Marne, Battles of the

In World War I, two unsuccessful German offensives in northern France. In the First Battle 6–9 September 1914, German advance was halted by French and British troops under the overall command of the French general Jospeh Joffre; in the Second Battle 15 July–4 August 1918, the German advance was defeated by British, French, and US troops under the French general Henri Pétain, and German morale crumbled.

First Battle of the Marne 6–9 September 1914: three German armies were swinging round from Belgium to sweep through France and encircle Paris, in accordance with the Schlieffen Plan. After some initial uncertainty, Marshal Joffre realised what the German strategy was and ordered the French 1st and 2nd Armies to hold the Germans around Verdun and Nancy. Meanwhile, he formed two new armies, the 6th and 9th, in preparation for a counterattack and drew back his left flank to entice the Germans further south. The French 6th Army under General Joseph Galliéni moved against the exposed flank of General Alexander von Kluck's 1st German Army which halted its south drive and turned aside to deal with Galliéni. This opened a 48 km/30 mi gap between the 1st German Army and the 2nd Army under Field Marshal Karl von Bülow. Joffre now threw his counterattack force against von Bülow who retired, forcing von Kluck to retire in order to avoid being totally surrounded, and the German advance was halted and turned back. Although tactically inconclusive, the first battle of the Marne was a strategic victory for the Allies.

Second Battle of the Marne 15 July–4 August 1918: this battle formed the final thrust of the German Spring Offensive of 1918. General Erich von Ludendorff threw 35 divisions across the Marne, planning to encircle Reims. The French were prepared for the attack, with four armies under good generals, together with a strong US force, and although the Germans initially gained ground they were eventually halted and turned back. The Allied counterattack, beginning 18 July, is sometimes referred to as the Third Battle of the Marne and it forced the Germans back to a line running from Reims to Soissons.