LAND AND WATER 
September 2G, 1914 
retirement upon tLe other pivoted upon the neigh- 
hourhood of Verdun ; while the Western extremity of 
the German line, where Avas massed the largest body 
Df men (like the swelled end of a club), made straight 
for Paris. 
This tidal movement lasted ten days, from 
August 24th to September 2nd-3rd. At the end of 
it, m the early part of the first week of September, 
from "Wednesday, September 2nd (the anniversary of 
Sedan), to Friday, September 4th, the main German 
mass in the west stood in touch with the fortifica- 
tions of Paris, and the complete success of the German 
plan seemed assured. 
This western extremity of the German line where 
the largest single ma.'is of troojis Avas gathered under 
the command of Von Kluck (it is generally known as 
the 1 st German Amiy) was apparently about to attack 
the outer works of Paris. It had come south of Senlis 
and Creil, through the woods of Chantilly and Erme- 
nonville, and had come out upon the great open plain 
which stretches for a day's march to the noiili-east of 
the capital, within a mile or two of an extreme range 
from the forts. It had met the most extended 
batteries of the defence. 
At this moment, after the middle of the first week 
of September, ended the first phase. The invasion 
had pressed in a great bow south of Revigny in the 
very woods of Argonne, south of Vitry, south of 
Sommesous, south of Sezanne — right up to this 
plain just north-east of Paris. Everything was 
ready for the final blow. 
Tlie immediate business of the Germans was to 
break the Allied line where it sagged most, near Vitry, 
to drive half of it eastward against the German armies 
in Lorraine ; the other half of it beyond or into Paris — 
the investment of which capital would then have been 
undertaken. 
Just then it was discovered, probably by the aii-men 
of A^on Kluck's army, that the French commanders 
had accumulated, behind the screen of the Paris 
fortified zone, a very much larger reserve than the 
Gei-mans had allowed for. For this had Joffre 
weakened his main line, or rather refused to strengthen 
it as it fell back. On this secret hoard had the French 
relied for turning the tide. There was a moment's 
hesitation upon the part of Von Kluck whether to 
retire from this menace by the way he had come or to 
march rapidly across the numerically inferior troops 
in front of him (before this French reserve could come 
up) and so to join and help the two gi-eat CJennan 
masses on his left, from Sezanne to ^''itry, in breakiuw 
the French central line. 
He decided for the latter and bolder course. 
With the end of that week, the 5th and Cth of 
September, he was undertaking this flank march. 
His boldness was disastrous to the whole German 
plan. The numerically inferior forces, along the face 
of which he marched, included the British contingent. 
-^.'4-1. 4.1, « «ii. ri K A •! t I.. , * ' 
and Charleroi. Perhaps he thought them exhausted. 
Far from it, they immediately took the counter- 
offensive (backed by this Paris reserve coming up in 
greater and greater nximbers from behind and from 
within the fortifications of Paris), stopped the whole 
of the German movement, and began to assume the 
initiative. 
During all that week-end A^on Kluck fought 
desperately along the Ourcq to save his com- 
munications. He handled the matter .so well that he 
did save them, but he was compelled to a precipitate 
retreat, the British and the French 5th Aj-my 
pressing him back over the Marne between 
Meaux and Chateau Thierry, while the French 
Gth Army, and its reinforcements from the reserve, 
crossed the Oiu-cq . The fighting in this quarter during 
all the week-end and the beginning of the next or 
second week of September, from Sunday, the Cth, to 
Wednesday, the 9th, was exceedingly lieaAy, and will 
be known to history as the Battle of Meaux. 
It was not until Thursday, September 10th, that 
a true result was reached, and that Von Kluck's 
general retreat began. 
This retreat was handled so well that In the next 
two and a half days it had covered the whole distance 
to the river Aisne and the neighbourhood of Soissons, 
some of the German regiments being compelled to 
marches of over twenty miles a day, and none to 
marches of less than fifteen. Von Kluck's retreat 
was not only raj^id but Avas also so strongly conducted 
that his losses in prisoners and captured guns were, in 
comparison with his great numbers, insignificant. At 
the end of the week, on Satiu'day, September 12th, he 
Avas upon the Aisne and about to take up those 
defensive positions to the north of that river Avhich 
had evidently been most carefully examined and 
chosen before the Avar broke out, and upon which so 
desperate a resistance has been offered during the last 
ten days. 
A'^on Kluck's retreat over these forty miles and 
more of country involved, of course, a coiTCsponding 
retreat upon the part of the two great German masses 
lying successively to his left, betAveen his OAvn Anny 
and Verdun ; and Avhile he Avas taking up his defensive 
position upon the Aisne before Soissons t/ie>/ fell back 
through the Plain of Champagne until they were in 
line Avith him along the continuation of that defensive 
position ; Avhich continuation runs north of Eheims 
and along the river Suippe to the forest of Argonne. 
By Sunday, September 13tli, the Avhole mass of the 
German forces — much more than a million men — Avas 
standing at bay along the line marked upon the general 
map at the head of this, Avhich line extends fi-om the 
Argonne, past Eheims and Soissons, to the river Oise 
at a point between Noyon and Compiegne. 
Thus ended the second jihase of the Western 
campaign — a general German retreat across the river 
Marne, pressed everywhere by the ad\'ancing Allies, 
probably to be knoAvn in history as the Battle of the 
Marne. 
The third phase opened upon Monday, 
September 14th, and is still in progress. It consists 
in a vast defensive action undertaken by the Germans 
all along this line of 80 miles and more which they 
occupy from the Oise to the Argonne ; a chosen and 
prepared defensiA-e position, Avliich is among the 
strongest and the best in AVestern Europe. The 
nature of that position and of the action dependent 
upon it, the points in Avliich it has been pressed back, 
the points upon Avhich the Germans haA^e foimd it 
possible to adA-ance, their chances of success and 
failure are the main object of our study in this AA'eek's 
notes, and must next be described in detail. 
THE DEFENSIVE POSITION. 
The original defensiA-e position taken up by the 
Germans, Avhen on Sunday, September 13th, they 
turned after their retreat to face their pursuers is here 
seen to run in a fairly even line east and west 
from- the Forest of Argonne to the Oise EiA'er, 
along a line of heights varying in character from 
east to Avest. The main position is marked in a 
broken line. 
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