MAUD'HUY AT ARRAS, AND THE RETREAT FROM ANTWERP.
Two hundred and three years after Marlborough vainly tried to capture
Arras, that little historic town became once more a prize for which
rival forces strove fiercely. Marlborough coveted it because it was, as
Louis XIV. styled it, the true gateway to Paris. The Germans, who were
now to make a great effort to seize it, desired its possession because
it would enable them to outflank Maud'huy's army and seize the Channel
ports.
Arras had already been in German hands. During von Kluck's rush on Paris
his troops drove out the weak French forces holding the city,[24] and
occupied it up to the middle of September. When, however, the deadlock
occurred on the Aisne, they withdrew from the quaint old place without
doing it very much harm.
It was on the last day of September 1914 that Maud'huy began to extend
his army beyond that of de Castelnau. Soon his left was at Lens, and his
cavalry was scouring the country still farther north towards the Lys and
the Yser. Several Territorial regiments attached to his army had already
been sent to occupy Lille and Douai. You can easily understand that
those weak forces would be in great danger if the Germans were to sweep
round to the west. The Allied generals, however, believed that they were
ahead in the race, and that they would be the first to overlap. They
were quite mistaken: the Germans were ahead, and were now preparing to
overlap by sending cavalry and infantry in motor buses towards the line
of Béthune and Cassel.
On the afternoon of 1st October Douai had to be abandoned, and that very
day the German guns began to thunder on the hills surrounding Arras. Von
Buelow attacked Maud'huy in great force on the flats to the east of the
city, while the Bavarians attempted to outflank him on the north. Though
he received reinforcements he was obliged to retire behind the city and
take up a position on the encircling hills. Before doing so he warned
all the men of military age to leave the place. Then began a pitiful
exodus to the coast.
For two days the Germans fiercely bombarded Arras: the beautiful
sixteenth-century town hall, with its superb clock tower, was ruined,
and the cathedral, as well as many of the historic houses, was badly
damaged. Shells were rained on the place; but the French maintained a
stubborn front, and refused to give way. The attack continued right
through the month. A most determined assault was made between the 20th
and the 26th, when the Prussian Guard came into action; but the enemy
could not cross the ramparts. On the 31st a large German force was
allowed to enter the suburbs, where a trap had been prepared. The result
was that a battalion of the Guard surrendered, and a military train with
one of the great siege howitzers was captured.
Maud'huy held the gate at Arras against all comers, and too great praise
cannot be given to him and his brave troops. Had the Germans been able
to sweep through the Arras gate the whole subsequent history of the war
would have been changed.
On the 3rd of October, when the Germans were closing in on Arras, their
patrols were reported on the outskirts of Lille, which they had also
entered during their southward march,[25] but had subsequently
abandoned. The mayor at once warned the inhabitants to keep cool, to
avoid gathering in crowds, and to give no offence to the enemy should he
enter the city. Next day the cracking of rifles was heard in the
suburbs, and several shells fell in the streets, one of them striking
the town hall. A new German force was advancing towards Lille from
Belgium. During the morning an armoured train containing 300 Uhlans
came dashing towards the station. A signalman promptly switched it on to
a siding, and the French attacked it. The surprised Uhlans tried to take
refuge in the neighbouring houses and workshops, but most of them were
captured next morning.
[Illustration: A Battle amidst the Coal Trucks of Lens.
(_From the picture by Paul Thiriat. By permission of The Sphere._)]
Nor was this the only attack on Lille that day. Some 3,000 Germans tried
to force their way in from the direction of Tourcoing, while others
tried to cross from the Belgian to the French side of the Lys below
Armentières, but both attacks were repelled. On the 6th there was
fighting to the west of Lille and on the 10th a company of Uhlans dashed
into the streets. They arrested the mayor and several other citizens as
hostages; but in the nick of time a party of French Chasseurs arrived,
set free the prisoners, and chased the Uhlans out of the city. Almost
immediately the Germans began to bombard the place, and shells fell upon
it at intervals until the 12th, when an infantry attack began. The
Territorials did their best to resist, but they were altogether
outnumbered, and were forced to withdraw. On the 13th Lille surrendered,
and the Germans, with bands playing, marched in and took possession.
Thus the most valuable city of North France fell into their hands.
You already know that it was of the utmost importance that Lille should
be retained by the Allies. Why, then, did not General Maud'huy send a
stronger force to hold it? The fact is, that he was so hard pressed at
Arras that he could not spare an additional man for the defence of
Lille. He had all his work cut out to save Arras and prevent the Germans
from swarming through the gap towards the Channel. But even the feeble
resistance of the Territorials at Lille was of advantage to the Allies.
The city was held for nine days, during which large German forces were
detained. By keeping these forces busy round the city the Territorials
helped to conceal the Allied movements which were going on farther to
the west, and also enabled the French and British troops to reach the
line of the Yser just, and only just, in time to stop the Germans from
bursting through.
