First Marne

September 5-12, 1914

Due to the pull back at the western end of the front, Paris is under threat from the German 1st and 2nd Armies, a threat that French high command has to take very seriously.  In response to it General Joffre agrees to create a new army, the French 6th for the defense of the capitol.  He put that defense under the command of a canny but ailing retired general, Joseph Gallieni.  It is a fateful decision.  It is his idea to use the defense forces in cooperation with the other French armies in an assault on the Axis.

The German Army "shortcut" to the east of Paris is threatening to collide with the westernmost flank of the combined forces of the French army and the British Expeditionary Force, both of which are in increasing disarray.  British General French is making plans to withdraw back across the channel to rest and refit, when he is ordered to make a stand at the River Marne, which flows eastward into the Seine at Paris.  A widening gap between the German armies is a golden opportunity for the Allies.

As the newly formed French 6th Army attacks the German 1st, the BEF exploits the gap between the German armies.   Reconnaissance from the air, is effective in informing the French and British where opportunities lie.   6000 French troops are ferried to the front by Parisian taxi cabs, which are impressed into service.  By September 9th, the situation is so critical for the Germans, that they order a retreat of their own back to the River Aisne.  It is a very encouraging result for the Allies, who have been wondering where their long retreat would end.