Chapter One: The Fields at Sunrise
“The belief in war as a test of national power and a proof of national superiority added a scientific base to the cult of patriotism…"
After nearly 50 years of peace following the cataclysmic Franco-Prussian war, 1914 seemed to promise another year of peace to the average Frenchman. Though the middle class and intellectuals in Paris grumbled about lost land and wounded pride, for most the border was nothing more than an arbitrary line, easily passed without passports to sell your wares on the opposite side. Indeed, the only major difference seemed to be that all the signs were in German on one side!
But as far as the military minds in control of the French Army - one of the premier fighting forces in the world - 1914 was as sure to lead to war as an army brothel was to lead to complaints by the local parish. Germanys growing military ambitions and her desire for a greater colonial empire had almost lead the two powers into conflict twice within a decade, at the first and second Moroccan crisis. And just last year tensions almost erupted amongst the Great Powers seeking to contain the powder keg that was the Balkans. For the military men of the French Republic, war had to be considered imminent.
And so in 1914 the French Army began a massive reorganization. Entire corps were reshuffled and made a new. A new command structure was implemented relying on multiple chains of command. The French industry was kicked into high gear, with the general staff placing orders for tens of thousands of artillery pieces to be equipped to France's numerous infantry divisions. Not as numerous as the Russians or as well equipped as the British at this point in the time, the French general staff counted to the esprit de corps of their infantry - as well as an established network of fortresses - to make up for her material failings until the French industry could overcome them.
All throughout Europe the armies of the grand powers of the old world were doing the same. Despite the tranquil life that seemed to prepare, in the minds of those in whose hands the tools to start a war lay, the war was upon them.
French troops on parade.
And then, one sunny day in June...
I'm sure this will be handled reasonably by all parties...
Already fighting a losing battle against rising nationalism within her empire, Austria-Hungary was quick to seek "revenge" on the Slavic kingdom of Serbia to her south. Her troops were mobilized by the end of the afternoon of the 28th. The French had been in enough wars to know that there was now no backing out. Almost at the same time as the Hapsburg armies got the message to mobilize, so did the French. By the 29th the rest of Europe had followed suit.
Aggressive French commander Joseph Joffre called for an immediate attack into Germany, possibly even invading neutral Switzerland in order to flank German fortifications. But the news that Italy had against all odds (and logic) sided with Germany and Austria-Hungary in the conflict gave the French pause. Pause just long enough for a massive German army to man the border forts and sight their targets. On July 7th, Germany declared war on Belgium and France. The Great War had begun.
The German army threw themselves at the French defenses near the Swiss border even before the announcement of war had reached the citizens in Paris. Massive amounts of German artillery plunged the French fortresses into what can only be described as a living hell. What men managed to avoid being obliterated by the rain of shells hit the ground, seeking whatever cover they could find. Eventually the artillery barrage stopped (Neither side having yet figured that the bombardment should only be moved back) and the Huns swarmed over the plains to grapple with their French enemy. The Germans quickly learned that one does not simply advance into the face of tenacious French defenses with machine guns. Entire lines were swept from the face of the earth as they advanced, and for a moment it looked as if the French would throw the Germans back.
German troops often advanced onto in open formation across fields well sighted by the remaining French defenders.
But the French army was overstretched. In the days before the war French spies had reported massive amounts of Germans advancing towards the Belgian border. Joffre loudly announced his desire to meet the Germans in open combat in the fields of Wallonia. The High Command agreed that the plan was sensible and Joffre lead 5 well equipped corps north as soon as the war was declared. Combat soon commenced as the French launched brutal attacks against the German invaders to stall them from getting to the river lines. At Dinant the two French corps launched a wild attack into the flank of Germans simultaneously attacking French and Belgian troops dug in at Namur. The fighting was fierce, with thousands lost every day as the battle raged with neither side seeming to gain the advantage. Soon, British troops of the BEF started arriving, and though they took their sweet teem arriving at the front, they were able to stop the Germans from crossing the river at Liege and start taking over for French troops at Namur. Sadly, no sooner had the French pulled out of an easily winnable battle at Namur, than the British and Belgians fled in despair and defeat!
This, along with other events, put the French opinion of British fighting prowess in doubt.
Fighting in Wallonia before trenches became common.
Meanwhile, as the Germans broke through the southern fortress line, the French commanders in the center pulled back to more easily defensible positions. Unfortunately the emerging German breakthrough in the south compromised this line, and even more withdrawing was needed. Encirclement was narrowly avoided around Verdun.
French troops stalling German attacks near Besacon, near the Swiss border
A French retreat from the central front. The front line begins to break.
Without any proper reserves other than the ill equipped territorials, the French troops were finally forced to withdraw after bitter fighting in the south. Force requirements on the Italian border meant that there were not enough men to plug all the gaps, and the Germans broke through in the south.
