GERMAN ADVANCE ON PARIS
_Allies Withdraw for Ten Days, Disputing Every Inch of
Ground With the Kaiser's Troops--Germans Push
Their Way Through France in Three Main Columns--
Reports of the Withdrawing Engagements--
Paris Almost in Sight_.
Flushed with their successes over the Allies at Mons and Charleroi,
the Germans pushed their advance toward the French capital with great
celerity and vigor. During the last week of August and the first few
days of September, it appeared inevitable that the experience of Paris
in 1870-71 was to be repeated and that a siege of the city by the German
forces would follow immediately.
It was conceded that the armies of the Allies had been forced back and
that Paris was endangered. The German advance was general, all along the
line. The flower of the Kaiser's army had marched through Belgium
and pushed back the lines of the Allies to the formidable rows of
fortifications that surround Paris. The Germans advanced in three main
columns, constantly in touch with one another, from the right, passing
through Mons, Cambrai and Amiens, to the extreme left in Lorraine. The
center threatened Verdun, and from that point the right advance swept
through Northern France like an opening fan, with the fortress of Verdun
as the pivot.
Three million men were engaged in the main struggle. When the Germans
first reached the Franco-Belgian frontier near Charleroi they were
opposed by 700,000 French and 150,000 British troops. After being driven
back the Allies began assembling 1,000,000 men between the frontier and
Paris, The Allies hoped to hold the whole German army in check while
the Russians pursued their successes in eastern Germany. French troops
guarded the entire frontier, battling to check the other German invading
columns. The holding of the Germans, once they broke through the
fortifications that formed the chief reliance of the French, would
be impossible. The next stand would be around Paris, which was well
fortified. The invaders were, of course, attempting to get through where
there were no forts.
ALLIES MAKE STRENUOUS RESISTANCE
Strenuous resistance to the onward movement of the German enemy was made
by the Allies from day to day, but for a period of ten days there was an
almost continual retirement of the French and British upon Paris. It was
in fact a masterly retreat, but a retreat nevertheless. From the line of
La Fère and Mezieres, occupied by the Allies after the battles at Mons
and Charleroi, they fell back 70 miles in seven days, disputing every
step of the way, but withdrawing gradually to the line of defenses
around the French capital. From Cambrai the Germans pushed through
Amiens to Beauvais; from Peronne to Roye, Montdidier, Creil, and on to
the forest of Chantilly. From the region of Le Cateau and St. Quentin
the German advance was by Noyon to Compiegne (famous for its memories of
Joan of Arc's famous sortie), at which point the Allies made a desperate
stand and the Germans had to fight for every inch of ground. They then
passed through Senlis, which was first bombarded, down to Meaux, almost
within sight of Paris, the head of the German army resting on a line
between Beaumont, Meaux and La Ferte, at which point the resistance of
the Allies finally forced a change in German plans.
Other German forces passed through Laon, Soissons and Chateau Thierry.
Farther to the east, the road from Mezieres led the Germans to Rheims,
Mourmelon, and opposite Chalons on the River Marne.
Another German army from the direction of Longwy, under the command
of the Crown Prince, was operating through Suippes and on the wooded
Argonne plateau, with its five passes, famous in the action of
which preceded the battle of Valmy. At the entrance to this hilly
country stands the little town of Sainte Menehould, where there was
severe fighting with the French. Here the German Crown Prince made his
headquarters.
The great plain of the Argonne is full of most wonderful ecclesiastical
buildings and many magnificent cathedrals, townhalls and ancient
fortresses were passed by the warring armies in their advance and
withdrawal, some of these historic structures sustaining irreparable
damage.
The German advance continued southward toward Paris until September 4.
RELENTLESS PURSUIT OF THE BRITISH
All reports agree that during the retirement of the Allies, the Germans
pursued the British headquarters staff with uncanny precision throughout
the ten days from Mons back to Compiègne. After fierce street fighting
in Denain and Landrecies Sir John French withdrew his headquarters to Le
Cateau, which was at once made the target of a terrific bombardment.
The town caught fire, burning throughout one night, and the British
headquarters had to be evacuated, this time in favor of St. Quentin, in
the local college. Here the same thing happened and Field Marshal French
was compelled once more to retire, to the neighborhood of Compiègne.
In an official report issued on Sunday, September 6, it is stated that,
"The 5th French army on August 29 advanced from the line of the Oise
River to meet and counter the German forward movement and a considerable
battle developed to the south of Guise. In this the 5th French army
gained a marked and solid success, driving back with heavy loss and in
disorder three German army corps, the 10th, the Guard, and a reserve
corps. In spite of this success, however, and all the benefits which
flowed from it, the general retirement to the south continued and the
German armies, seeking persistently after the British troops, remained
in practically continuous contact with the rearguards.
