Virton

Belgian town in the southwest of the country, close to the French border about 65 km/40 mi northwest of Metz; site of a French defeat by the Germans August 1914.

The French thought the Germans only had 14 corps in Belgium at this early stage of the war and so the 3rd and 4th French armies advanced to the town 21 August on a 97 km/60 mi front from the French border. In fact the Germans had 27 corps in the area, most of which were marching across the French front from Luxembourg to Belgium. In order to avoid alerting the Germans to their advance, the French were forbidden by GHQ to send out scouts and were ordered to move only at night, through hilly and forested country. Consequently when they met the German forces it was in small individual parties which invariably got the worst of the exchange. The French continued to advance as the Germans poured in on their right flank trying to reach their rear, leading to heavy French losses with no corresponding gains. The French retreated in some disorder.