Verdun to the Vosges

5–12 September 1914

First Battle of the Marne

CHAPTER I

Departure from London, September 8th, 1914—A German 1 officer’s analysis of the invaders’ plan of campaign—Paris—General condition of doubt and uncertainty—Travelling during the Battle of the Marne—Effect in France of the news of the victory

CHAPTER XIV

The attack on Nancy from the north—St. Généviève—The 155 assault—How it was repulsed—The attack from the east—Dombasle—Courbesseau—Réméréville—Soldiers’ disregard of fire—In Champagne—French disadvantages in Lorraine—Their gallantry—Individualism—Main attack from north-east—Attack on plateau of Amance—September 8th—Importance of the date—What it meant to the Kaiser—Final assault on Amance—Relations between Battle of the Marne and Battle of the Grand Couronné—Bombardment of Nancy—The German retreat—Last struggle in Champenoux—Losses of the victors—Their graves—The horror of the horizon—The reassurance of the front

CHAPTER I

To-day all this sounds very fantastic and foolish—the idle vapourings of an irresponsible young man of no importance. But that it was in outline the German plan there is no doubt, and, but for the heroic resistance of de Castlenau and Foch and Dubail on the eastern frontier and the taxi-cab march of Gallieni’s Paris army and the other circumstances which caused that curious flank march of von Kluck’s on the north at the moment when his part in the programme was on the eve of completion, it might have gone near to succeeding. We know that if it had it would not have ended the war, for the French would undoubtedly have sacrificed Paris and fought to the bitter end, rather than agree to the proffered peace. But up to the end of the Battle of the Marne no one could say with any approach to certainty that they would not be put to the test.

CHAPTER I

When at last we started, at midnight, the atmosphere of the crowded carriage was so suffocating that I migrated to the corridor and tried to sleep, with a suit case for a pillow, on the floor, while other restless passengers walked about on various parts of my body. Once more we stopped at every station with a violent bumping and jolting, repeated at each fresh start, and due to the combined facts that the train was about a quarter of a mile long, that it was made up of a job lot of carriages, and that the understudies of the regular drivers and stokers mobilized for active service were not very well up in their parts. Still, all things considered, we were uncommonly lucky to reach Dijon in thirteen hours instead of in five; and, all things considered, we knew quite well that we had nothing to complain of. As the Battle of the Marne was being fought at an average distance of about seventy miles from the line on which we were travelling, the wonder was that passenger trains were running at all. When the real history of the war is written a good deal will have to be said of the splendid way in which the railwaymen of France have done their important but trying and dreary share of the country’s work in the country’s hour of need.