"On August 30 and 31 the British covering and delaying troops were
frequently engaged, and on September 1 a very vigorous effort was made
by the Germans, which brought about a sharp action in the neighborhood
of Compiègne. This action was fought principally by the 1st British
Cavalry Brigade and the 4th Guards Brigade and was entirely satisfactory
to the British. The German attack, which was most strongly pressed, was
not brought to a standstill until much slaughter had been inflicted upon
them and until ten German guns had been captured. The brunt of this
affair fell upon the Guards Brigade, which lost in killed and wounded
about 300 men."
This affair was typical of the numerous rearguard engagements fought by
both the British and the French forces during their retirement.
MASTERLY TACTICS IN RETIRING
Pressing hard upon the rear of the Allies for ten days was the greatest
military machine that has ever been assembled in one cohesive force.
Through Belgium had poured nearly 2,000,000 German troops, made up of
about 800,000 first-line soldiers and more than 1,000,000 reserves. The
twenty-six-hour march of part of the German army through Brussels was
stunning evidence of the might of the "war machine," and despite fierce
fighting all the way, the great army had never faltered in its 150-mile
advance in Belgium.
But the numerical might of the German advance was matched by the
masterly tactics of the Allies in retiring. By these tactics, in which
General Joffre, the French commander-in-chief, co-operated with the
British field-marshal, Sir John French, the Allies prevented their lines
being overwhelmed by the superior numbers of their foe, but the German
right flank and center, strung out over a line more than 150 miles long,
northeast of Paris, kept smashing on. Losses were frightfully heavy, but
the Kaiser's order was "Take Paris!"
It was believed certain that the German general staff had staked
everything on investing Paris immediately, by completely breaking down
the opposition massed between the German lines and the city. Paris
had therefore prepared for the siege, with her great circles of forts
strengthened and her food supply replenished. Many of the residents fled
the city in panic, fearing a repetition of the dread days of 1871, with
their privation and distress, but the spirit of the French people
generally remained unshaken and General Gallieni, military governor of
Paris, assumed complete control of the situation in the city.
GOVERNMENT MOVED TO BORDEAUX
On August 26 the French cabinet had resigned in a body and it was
reconstructed on broader lines under Premier Viviani to meet the demands
of the national emergency.
German troops were reported within 40 miles of Paris on September 3, and
at 3 A. M. of that day a proclamation was issued by President Poincaré,
announcing that the seat of government would be temporarily transferred
from Paris to Bordeaux. The minister of the interior stated that
this decision had been taken "solely upon the demand of the military
authorities because the fortified places of Paris, while not necessarily
likely to be attacked, would become the pivot of the field operations of
the two armies."
The text of President Poincaré's proclamation was as follows:
"ENDURE AND FIGHT!"
"FEENCHMEN: For several weeks our heroic troops have been engaged in the
fierce combat with the enemy. The courage of our soldiers has won for
them a number of marked advantages. But in the north the pressure of the
German forces has constrained us to retire. This situation imposes on
the president of the Republic and the government a painful decision.
"To safeguard the national safety the public authorities are obliged to
leave for the moment the city of Paris. Under the command of its eminent
chief, the French army, full of courage and spirit, will defend the
capital and its patriotic population against the invader. But the war
must be pursued at the same time in the rest of the French territory.
"The sacred struggle for the honor of the nation and the reparation of
violated rights will continue without peace or truce and without a stop
or a failure. None of our armies has been broken.
"If some of them have suffered only too evident losses, the gaps in the
ranks have been filled up from the waiting reserve forces, while the
calling out of a new class of reserves brings us tomorrow new resources
in men and energy.
"Endure and fight! Such should be the motto of the allied army, British,
Russians, Belgians and French.
"Endure and fight! While on the sea our allies aid us to cut the enemy's
communications with the world.
"Endure and fight! While the Russians continue to carry a decisive blow
to the heart of the German empire.
"It is for the government of this republic to direct this resistance to
the very end and to give to this formidable struggle all its vigor and
efficiency. It is indispensable that the government retain the mastery
of its own actions. On the demand of the military authorities the
government therefore transfers its seat momentarily to a point of the
territory whence it may remain in constant relations with the rest of
the country. It invites the members of parliament not to remain distant
from the government, in order to form, in the face of the enemy, with
the government and their colleagues, a group of national unity.
"The government does not leave Paris without having assured a defense of
the city and its entrenched camp by all means in its power. It knows it
has not the need to recommend to the admirable Parisian population a
calm resolution and sangfroid, for it shows every day it is equal to its
greatest duties.
"Frenchmen, let us all be worthy of these tragic circumstances. We shall
gain a final victory and we shall gain it by untiring will, endurance
and tenacity. A nation that will not perish, and which, to live,
retreats before neither suffering nor sacrifice, is sure to vanquish."
The removal of the French government departments to Bordeaux was
accomplished within twenty-four hours and the southern city became at
once a center of remarkable activity. Ambassador Herrick, representing
the United States, remained in Paris to render aid to his
fellow-countrymen who were seeking means of returning to America and
were more than ever anxious to get away when a state of siege became
imminent. A radical change in the French military operations was put in
effect after the Germans had swept in from Belgium, and had taken the
cities of Lille, Roubaix, and Longwy. The French army had attempted to
strike and shatter the Germans at their weakest point, and failed.
