Though perhaps not realized by most whose interest is in other areas aside from WWI, the war was almost over a few months after it started. The Germans has pressed into Belgium and France, driving the French and British forces back towards Paris. In a matter of weeks, the French were just a breath away from total defeat, yet it did not happen, and the war would slog on for four more years. Several things caused this turn of events for the Germans and for the French.

First of all, the German overextended themselves in the rush to Paris, allowing large sectors to either go un protected or be so thinly occupied as to make holding on impossible. Secondly, there was little in the way of properly coordinated attack by the German side of the war by this time, so often plans were only for a small sector of the front and not on a front wide basis.

This allowed something of a breathing space for the French, who were able to exploit the weaknesses of the German advance and bring up much needed reinforcements. Such was the need that the French General in charge of the defense of Paris, General Gallieni, was able to hire all available French taxis to take his troops to the front line to bolster the units that were there. In case you are wondering, the cabbies were paid standard fares for this!

A series of missed opportunities on one side and the ability to exploit mistakes on the other saved the French from what was nearly inevitable disaster. Once the German advance was halted, the French dug in and thus started trench warfare, something that came to symbolize the First World War. Of course, there is much more to the situation than what I've mentioned as reputations were made and broken during the weeks of the Marne campaign.

In this book on the first Marne, author Ian Sumner starts with a preamble of events leading up to the battle, a look at the commanders of both sides and the men under their command. Then there is an inspection of the plans of both sides. The 'meat' of the volume is next with the various stages of the battle, including the incredible movement of men and equipment needed to perform the assuault and defense. Finally, introspection on how the battle went, what was learned from it, and how it affected future events. There is also a look at the battlefield today. All of this is superbly illustrated with period photographs and the artwork of Graham Turner.

If you want insight into a pivotal event in the First World War,  or just a fascinating read, then this is the book for you. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I'm sure you will as well.

February 2011

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