Miracle on the Marne

Of the continental European powers who went to war in 1914, France probably carried the smallest share of the blame for its outbreak. In the rapidly escalating crisis of that summer, the republic played a largely defensive role. Yet its stake in the ensuing conflict was at least as great as that of any other participant. For France, this was a struggle to liberate its own territory and to recover Alsace-Lorraine, the provinces lost to the hated German occupiers a generation before in the Franco-Prussian War.

With approximately 2 million men, the French army dwarfed the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) that was rapidly dispatched to offer support. The British troops were well-trained and equipped – their Lee-Enfield rifles were superior to the standard French issue 1886 Lebel model. British khaki uniforms were also better adapted to modern warfare than the bright blue and red outfits that made the French so conspicuous in battle. But the BEF fielded barely 100,000 men in August 1914.

Against the Franco-British coalition were pitched some 1.7 millionGerman troops. The invaders possessed advantages in terms of equipment. German units were issued with effective Mauser Gewehr 98 rifles and had the edge over their opponents when it came to machine-guns, light mortars, and field artillery. Their 105mm and 150mm howitzers would prove deadly killing machines.