Paris prepared for the worst when the Kaiser's conquering army reached
La Fère, about seventy miles away. From Amiens to La Fère the Germans
pressed their attack hardest. As the Allies were seen to be gradually
falling back, reserve troops were assembled in Paris and the forts put
in readiness for siege.
THE FORTIFICATIONS OP PARIS
Paris has one of the strongest fortification systems of any city in the
world. The siege of the giant city would be a much greater undertaking
than forty-four years ago, as the fortifications have been essentially
augmented and strengthened since the Franco-Prussian war.
[Illustration: MAP OF FRENCH CAPITAL WITH STARS INDICATING POSITION
OF FORTIFICATIONS]
The fortifications consist of the old city walls, the old belt of forts
and the new enceinture of the fortified camps, which have been advanced
far outside of the reach of the old forts. The main wall, ten meters
(33 feet) high, consists of ninety-four bastions and is surrounded by a
ditch fifteen meters wide. Behind the wall a ringroad and a belt line
run around the city.
The belt of old forts surrounds this main fortification of the city at
a little distance and consists of not less than sixteen forts. Those
farthest advanced are hardly half a mile distant from the main wall. The
experiences of the last war, the immense progress of the artillery, and
especially the wider reach of the modern siege guns induced the French
army authorities to build a belt of still stronger forts, which
surrounds the old fortress of 1870 like a protective net. The forts,
redoubts and batteries belonging to this last belt of fortifications
are situated at least two miles from the city limits proper, and even
Versailles is taken into this belt of fortifications.
The circumference of the circle formed by them is 124 kilometers
(nearly 77 miles) and the space included in it amounts to 1,200 square
kilometers. This new belt of fortifications consists of seven forts of
the first class, sixteen forts of the second class and fifty redoubts or
batteries, which are connected with each other by the "Great Belt Line,"
of 113 kilometers (71 miles).
FORM LARGE FORTIFIED CAMPS
The strongest of these forts form fortified camps, large enough to
give protection to strong armies and also the possibility for a new
reconcentration. There are three of these camps. The northern camp
includes the fortifications from the Fort de Cormeilles on the left to
the Fort de Stains on the right wing, with the forts of the first class,
Cormeilles and Domont, and the forts of the second class, Montlignon,
Montmorency, Ecouen and Stains, and it is protected in the rear by the
strong forts in the vicinity of St. Denis. The eastern camp goes from
the Ourcq canal and the forest of Bondy to the Seine, and its main
strongholds are the forts of Vaujours and Villeneuve-St. Georges, with
the smaller forts of Chelles, Villiers, Champigny and Sully.
On the left bank of the Seine the southwestern camp is situated,
including Versailles, whose main forts are those of St. Cyr, Haut-Bue,
Villeras and Palaiseau, to which the large redubt of Bois d'Arey and the
forts of Chatillon and Hautes-Bruyeres, situated a little to the rear,
belong likewise.
To invest this strongest fortress of the world the line of the Germans
ought to have a length of 175 kilometers and to its continuous
occupation, even if the ring of the investing masses were not very deep,
a much greater number of troops would be necessary than were used in
1870 for the siege of Paris.
GERMAN AMMUNITION CAPTURED
A correspondent at Nanteuil, September 12, thus described the capture
of a German ammunition column while the Germans were feeling their way
toward Paris:
"The seven-kilometer column was winding its way along Crepy-en-Valois
when General Pan sent cavalry and artillery to intercept it. The column
was too weakly guarded to cope with the attack, and so was captured
and destroyed. This capture had an important bearing on the subsequent
fighting.
"A noticeable feature of the operations has been the splendid marching
qualities of the French troops. This was displayed especially when two
divisions, which were sent to intercept the expected attempt of the
Germans to invest Paris, covered eighty kilometers (49½ miles) in two
stages."
ALLIES PLAN TO PROTECT PARIS
The plan of the Allies on September 1 was to make a determined stand
before Paris, in the effort to protect the city from the horrors of a
siege. With their left wing resting on the strongly fortified line of
the Paris forts and with their right wing strengthened by the defensive
line from Verdun to Belfort, they would occupy a position of enormous
military strength. If the Germans concentrated to move against their
front the French reserve armies could assemble west of the Seine, move
forward and attack the German invading columns in flank. If in their
effort to continue the great turning movement the Germans pushed forward
across the Seine and attempted by encircling Paris to gain the rear of
the allied armies, the French could mass their reserve corps behind
their center at Reims, push forward against the weakened German center
in an attack that if successful would cut off the German invading
columns and expose them to annihilation.
Such were the conditions and the possibilities when the German advance
reached its climax on September 4.
[Illustration: POSITION OF HOSTILE ARMIES, SEPTEMBER 4, 1914 Heavy
dotted line denotes battle front of the Allies; lighter line the
position of the German Troops.]