MEUSE-ARGONNE 



5378 



MEUSE-ARGONNE 



which the Germans of the 2nd and 

 3rd armies were pouring. The 

 defence of the Meuse was not 

 energetic, and was unsuccessful. 



On Aug. 25, troops of the 4th 

 German army (duke of Wurttem- 

 berg) bridged the river at Remilly, 

 and during the following night 

 forced a passage at Donchery, 

 below Sedan. On Aug. 26 there 

 was violent fighting at these points, 

 and the German artillery drove the 

 French back from the outskirts of 

 Torcy, S.W. of Sedan, where the 

 bridge over the Meuse had been 



BATTLES OF THE 



MEUSE 



1914 



English Miles 



10 



L'imrb of Zone of 



LG I U M 



Meuse. Sketch map showing dispositions of the 

 opposing armies in the series of battles in August, 1914 



left intact through want of ex- 

 plosives. The centre of the French 

 position had been pierced ; but after 

 crossing the river the Germans were 

 checked, though they had secured 

 a good bridge-head S. of Sedan. 



A fresh front was formed by 

 the French from Sassey and Luzy,- 

 on the Meuse, along the high 

 ground S. of the river near Sedan, 

 with their left in the air W. of 

 Mezieres, near Signy 1'Abbaye ; 

 and Langle de Gary resolved to 

 fight on this line. On Aug. 20 

 the Germans bridged the river at 

 several points between Cesse and 

 Luzy, and threatened his right. 

 Other bridges were constructed by 

 them at Mouzon, and they began 

 to develop an advance along the 

 whole Meuse front, and to push S. 

 from Remilly and Sedan, but 

 suffered a severe repulse at Noyers. 

 This caused so much alarm to the 

 4th German army command that 

 it demanded aid from the 3rd 

 army (Hausen), stating that the 

 8th corps had been brought to a 



complete standstill S. of Sedan. 

 Hausen, however, was ordered by 

 the supreme command to march 

 S.W., and he did not go to the 

 4th army's aid. His advance 

 towards Signy 1'Abbaye, neverthe- 

 less, brought him on the flank of 

 the 4th French army. 



On the night of Aug. 27 Langle 

 de Gary issued orders to the French 

 to resume the battle next day, and 

 drive the Germans back into the 

 Meuse. The Germans were attack- 

 ing on the French right, where 

 their advance from the Meuse 

 became most 

 threatening, and 

 on the French left, 

 where they were 

 held in check with 

 severe fighting in 

 the direction of 

 Signy 1'Abbaye. 

 In the centre, the 

 French troops 

 gained ground 

 towards Sedan, 

 and German 

 troops recrossed 

 the Meuse. In the 

 early morning, and 

 again in the early 

 afternoon, a fresh 

 cry for aid was 

 addressed by the 

 German 4th army 

 to Hausen, with 

 the warning that 

 the Germans had 

 been compelled to 

 withdraw their 

 left towards Olizy. 

 Hausen therefore 

 ordered his 12th 

 and 19th corps to 

 move S.E. on the 

 28th. The existence of his army 

 was not, so far, known to the 

 French. 



The French had won a distinct 

 success, handling the German 4th 

 army very severely, and had their 

 reserves been thrown in, it is 

 possible that they might have 

 gained a great victory, as the 

 German 5th army was paralysed 

 by orders from Moltke to be ready 

 to send troops to Russia. The 

 situation was generally good on the 

 French front, but Langle, in view 

 of Joffre's orders for a retreat, 

 decided to fall back on the Aisne, 

 to the immense disappointment 

 of his troops. He retired rapidly, 

 abandoning a great extent of 

 country and the Argonne, where 

 there were many opportunities of 

 fighting delaying actions. His con- 

 duct of the battle has been severe!} 7 

 criticised by French authorities, who 

 blame him for failing to utilise great 

 opportunities to deliver the counter 

 attacks which Joffre had ordered,' 

 whenever possible, and for the dis- 



connected, incoherent character of 

 the fighting. The population of 

 the country he traversed fled, re- 

 proaching his troops for their re- 

 treat, and embarrassing his move- 

 ments. Langle de Gary was, how- 

 ever, maintained in his command 

 by Joffre. The casualties on both 

 sides were heavy. H. w. Wilson 



Meuse- Argonne. District of 

 France between the Meuse and the 

 west edge of the Argonne forest, 

 in which the Americans, assisted by 

 the French, made an offensive 

 against the Germans, in Sept.- 

 Nov., 1918. The first American 

 army was secretly transferred to 

 the W. side of the Meuse, and after 

 an intensive artillery preparation, 

 the infantry advanced to the at- 

 tack on the morning of Sept. 26. 

 This initial attack, which was a 

 complete surprise to the Germans, 

 was successful, Vauquois and Var- 

 ennes being captured, and Mont- 

 faucon entered and evacuated. 

 Simultaneously the 4th French 

 army advanced in E. Champagne. 



The attack was renewed in 

 strength on Oct. 4, and continued 

 throughout that month. Among 

 the outstanding incidents of the 

 campaign were the piercing of the 

 Kriemhilde line and the capture of 

 Romagne on Oct. 14, and the de- 

 feat of the Prussian Guard at the 

 Cote de Chatillon on Oct. 16 after 

 a fight lasting 48 hours. Grandpre 

 was stormed by the 77th division 

 on the same day, was evacuated, 

 and finally gained on Oct. 23. 



An important offensive began on 

 Nov. 1, when the Americans ad- 

 vanced to a depth of about 4 m., 

 taking several villages and 3,690 

 prisoners. Buzancy was captured 

 on Nov. 2, Beaufort fell on Nov. 4, 

 as also did Beaumont. The con- 

 tinued pressure of the Americans 

 forced the Germans to retreat 

 rapidly. By Nov. 7 the former had 

 reached the left bank of the Meuse 

 opposite Sedan, while the strategic 

 crossing at Stenay was secured 

 shortly before the armistice. 



This 46 days' campaign had an 

 important effect in hastening the 

 German collapse, and while its 

 progress was not so rapid as that 

 of the British and French in the 

 centre of the battle-front, it served 

 its purpose, chief pf which was the 

 bending of the German left wing. 

 As the result of it the vital Mont- 

 mcdy-Sedan rly. was cut and 

 the Metz -Mezieres rly. rendered 

 useless to the German com- 

 munications. There is no doubt 

 that had the armistice not 

 been signed the American vic- 

 tories would have considerably 

 .helped to cut off practically the 

 whole of the German armies. See 

 Argonne, Campaigns in the. 



