First Battle of Marne

First Battle of the Marne
Part of the Western Front of World War I
German soldiers (wearing distinctive pickelhaube helmets with cloth covers) on the front line at the First Battle of the Marne.
Date 6–10 September 1914 Location Marne River near Paris, France 49°1′N 3°23′E / 49.017°N 3.383°E / 49.017; 3.383Coordinates: 49°1′N 3°23′E / 49.017°N 3.383°E / 49.017; 3.383 Result Entente victory
Belligerents
France United Kingdom	German Empire
Commanders and leaders
Joseph Joffre Franchet d'Espèrey Michel-Joseph Maunoury Joseph Gallieni Ferdinand Foch Sir John French	Helmuth von Moltke Alexander von Kluck Karl von Bülow Max von Hausen
Strength
39 French divisions 6 British divisions	27 German divisions
Casualties and losses
: 85,000 : 1,701	67,700

The Battle of the Marne (French: Première bataille de la Marne, also known as the Miracle of the Marne, Le Miracle de la Marne) was a World War I battle fought from 6–10 September 1914. It resulted in an Allied victory against the German armies in the west. The battle was the culmination of the German advance into France and pursuit of the Allied armies which followed the Battle of the Frontiers in August and had reached the eastern outskirts of Paris. A counter-attack by six French armies and the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) along the Marne River forced the Imperial German Army to retreat north-west, leading to the First Battle of the Aisne and the Race to the Sea. The battle was a victory for the Allies but led to four years of trench warfare stalemate on the Western Front.

The Battle of the Frontiers is a general name for all the operations of the French armies from 7 August to 13 September. A series of encounter battles began between the German, French and Belgian armies on the German-French frontier and in southern Belgium on 4 August 1914. Liège was occupied by the Germans on 7 August. The first units of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) landed in France and French troops crossed the German frontier. The Battle of Mulhouse (Battle of Alsace 7–10 August) was the first French offensive of World War I. The French captured Mulhouse, until forced out by a German counter-attack on 11 August, and fell back toward Belfort. On 12 August, the Battle of Haelen was fought by German and Belgian cavalry and infantry, resulting in a Belgian defensive success. The BEF completed its move of four divisions and a cavalry division to France on 16 August, as the last Belgian fort of the Fortified Position of Liège (Position fortifiée de Liège) surrendered. The Belgian government withdrew from Brussels on 18 August.

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