Battle of tannenberg significance11/29/2023 ![]() The French forced this German Army back, widening the gap between the two German forces. The French 5th Army launched a surprise attack against the German 2nd Army. With the French 6th Army being reinforced and holding its ground, the Allies now made use of the gap that had appeared in German lines. Legend or otherwise, the movement of reserves by public transport was highly effective. The 6th French Army pushed back the Germans. The success of moving the reserve to the front through use of vehicles had a huge impact on morale in Paris. Whilst the footage clearly shows that taxis were used, and there is documented evidence of the actual taxi fares (70,012 francs is cited in several books) there is also a strong suggestion that many were transported by train. Some 6000 troops from the reserve arrived at the front and were instrumental in enforcing the German retreat. Famously, these reserves were ferried to the front by Parisian taxis. It led to the need for urgent reinforcements being sent to the front. The French suffered heavy losses against the Germans. This identified a gap in German lines which the Allies were able to exploit during the battle. However, the move opened up a gap in the German line which was observed by British air reconnaissance. As the French 6th army advanced the German General von Kluck ordered his men to cross to the north bank of the Marne. ![]() On the 6th September 1914 the assault commenced. The Germans had halted their advance and had two armies along the banks of the Marne. The way that troops had moved in the days leading up to the start of the battle meant that the French and British had a solid defensive line that was compact. It would be a hard drive through the centre with two large flanking maneuvers. As the main attack hit the centre of the German line, reserve troops would assault the Germans flanks and replace men and units lost or withdrawn from the central engagement. All available forces would be committed to the attack. The combined forces of the French and British would launch a full scale assault on the German army. The German army was now in the Marne Valley. This meant that the best means of protecting the city was to drive back the Germans. Any prolonged siege would be hard to sustain defensively. Neither the British or French had huge numbers of soldiers available for the defence of Paris. The Plan for the First Battle of the Marne The French Governor of Paris, Joseph Gallieni. Lord Kitchener was persuaded of the need to do so and plans for withdrawal were shelved. The French were determined to continue and to fight for Paris. ![]() The British began planning for an evacuation, Sir John French, commander of the British Expeditionary Force was concerned at the likely losses and doubted the ability to hold Paris. Should the french capital be lost, the war in the west may be over quickly. It appeared that they would now assault Paris. After each small scale battle they had moved along the frontier and launched another assault. German troops were well equipped, mobile and strong in number. The British and French troops had struggled against the German army in the Battle of the Frontiers. Related content: Public reaction to the outbreak of war (British) Objective: Holding Paris Even at this early stage in the war, it was clear that this objective was not going to be met: the Russians had already engaged with German troops at Tannenberg on 26-28th August 1914. The Schlieffen Plan that they were basing their strategy on required France to be defeated before the Russians mobilised. Strategically this was quite important for the Germans. If successful, the war could be won quickly. The next phase saw German troops manoeuvre into positions where they could sweep around Allied lines toward Paris. Though they had had some success, they had been unable to capitalise upon them. However, reinforcements had been unable to reach the front lines fast enough in these early exchanges. Germany had hoped to sweep to a quick victory. The early stages of the First World War had seen German forces attack along the Frontiers of North East France and into Belgium. The consequence though was the onset of four years of Trench Warfare. The ‘Miracle of the Marne’ saw the German Army forced to retreat. The British Expeditionary Force and French army launched a counter attack along the Marne River. After the opening exchanges of the war, in the Battle of the Frontiers, the German army was poised to advance on Paris. Though a short battle compared to ones that would follow, it was hugely significant. Between the 6th and 10th of September 1914 the Allies and Germans fought the First Battle of the Marne.
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