* * * * *
Now we must hurry north to Antwerp and see what happened after the
tragic fall of that great fortress. In the last chapter of Volume II.,
page 313, I told you that a British Naval Brigade, numbering about
8,000 men in all, was sent to the assistance of the beleaguered city. It
arrived too late to save the fortress, but its energies were not wasted.
The defence of the city was prolonged for a few priceless days while the
troops from the Aisne were being hurried up to the new theatre of war.
The Belgian troops began to retreat from Antwerp on the evening of 6th
October. Covered by cavalry, armoured motor cars, and cyclist corps,
they moved out towards Ghent and Ostend, while a strong show of
resistance was kept up by other Belgian troops and the British
contingent in the trenches to the south of the city. Next day came the
terrible flight of the civil population, and late that night, amidst
scenes of indescribable confusion, the remainder of the Belgian troops
and most of the British left the forts and trenches, cut the pontoon
bridge over the Scheldt behind them, and hurried westwards, beating off
attacks on their rear. Unfortunately, as you will remember, three
battalions of the British Naval Brigade did not receive orders to retire
until the road westwards was blocked by the enemy. Some 2,500 of them
either passed into Holland, where they had to remain, or were captured
by the Germans. It is said that 18,000 Belgians suffered the same fate.
The following extract from the diary of a petty officer who served with
the Naval Brigade gives you some idea of the experiences of the British
contingent:--
"_October 8._--What a night last night! Shells coming in like
one o'clock. Man on my side got a bit in his leg, but says he
can shoot just as well on one leg. Belgian artilleryman reports
that he and two others are all that are left of our covering
fort. We seem to have nothing to do but wait for the end. These
trenches would be all right against savages, but against their
huge artillery, like so much dust. These shells come with a whiz
like an express train, and then--crash! The spirits of our troop
are top hole. No one the slightest bit excited--just smoking or
yarning and dodging shells; but it's just rotten not coming
alongside them. Here she comes--dip, crash! Saved again. Another
'non-stop' for Antwerp![26] When they shorten the range for
us--well, cheer oh! Officer just given us the bird for laughing.
'Grin at each other, but don't speak, chapsies. In case I don't
see you again, all my best love.'
"_Next day._--About six last night we had a German attack on our
left flank, and drove them off. As they had the range of our
entrenchment, we had orders to clear out. So we did so. As I
fell in outside, a shell exploded alongside. One man was left on
the deck. We had to march back to Antwerp. City in places in
flames. Everybody gone. Dead animals in the streets. Shells
screaming overhead. Right through the city, over a bridge of
boats, which were afterwards exploded, and marched until six
this morning. Only one hour's sleep on the pavement of a small
town. Thousands of men on the march back, thousands of refugees,
Belgians, horses, cattle, and artillery, just like pictures of
the retreat from Moscow and such like. We got a train at once,
and it's now one o'clock, and we are still in it, bound for the
coast. Part of our entrenchment was blown up as we were
retreating, so if we had not gone I don't suppose any of us
would have been alive. So, taking things all round, we had a
pretty brisk time, and seem to have done nothing. Don't know how
many miles we marched last night, but it is a picture which will
always live in my memory. The conduct of our boys is simply
marvellous--just as cool as seasoned veterans.
"_Saturday, October 10._--Blankenberghe.[27] Arrived last night;
slept at a kind of town hall. Had a meal where the refugees are
staying; breakfast at hotel. Girls wearing R.N.V.R.[28] ribbons
across their heads.
"_Sunday, October 11._--Came aboard collier yesterday afternoon,
and still aboard now. There are about 2,000 men here.
Accommodation for none, so I slept between the funnel and the
engine-room grating. Some even slept on the cylinders. Don't
know when we shall shove off."
When Mr. Winston Churchill explained why the Naval Brigade had been sent
to Antwerp, he said that it was "part of a large operation for the
relief of the city which more powerful considerations prevented from
being carried out." On the day after the Naval Brigade reached Antwerp
(6th October), a part of the Fourth British Army Corps, under General
Sir Henry Rawlinson, landed at Ostend and Zeebrugge,[29] and at once
marched eastwards. The original object of this force, always supposing
that Antwerp held out, was to join hands with the troops defending the
city, and then advance across the Scheldt so as to cut the German lines
of communication. On the evening of his arrival in Belgium Sir Henry
Rawlinson visited Antwerp, and saw with his own eyes that the fortress
could not be saved. His business now was to cover the retreat of the
forces which had vainly tried to hold the city.
[Footnote 24: See Vol. II., p. 127.]
[Footnote 25: See Vol. II., p. 126.]
[Footnote 26: These high explosive shells were nicknamed "Antwerp
expresses."]
[Footnote 27: Seaside resort of Belgium, 11 miles north-east of Ostend.]
[Footnote 28: Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve.]
[Footnote 29: That is, Sea Bruges. _Zā-brug´ge_, the port of Bruges,
with which it is connected by a ship canal seven miles long.]