• Five German armies of the right wing and center cut into France from Belgium after the Battle of the Frontiers
  • German right wing marching to Paris with Kluck’s Army on right to envelop Allied line.
  • Joffre’s problem: halt the retreat of his own armies while shifting weight to the left to create a force strong enough to check the enemy’s enveloping movement and “be capable of resuming the offensive”
  • August 25th Joffre issued a new General Order, the second of the war. This proposed to create in the path of the German right wing a new 6th Army formed of forces taken from the unbroken front in Lorraine. It would with the BEF and the 4th and 5th French Armies, form the mass that was to resume the offensive.
  • Schlieffen’s goal: envelopment and destruction of the French Armies in a central mass in front of Paris
  • “Fight in retreat, fight in retreat” in order to gain time to regroup and reestablish a solid line
  • French is now fighting on own land.
  • French ammunition almost gone from German attack but under bayonet charge, Germans gave way and the French regiment cut its way through.
  • Civil population joined in the southward-moving mass. They crowded roads and added confusion. Staff cars could not get through and messages went undelivered.
  • August 25th, Germans penetrated Sedan and shelled Bazeilles
  • French blew up all railroad bridges that night to delay the enemy. Left destruction of communications to the latest possible moment.
  • Greatest difficulty: assignment of each unit because each had its own supply train and auxiliaries of cavalry and artillery to its roads and lines of communication. Units had to reform and collect again around their flags, report their losses, receive replacements of men.
  • Casualties from the rank of general down were severe. Among officers that were devoted to élan. Colonel Tanant said it was because “they performed the function of corporals, not commanders”. Would not direct operations from their proper place in the rear but led from the front.
  • Joffre wants to make stand along Somme (close to the point of breakthrough). Others prefer a line back but no one question Joffre.
  • Government in frenzy because uninformed about strategy. Poincare believes “terrible trials” lie ahead.
  • General Hirschauer, Military Governor of Paris, visited Messimy. Said defenses of perimeter were not ready to be manned. There was reluctance to begin the property destruction so no definite order for these measures had been given. Provisioning of the city had barely begun. Messimy ordered Hirschauer to make up the delays and complete the defenses in three weeks. Hirschauer said task was impossible.
  • Joffre’s telegram: blamed the failure “on our troops who have not shown in the field the offensive qualities expected of them”. “You may expect the German armies to be before the walls of Paris in twelve days. Is Paris ready to withstand a siege?” Forced to answer no.
  • Paris was to lose two reserve divisions. Joffre ordered these two divisions north and Messimy was pissed b/c under his command and cannot be removed from the Paris garrison without his permission and that of the Premier and President of the Republic.
  • Messimy request that Gallieni become Military Governor but Gallieni said they do not want to defend Paris. He said give me an army of three active corps.
  • Messimy needed to get corps from Joffre but possible direct clash of authority b/w government and Commander in Chief. Look at Decrees of 1913 and see the political conduct of war to the government and the military conduct to the Commander in Chief as his “absolute and exclusive domain.” Gave commander in chief “extended powers” in the country as a whole and “absolute” power, in the Zone of the Armies. Joffre agreed with him.
  • Messimy sent telegram to Joffre: “if victory does not crown our armies and they are forced to retreat, a minimum of three active corps in good condition must be sent to the entrenched camp of Paris.” “The importance of this order will not escape you”.
  • Public mad at Joffre and Messimy. Approaches were being made to France’s leading political figures to join the government. First choice was Clemenceau. Decline to join Viviani in office.
  • Triumvirate made up of: Briand, Delcasse, and Millerand. One condition: Delcasse and Millerand given their old portfolios which were Foreign Office and War Office.
  • Diplomacy in Balkans and subject of Albania made Messimy explode. “To hell with Albania!” “I don’t know about your time but my time is too precious to waste”. Messimy had to fulfill Hirschauer’s orders and had only twelve days until Germans outside Paris. Demands for Joffre’s removal. Gallieni replaced Michel.
  • Millerand, Delcasse, and Briand say Messimy was responsible for the false optimism of the communiqués and his office was wanted for Millerand.
  • Messimy and Doumergue would be asked to resign and become Ministers without Portfolio and General Michel would be offered a mission to the Czar. Not accepted by victims.
  • Michel and Messimy forced to leave office
  • Joffre ignored Gallieni’s order for three active army corps. “the loss of the capital would not mean the end of the struggle”
  • August 24th Lille declared an open city and evacuated
  • General Order No.2 intended the BEF to conform to the general pace of the retreat and once they reached the Somme at St. Quentin, hold firm.
  • French offensive collapsing. Four German corps advancing against them.
  • Germans believe British are battle wise from small war fighting experience. Also, they vanish without leaving a trace at the battle at Mons.
  • Sir John thinks Lanrezac’s Army is responsible for retreat.
  • General Allenby noticed that the high ground and ridges he would have to occupy to cover the next day’s retreat were held by the enemy. Allenby told Smith-Dorrien that the enemy would attack at daylight and unless the IInd Corps moved at once, they would be forced into battle. Some men were still coming in looking for units and were too weary to move before morning. Also, the roads were clogged with transport and refugees. Moving was impossible. There was no telephone communication with the GHQ. Smith-Dorrien decided to fight.
  • Wilson warned of another Sedan.
  • Sir John disagree with Joffre’s General Order No.2 because he was being attacked by superior numbers, he was threatened by envelopment on his left, his right was uncovered by Lanrezac’s headlong retreat, and his troops were too exhausted to resume the offensive.
  • Hausen complained that his Saxons were lacking meat and bread. Marching more than needed. Food supplies failing. Germans were hungry but were on schedule.
  • French Fifth Army retreating in front of Bulow and von Kluck saw a chance to “find the flank of this army…force it away from Paris and outflank it”. Speed is desirable so French have no time to regroup and organize resistance.
  • Order of August 28th followed the original war plan but the German Armies who were to carry it out were different. Diminished by five corps. Kluck had let behind two reserve corps to invest Antwerp and hold Brussels and other parts of Belgium. Bulow and Hausen had each lost one corps to the Russian front.
  • 61st and 62nd reserve divisions from Paris who were supposed to join the 6th Army got lost. Joffre feared that the 6th’s Army detraining area was about to be overrun so he ordered the 5th Army to turn and counterattack. To invigorate the spirit of Sir John French, Joffre sent him a telegram expressing the gratitude of the French Army for the brave assistance of their British comrades, but then he learned that the British evacuated St Quentin uncovering Lanrezac’s left just at the moment he was supposed to attack.
  • Lanrezac was against a counterattack. He thought it was necessary to disengage fully and fall further back to Laon before a firm line could be established and a counterattack made with any chance of success. Attacking now required him to turn a semi-disorganized army halfway around in a complicated maneuver.
  • British want to leave France
  • Instead of the 6th division, three battalions of Royal Marines landed at Ostend on August 27 and 28 in an effort to draw off von Kluck’s forces. They were joined by 6000 Belgians.