on Paris and the battle of the Marne, 1914

5–12 September 1914

First Battle of the Marne

AUTHOR’S PREFACE

The following review of events was completed on the 6th February, 1918. The books which have since been published on the period dealt with, such as Major Bircher’s valuable contribution on the Battle of the Marne, that of Field-Marshal French (which appeared in the summer of 1919), and General Maurice’s “ Forty Days in 1914,” have not been taken into account. The temptation to enter into the controversies raised by General Baumgarten-Crusius’s work has been avoided, although it undoubtedly contains facts of great import- ance; so also with the books of Field-Marshal von Billow and General von Hausen. Only opinions formed at the time are recorded; those arrived at later have been omitted.

CHAPTER FACE

IV. The Battle on the Ourcq — Continued.

BRUSSELS— ANTWEKP

Meanwhile the Lines of Communication Headquarters were moved forward to Aix-ia-Chapelle, and on the 19th that area was extended up to the Meuse. They ren- dered the most valuable services to the First Army during the advance to the Seine and during the battle on the Ourcq, as well as in the trench warfare that followed. On the 19th, a new bridge for heavy traffic was completed at Vise, and preparations were made to move the Lines of Communication Headquarters to Tongres and then to St. Trond. After making bridge- heads, the 10th Landwehr Brigade occupied all the river-crossings between Vise and Herstal, thereby re- lieving the detachments of the first line troops who had

PARIS— CEOSSING THE MARNE

The difficult backwards wheel of the Army was now to commence that led to the bloody battle on the Ourcq, and brought tJie First Army to Nanteuil-le-Haudouin and Baron, in its effort to force Maunoury back against the Therouane and on Dammartin, and disorganize his Army.