Retreats were ordered all over the front as the French High Command and public alike reeled from the blows of Germany.
But there was some good news. On the Italian border the Italian Army had thrown themselves at French troops occupying high ground and excellent terrain. At Briacon the French slaughtered Italians attacking from three directions at once. At Nice a French fleet on the coast laid waste to advancing columns of Italian troops along the coast. After almost a month of bloody fighting Italy has thousands of new graves and not an inch of territory to show for it. The French navy with British support also managed to bottle up the Italian and Hapsburg forces in the Adriatic.
"Screw the Italians! No matter the cost!" cried the French soldiers in the alps.
The blockade of the Central Powers navy into the Adriatic.
And in Africa, the French Foreign Legion had advanced into the German colony of Togo, seeking to claim the land for France. The German police force garrisoning the coast were no match for the battle hardened legionnaires.
Vive la Legion!
The Foreign Legion advancing into Togo
So with a few victories to their credit, but under incredible pressure, France beseeched her allies to do something....which they did....kinda....
Rather than send men to France, the British decided to commit a corps of Welshmen to ritual suicide in Montenegro, much to the bewilderment of the French.
Let me guess, Churchill said it seemed like a good idea at the time?
In Russia, the Russians won a decisive victory at Cranz...which was their only victory, because two thirds of the Russian army is thousands of miles away from any form of fighting. France is once again puzzled, and has started drinking a little too much from their wine bottles, even for Frenchmen.
The Russian victory at Cranz, where thousands of Russians pushed the Germans out despite having to attack on a 2 miles wide land bridge being bombarded by 116 German and Danish ships...oh yeah, Denmark joined the Central Powers. Because Empire.
The French were pretty sure there was logic behind Russia's decision to not fight at all....but they were pretty sure it was stupid logic.
But hey, at least Japan is cleaning up the Pacific, and British marines were able to take Qingdao in bloody fighting. A promise of two hundred thousand fighting men of Nippon has been made by the Japanese Emperor, but only after all the German ports have been seized by his honorabru soldiers.
And so, as August dawns, the French must deal with a broken front and less than helpful allies, while at the same time finding time to kill more Italians and take more of Africa for Empire. Over 20,000 casualties have already been suffered. The French troops show no sign of admitting defeat just yet, but then again, they didn't show many signs in 1870 at first either...
French troops marching south from Wallonia to stem the Hun's advance.
Tune in next week for more slaughter!
“The belief in war as a test of national power and a proof of national superiority added a scientific base to the cult of patriotism…"
After nearly 50 years of peace following the cataclysmic Franco-Prussian war, 1914 seemed to promise another year of peace to the average Frenchman. Though the middle class and intellectuals in Paris grumbled about lost land and wounded pride, for most the border was nothing more than an arbitrary line, easily passed without passports to sell your wares on the opposite side. Indeed, the only major difference seemed to be that all the signs were in German on one side!
But as far as the military minds in control of the French Army - one of the premier fighting forces in the world - 1914 was as sure to lead to war as an army brothel was to lead to complaints by the local parish. Germanys growing military ambitions and her desire for a greater colonial empire had almost lead the two powers into conflict twice within a decade, at the first and second Moroccan crisis. And just last year tensions almost erupted amongst the Great Powers seeking to contain the powder keg that was the Balkans. For the military men of the French Republic, war had to be considered imminent.
And so in 1914 the French Army began a massive reorganization. Entire corps were reshuffled and made a new. A new command structure was implemented relying on multiple chains of command. The French industry was kicked into high gear, with the general staff placing orders for tens of thousands of artillery pieces to be equipped to France's numerous infantry divisions. Not as numerous as the Russians or as well equipped as the British at this point in the time, the French general staff counted to the esprit de corps of their infantry - as well as an established network of fortresses - to make up for her material failings until the French industry could overcome them.
All throughout Europe the armies of the grand powers of the old world were doing the same. Despite the tranquil life that seemed to prepare, in the minds of those in whose hands the tools to start a war lay, the war was upon them.
French troops on parade.
And then, one sunny day in June...
I'm sure this will be handled reasonably by all parties...
Already fighting a losing battle against rising nationalism within her empire, Austria-Hungary was quick to seek "revenge" on the Slavic kingdom of Serbia to her south. Her troops were mobilized by the end of the afternoon of the 28th. The French had been in enough wars to know that there was now no backing out. Almost at the same time as the Hapsburg armies got the message to mobilize, so did the French. By the 29th the rest of Europe had followed suit.
Aggressive French commander Joseph Joffre called for an immediate attack into Germany, possibly even invading neutral Switzerland in order to flank German fortifications. But the news that Italy had against all odds (and logic) sided with Germany and Austria-Hungary in the conflict gave the French pause. Pause just long enough for a massive German army to man the border forts and sight their targets. On July 7th, Germany declared war on Belgium and France. The Great War had begun.
