New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-07-31


and ended in the complete decentralization
of the Belgian army.
Once the German advance was begun 1t
swept irresistibly forward. One force
under Won Kluck moved straight on Brus-
sells; a second. under Won Buelow, crossed
the Mouse at Huy and advanced upon Ma
muir and a third came through the Ar
dennes and struck at the line of the Meuse
above Namur. Brussels fell on August 20,
the Belgian army fled to Antwerp and the
German army, having passed the capital,
started south for Paris. The Belgian
phase ended on August % with the
abrupt fall of Namur and the opening bat
ties between the German armies and the
Anglo French forces of the north.
French Disaster (Aug. 4-1s).
While the Germans were coming
through Belgium the French had attempt
ed to invade Alsace- Lorraine, had been
successful at the start, and then heavily
beaten east of Metz and driven in disorder
into French territory about Nancy. A
second French offensive across the Meuse
into Belgian Luxembourg had met with an
other defeat. At the moment when the
German forces Of the north struck the
Allied armies along the Sambre and the
Mouse from Mons to Givet the French
armies from Switzerland to the Belgian
frontier were retreating in disorder.
To meet the German advance through
Belgium the French and British took their
stand in the angle between the Meuse and
the Sambre rivers. The position was
naturally strong, but was based upon the
Belgian fortress of Namur. To the utter
of the world Namur fell within
a few hours, the British about Mons were
struck in front and flank by overwhelm-
ing forces and the French were driven out
of their positions west and south of Ma
muir.
The opening battles of Mons and Char
leroi were between some 10000 Allied
troops and 100000 Germans. Both bat
ties were broken off before they reached a
decision. both were Allied defeats and they
opened the way to the possible destruc-
tion of the whole Allied forces in the
north at the moment that the French
armies in the east were retreating after
having been routed.
The Great Retreat aug. 22-Sept. 81.
On August % the German armies were
in full pursuit of the Allies from Switzer-
land to the Sambre. The great problem
was now whether Won Kluck could destroy
the British army on the extreme left, in
terpose between Paris and the whole AL
lied battle front, cut off the retreating
armies and roll them up in such an en-
velopment as had won the war Of 1870.
For the Allies the single effort was to
escape the net, get south to point where
they could again put line in front of the
Germans.
All this week the British army occupied
the danger point, was almost enveloped,
escaped only by retreating day and night,
lost heavily in men and equipment, but
finally escaped after fighting a number Of
rear guard battles. The French armies,
on their part, retreated with greater de-
liberation and were never in great danger.
Bv September the French and British
were once more in line from the Vosges TO
the walls of Paris, but all Northern
r. - a
victorious German army was assalling
Nancy. 1t was no longer possible for the
Allies to retreat without abandoning Paris,
and the Germans, still on schedule time,
were within sight of the outer forts of the
French capital.
Battle of the Marine (Sept. 7-1o).
At the opening of this great battle the
French held line from Paris to Verdun,
curving deeply to the south. On this line
Joffre had been concentrating his forces
since the opening defeats. Now the Ger
mans were in turn threatened with envel-
opment from Paris and from Verdun, and
about Paris a new French army had been
collected, which theoretically struck east
upon Won Kluck's flank.
But the decisive point in the Battle of
the Marine was about La Fere Champe-
noise, and the first heavy blow was struck
here by General Foch. On September 9
the whole French line, after two weeks of
steady retreat, suddenly struck back, de-
feated the Germans in a number of terrific
engagements and drove all the German
armies from Lorraine to Lagny back in a
complete defeat which amounted to rout
at certain points. At the moment when
Berlin was waiting to hear of the fall Of
Paris all the German armies were in re-
treat. France was not to be overwhelmed.
In this battle more than 100000 were
engaged, the losses were not less than
100000 and the battle front was nearly
two hundred miles long.