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Created page "First Battle of the Marne"
The '''First Battle of the Marne''' was a battle fought in northeastern [[France]] from September 6-12, 1914, part of [[World War I]]. It was waged between the French and the British Expeditionary Force on the one side, and the armies of the German Empire on the other, chiefly along the Marne river, from which it takes its name. The battle developed as the Franco-British forces attempted to stop the German offensive sweeping through [[Belgium]] and into France, aimed at capturing [[Paris]] and enveloping the bulk of the French army, in accordance with the [[Schlieffen Plan]], which might then have achieved a quick victory for [[Germany]] on the Western Front.
The Battle of the Marne was the bloodiest battle of the war to date on the Western Front, with an estimated 250,000 casualties on each side. It is generally reckoned a victory for the (French and British) Allies, as they successfully halted the German advance toward Paris and thus thwarted the realization of the Schlieffen Plan. The German armies retreated after the battle, and their overall commander, General Helmuth von Moltke, is said to have told his sovereign, Kaiser [[Wilhelm II]], "Your Majesty, we have lost the war." The Allies were unable to follow up their victory by breaking through the German lines, though, and by the end of the year, both sides would have entrenched, beginning the stalemate of [[trench warfare]] that would characterize the Western Front for most of the next four years.
[[Category:World War I]]
The Battle of the Marne was the bloodiest battle of the war to date on the Western Front, with an estimated 250,000 casualties on each side. It is generally reckoned a victory for the (French and British) Allies, as they successfully halted the German advance toward Paris and thus thwarted the realization of the Schlieffen Plan. The German armies retreated after the battle, and their overall commander, General Helmuth von Moltke, is said to have told his sovereign, Kaiser [[Wilhelm II]], "Your Majesty, we have lost the war." The Allies were unable to follow up their victory by breaking through the German lines, though, and by the end of the year, both sides would have entrenched, beginning the stalemate of [[trench warfare]] that would characterize the Western Front for most of the next four years.
[[Category:World War I]]