The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-01

Surprise a. Paris Gates.
on September s the Germsns swep,
Scissors and reached Previns
and Nogent-sur-Seine. the high water
mark OF their advance. On that day
Jonre decided that the retreat was al
an end. In the eyes o. the Germans
Paris had already fallen. But they did
not see the troops that were even then
marching through the streets of the
capital. they did not know what was
in Joffre's mind, they could not guess
at the number and quality OF the French
reserves or the brains of Gen. Foch. ,
their commander, near Sszanne.
on September 6 Gen, Joffre issued a
proclamation to his troops saying the
fate Of France depended on the battle
about to be begun. that forces unable to
hold their ground must die rather thar
yield. that every effort must be directed
to attacking and repulslng the enemy.
Joffre announced to Sir Job French,
the British commander, that the day
for the counter offensive had arrived.
The position Of the armies was as fol-
lows on September 8:
Gen. Won kiuck was wheeling his
right. northeast Of Paris. to ~envelop the
Fifth French army the Wuerttemberg
army was driving hard at Vitry to
, pierce the French centre: the Crown
Prince had pushed southwest Of YER
dun and was awaiting the great how
: tiers from Belgium to smash the fort
as they had battered down the Liege
and Namur defences; Maubeuge. the
northern frontier fort, still holding out,
was at its last extremity. Gen. Joffre
had at last got his reserves into line bu,
was still
From a point southwest OF Scissors,
through Chalons-sur-Marne and north
OF Nerdun. almost to the Swiss border.
the Germans held a line Of 200 miles.
at that time the most extended battle
line in history. Along this front the
battle Of the Marine ragged for
eight days. The French were exposed
to four pressing dangers-that Won
Kluck would get around the left n
dash against Paris. that the Wuerttem-
bergers woul pierce the centre, that
Verdun might fall. that De Castelnau
could not hold the heights OF Nancy,
French Envelop Won Kluck.
Instead Of this the French left out
fought Won Kluck and enveloped him.
forcing him to fall back and uncover
Won Buelow at the centre the Duke OF
Wuerttemberg after o u days desperate
driving at the French centre was forced
to fall back north OF the Champagne
Pouilleuse Verdun was intact and the
Kaiser, who was ready for a triumph
ant march into Nancy, had turned away
in bitter disappointment from a dream
which had not come true.
The final blow which shattered Ger
man hopes on the Marine was delivered
by Gen. Manoury's Sixth Army on the
Ourocq. A large force Of reserves had
been held in Paris and when the time
came for the decisive battle every taxi
cab in the capital was reGuisitioned to
rush them to the front. The army was
increased to about 10000 men. For
several days this force had been plug
cling at the German right wins when
on September 10 Sir John French and
Gen. Manoury Joined forces In ar over
whelming drive at Won Kluck's ARM
and forced it to fall back.
At the same time Gen. Foch. who had
been engaging the Saxon right wing,
and Won Buelow at the centre, took ad-
vantage Of a stormy night to thrust
a wedge between these two forces and
for two days fought a battle on two
fronts, finally driving the Germans into
the marshes of st. Gond, where their
losses were tremendous, Then, the Ger
man centre bent and the right falling
back, the German retreat began.
The Crown Prince, who had got we'll
TO the south OF Verdun. was caught In
a trap and large forces had to he de-
tached from the German centre to ex-
tr,cate him. On September II the gen.
eral retirement OF the Germans was In
full swing and II kept up until the In.
vaders had reached the Aisne. where
, they mad already dug intrenchments and
prepared a position Of immense strength
for the next phase Of the war-ths win