First Battle of the Marne

The First Battle of the Marne or known in France as the Miracle on the Marne was a battle of the <a href="/facts/First_World_War/vITTUanQ">First World War</a> fought from 5 to 12 September 1914. The <a href="/facts/German_Army_(German_Empire)/23PWtXgP">German</a> army invaded <a href="/facts/France/CxIeIKM3">France</a> with a plan for winning the war in 40 days by occupying <a href="/facts/Paris/DrNHpwnA">Paris</a> and destroying the <a href="/facts/Triple_Entente/pyxyg1cA">French and British armies</a>. The Germans had initial successes in August. They were victorious in the Battles of <a href="/facts/Battle_of_Mons/gLbpyGI5">Mons</a> and <a href="/facts/Battle_of_the_Frontiers/FPBH5CWn">the Frontiers</a> and overran a large area of northern France and <a href="/facts/Belgium/YKuMXP5j">Belgium</a>. In what is called the <a href="/facts/Great_Retreat/9K62E7yb">Great Retreat</a> the Germans pursued the retreating French and British forces more than 250 km (160 mi) southwards. The French and British halted their retreat in the <a href="/facts/Marne_River/dY4ldBTv">Marne River</a> valley, while the Germans advanced to 40 km (25 miles) from Paris.
With the battlefield reverses of August, Field Marshal <a href="/facts/John_French%2c_1st_Earl_of_Ypres/0q5GLDtj">John French</a>, commander of the <a href="/facts/British_Expeditionary_Force_(World_War_I)/5rt91hcp">British Expeditionary Force</a> (BEF), lost faith in the French and began to plan for a British retreat to port cities on the <a href="/facts/English_Channel/UPjaSEXf">English Channel</a> for an evacuation to Britain. <a href="/facts/Joseph_Joffre/cSThV6PN">Joseph Joffre</a>, the French commander,maintained good order in his retreating army and was able to reinforce it with troops from his eastern flank and by integrating military reserve units into the regular army. By early September, the Franco–British forces outnumbered the Germans, who were exhausted after a month-long campaign, had outrun their supply lines and were suffering shortages. On 3 September, the military governor of Paris, <a href="/facts/Joseph_Simon_Gallieni/RyMmjdnq">Joseph Gallieni</a>, perceived that the German right flank was vulnerable and positioned his forces to attack.
On 4 September Joffre gave the order to begin a counter-offensive. The battle took place between Paris and <a href="/facts/Verdun/GrloISEE">Verdun</a>, a west-to-east distance of 230 km (140 mi). The point of decision and the severest fighting was in the western half of that area. By 9 September, the success of the Franco–British left the German 1st and 2nd Armies at risk of encirclement, and they were ordered to retreat to the <a href="/facts/Aisne_River/VzGUWIN2">Aisne River</a>. The German armies ceased their retreat after 65 km (40 mi) on a line north of the <a href="/facts/Aisne_(river)/VzGUWIN2">Aisne River</a>, where they dug in on the heights and fought the <a href="/facts/First_Battle_of_the_Aisne/EauxuRns">First Battle of the Aisne</a>. The German retreat from 9 to 12 September marked the end of the German attempt to defeat France quickly. Both sides next commenced reciprocal operations to envelop the northern flank of their opponent in what became known as the <a href="/facts/Race_to_the_Sea/CcwSDys2">Race to the Sea</a> that culminated in the <a href="/facts/First_Battle_of_Ypres/CzP0w2bx">First Battle of Ypres</a> and led to the bloody four-year long <a href="/facts/Stalemate/guNfdBrR">stalemate</a> of <a href="/facts/Trench_warfare/GXDoLeRJ">trench warfare</a> on the <a href="/facts/Western_Front_(World_War_I)/RrhMPVQP">Western Front</a>.
The Battle of the Marne from September 5 to 12 resulted in estimated casualties of 250,000 French, 12,733 British and 298,000 Germans. <a href="/facts/Holger_Herwig/aV4lwHRW">Holger Herwig</a> called the Battle of the Marne the most important land battle of the 20th century, John J. Tierney, Jr, argued it was the most important battle in history. The battle is described in French folklore as the "miracle on the Marne."

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First Battle of the Marne