CONTINUATION OF THE BATTLE OF THE MARNE
Remembering again the general outline of General von Kluck's plan,
that of executing a diagonal movement with 150,000 of his men to
attack the easternmost point of the Fifth Army, and possibly to
envelop it by a flank movement, the continuation of the Battle
of the Marne may be treated with more detail. This part is called
by some the Battle of Coulommiers.
In this battle there was as great a change in morale as in the
battle of the Ourcq. There, the French had been stirred to high
endeavor by the realization that the word to advance had at last
been given. This also operated in part on the British in the battle
of Coulommiers, but, in addition, there was another very important
factor.
The dawn of that Sunday summer morning, September 6, 1914, was
one of great exhilaration for the British forces. The offensive
was begun, the time for striking back had come, and every column
resounded with marching choruses. The countryside was lovely, as
had been all the countryside through which the retreating armies
had passed, gay with the little French homesteads, flower decked
and smiling, heavily laden orchards, and rich grain fields, some
as yet uncut, some newly stacked. Women and children, with here
and there an old man, ran along the line of march ministering to
the wants of their defenders. There was no need for language, as
courtesy and gratitude are universal, and the English were fighting
for "La Belle France." So the morning wore on.
Through the forested region of Crécy the British passed, and it has
been told hereinbefore how they surprised the two cavalry commands
thrust out as scouts by General von Kluck. But, as they reached
the land that had been occupied by the German hosts, the bearing
of the men changed, even as the country changed. The simple homes
of the peasants were in ashes, every house that had showed traces
of comfort had been sacked or gutted with fire. Between noon and
three o'clock in the afternoon of that day three burned churches
were passed. The songs stopped. A black silence fell upon the ranks.
Bloody business was afoot.
It was in the middle of the afternoon, a slumbrous harvest afternoon,
that a big gun boomed in the distance, and the shell shrieked dolefully
through the air, its vicious whine ceasing with a tremendous sudden
roar as it burst behind the advancing British lines. On the instant,
Sir John French's batteries almost wiped out the German cavalry,
and ten minutes had not elapsed before the full artillery on both
sides had begun a terrific fire that was stunning to the senses.
Under cover of their own fire, the British infantry advanced and
hurled themselves against the outer line of General von Kluck's
Second Army. The attack failed. The British were driven back, but
though the loss of life was sharp, it was not great, as the British
commander had but advanced his men to test out the invader's strength.
The British artillery was well placed, and under its cover the
British made a second advance, this time successful. The Germans
replied with a counterattack which was repulsed, but in that forty
minutes 10,000 men had fallen.
A dispatch has been quoted from a French soldier, showing the terrible
havoc caused by the German machine guns, and a letter from a German
officer, published in the "Intelligenzblatt" of Berne pays a like
tribute to the artillery of the Allies. Speaking of this very section
or the battle front, he wrote:
"We were obliged to retreat as the English were attempting a turning
movement, which was discovered by our airmen. [This refers to the
advance of the British First Army Corps under Sir Douglas Haig in
the direction of La Ferté-sous-Jouarra, which, if it could have
been successfully carried out, would have meant the entire loss
of General von Kluck's southern army.] During the last two hours
we were continually exposed to the fire of the enemy's artillery,
for our artillery had all either been put out of action or had
retreated and had ceased to fire. [This dispatch was evidently,
therefore, written toward the end of the second day, on Monday,
September 6, 1914, when General von Kluck realized that his forward
drive had failed and that he must fall back.]
"The enemy's airmen flew above us, describing two circles, which
means, 'there is infantry here.' The enemy's artillery mowed the
ground with its fire. In one minute's time I counted forty shells.
The shrapnel exploded nearer and nearer; at last it reached our
ranks. I quickly hugged a knapsack to my stomach in order to protect
myself as best I could. The shrieks of the wounded rang out on all
sides. Tears came to my eyes when I heard the poor devils moaning
with pain. The dust, the smoke, and the stench of the powder were
suffocating.
"An order rang out, and bending as low as possible, we started
up. We had to pass right in the line of fire. The men began to
fall like ninepins. God be thanked that I was able to run as I
did. I thought my heart would burst, and was about to throw myself
on the ground, unable to continue, when your image and that of
Bolli rose before my eyes, and I ran on.
"At last we reached our batteries. Three guns were smashed to pieces,
and the gun carriages were burned. We halted for a few seconds to
take breath. And all the time that whistling and banging of the
shells continued. It is a wonder one is not driven mad."
Admiration cannot be withheld from General von Kluck for his splendid
fight at the battle of Coulommiers. He was out-generaled, for one
thing, because of his plan--or his orders--to strike a southeasterly
blow; he was outmaneuvered by the presence of a vastly larger British
force than he had any reason to expect, and he was outnumbered
almost two to one.
Through the apple and pear orchards of La Trétoire the battle was
sanguinary; the British (reenforced on September 7, 1914, by some
French divisions) swept through the terrain in widely extended
lines, for close formation was not to be thought of with artillery
and machine guns in front. It was bitter fighting, and the German
right contested every inch of ground stubbornly. Once, indeed, it
seemed that General von Kluck would turn the tables. He rapidly
collected his retreating troops, and with unparalleled suddenness
hurled them back upon the advancing First Corps under Sir Douglas
Haig. Aeroplane scouts decided the issue. Had the British been
compelled to await the onset, or had they been forced to depend
on cavalry patrols, there would have been no opportunity to resist
that revengeful onslaught. But no sooner had the Germans begun
to re-form than Sir Douglas Haig moved his machine guns to the
front and fell back a few hundred yards to a better position. This
happened on September 8, 1914, and may be regarded as the last
offensive move made by General von Kluck's army in the west. On
that same day Coulommiers was invested and Prince Eitel compelled
to flee, and the battle of Coulommiers was won.
* * * * *