The German army threw themselves at the French defenses near the Swiss border even before the announcement of war had reached the citizens in Paris. Massive amounts of German artillery plunged the French fortresses into what can only be described as a living hell. What men managed to avoid being obliterated by the rain of shells hit the ground, seeking whatever cover they could find. Eventually the artillery barrage stopped (Neither side having yet figured that the bombardment should only be moved back) and the Huns swarmed over the plains to grapple with their French enemy. The Germans quickly learned that one does not simply advance into the face of tenacious French defenses with machine guns. Entire lines were swept from the face of the earth as they advanced, and for a moment it looked as if the French would throw the Germans back.
German troops often advanced onto in open formation across fields well sighted by the remaining French defenders.
But the French army was overstretched. In the days before the war French spies had reported massive amounts of Germans advancing towards the Belgian border. Joffre loudly announced his desire to meet the Germans in open combat in the fields of Wallonia. The High Command agreed that the plan was sensible and Joffre lead 5 well equipped corps north as soon as the war was declared. Combat soon commenced as the French launched brutal attacks against the German invaders to stall them from getting to the river lines. At Dinant the two French corps launched a wild attack into the flank of Germans simultaneously attacking French and Belgian troops dug in at Namur. The fighting was fierce, with thousands lost every day as the battle raged with neither side seeming to gain the advantage. Soon, British troops of the BEF started arriving, and though they took their sweet teem arriving at the front, they were able to stop the Germans from crossing the river at Liege and start taking over for French troops at Namur. Sadly, no sooner had the French pulled out of an easily winnable battle at Namur, than the British and Belgians fled in despair and defeat!
This, along with other events, put the French opinion of British fighting prowess in doubt.
Fighting in Wallonia before trenches became common.
Meanwhile, as the Germans broke through the southern fortress line, the French commanders in the center pulled back to more easily defensible positions. Unfortunately the emerging German breakthrough in the south compromised this line, and even more withdrawing was needed. Encirclement was narrowly avoided around Verdun.
French troops stalling German attacks near Besacon, near the Swiss border
A French retreat from the central front. The front line begins to break.
Without any proper reserves other than the ill equipped territorials, the French troops were finally forced to withdraw after bitter fighting in the south. Force requirements on the Italian border meant that there were not enough men to plug all the gaps, and the Germans broke through in the south.
Retreats were ordered all over the front as the French High Command and public alike reeled from the blows of Germany.
But there was some good news. On the Italian border the Italian Army had thrown themselves at French troops occupying high ground and excellent terrain. At Briacon the French slaughtered Italians attacking from three directions at once. At Nice a French fleet on the coast laid waste to advancing columns of Italian troops along the coast. After almost a month of bloody fighting Italy has thousands of new graves and not an inch of territory to show for it. The French navy with British support also managed to bottle up the Italian and Hapsburg forces in the Adriatic.
"Screw the Italians! No matter the cost!" cried the French soldiers in the alps.
The blockade of the Central Powers navy into the Adriatic.
And in Africa, the French Foreign Legion had advanced into the German colony of Togo, seeking to claim the land for France. The German police force garrisoning the coast were no match for the battle hardened legionnaires.
Vive la Legion!
The Foreign Legion advancing into Togo
So with a few victories to their credit, but under incredible pressure, France beseeched her allies to do something....which they did....kinda....
Rather than send men to France, the British decided to commit a corps of Welshmen to ritual suicide in Montenegro, much to the bewilderment of the French.
Let me guess, Churchill said it seemed like a good idea at the time?
In Russia, the Russians won a decisive victory at Cranz...which was their only victory, because two thirds of the Russian army is thousands of miles away from any form of fighting. France is once again puzzled, and has started drinking a little too much from their wine bottles, even for Frenchmen.
The Russian victory at Cranz, where thousands of Russians pushed the Germans out despite having to attack on a 2 miles wide land bridge being bombarded by 116 German and Danish ships...oh yeah, Denmark joined the Central Powers. Because Empire.
The French were pretty sure there was logic behind Russia's decision to not fight at all....but they were pretty sure it was stupid logic.
But hey, at least Japan is cleaning up the Pacific, and British marines were able to take Qingdao in bloody fighting. A promise of two hundred thousand fighting men of Nippon has been made by the Japanese Emperor, but only after all the German ports have been seized by his honorabru soldiers.
And so, as August dawns, the French must deal with a broken front and less than helpful allies, while at the same time finding time to kill more Italians and take more of Africa for Empire. Over 20,000 casualties have already been suffered. The French troops show no sign of admitting defeat just yet, but then again, they didn't show many signs in 1870 at first either...
French troops marching south from Wallonia to stem the Hun's advance.
Tune in next week for more slaughter!
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