The Battle of the MarnePerris, G. H. (George Herbert)
History
The Battle of the Marne
Perris, G. H. (George Herbert)
Marne, 1st Battle of the, France, 1914; World War, 1914-1918 -- Campaigns -- France
A German brochure on the battle of the Marne——_Die Schlachten an der
Marne_ (Berlin: Mittler & Sohn. 1916), by a “German Staff Officer”
who was evidently an eye-witness, and probably a member of the staff
either of General von Kluck, or of General von Moltke, chief of the
Grand Staff from the beginning of the war till after the battle, says
the plan was to rest on the defensive from the Swiss frontier to the
Donon, while the mass of the armies rolled the French up south of the
Seine, and Reserve and Landwehr Corps advanced to the coast to stop the
landing of British troops. “By all human provisions, this plan might
have been carried out by the end of September 1914.”
A French translation of this interesting booklet (_Une Version
Allemande de la Marne_. Brussels et Paris: G. Van Oest et Cie. 1917)
includes also a critical study by M. Joseph Reinach, a part of which
is given to the results of an examination of the maps taken on German
dead, wounded, and prisoners in the beginning of the war. These
Staff maps fall into four categories, of which three date from the
mobilisation or earlier, and so throw light on the original plan of
campaign, while one set was distributed at a later date. The former
are: (1) sets of maps of Belgium——the whole country——in seventy
sheets, reproducing the Belgian “60,000th” Staff map, and dated 1906,
another evidence of premeditation. (2) The north-east of France, from
the French “80,000” map, with names in French, but explanations in
Italian, dated 1910. These had evidently been printed for the use of
Italian troops, but, when Italy declared itself neutral, had been
distributed to German officers from motives of economy. (3) The north
and north-east of France in 87 sheets, _not including Paris_, dated
from 1905 to 1908, and distributed to German officers on the eve of
the mobilisation. These are based upon the French “80,000” map, with
some variations and special markings. They include the whole of the
eastern and northern frontiers from Belfort to Dunkirk; the significant
thing is their limits on the west and south. On the west they include
the regions of Dunkirk, St. Omer, Arras, Amiens, Montdidier and
Beauvais, but not those of Calais, Boulogne, Abbeville, and Rouen.
At 30 or 40 miles north of Paris, they turn eastward, including the
sectors of Soissons and Rheims, but excluding those of Paris and Meaux.
They then turn south again, including the Chalôns, Arcis, and Troyes
sheets; and the southern limit is the regions of Troyes, Chaumont,
and Mirécourt, (4) Finally, there is a set of 41 sheets supplementary
to the last named, printed in 1914, and either distributed at a later
date, or intended for armies other than those of the first invasion.
These included Calais and the Channel coast, Rouen, Paris, Meaux, to
the south thereof the regions of the Orleanais, Berry, the Nivernais,
including the great manufacturing centre of Le Creusot, the north of
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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