The Story of the Great War, Volume III (of 12): The War Begins, Invasion of Belgium, Battle of the Marne

The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Story of the Great War, Volume III (of 12), Edited by Francis J. Reynolds, Allen L. Churchill, and Francis Trevelyan Miller This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: The Story of the Great War, Volume III (of 12) The War Begins, Invasion of Belgium, Battle of the Marne Editor: Francis J. Reynolds, Allen L. Churchill, and Francis Trevelyan Miller Release Date: April 19, 2006 [eBook #18213] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 ***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF THE GREAT WAR, VOLUME III (OF 12)*** E-text prepared by Robert J. Hall Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 18213-h.htm or 18213-h.zip: (http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/1/8/2/1/18213/18213-h/18213-h.htm) or (http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/1/8/2/1/18213/18213-h.zip) THE STORY OF THE GREAT WAR The War Begins Invasion of Belgium Battle of the Marne VOLUME III [Illustration: _King George V of Britain and King Albert of Belgium inspecting Belgian troops. The youth is the Prince of Wales, andbeside him is Major General Pertab Singh of the Indian army_] CONTENTS PART I.--GREAT BATTLES OF THE WESTERN ARMIES CHAPTER I. ATTACK ON BELGIUM II. SIEGE AND CAPTURE OF LIEGE III. BELGIUM'S DEFIANCE IV. CAPTURE OF LOUVAIN--SURRENDER OF BRUSSELS V. COMING OF THE BRITISH VI. CAMPAIGNS IN ALSACE AND LORRAINE VII. SIEGE AND FALL OF NAMUR VIII. BATTLE OF CHARLEROI IX. BATTLE OF MONS X. THE GREAT RETREAT BEGINS XI. FIGHTING AT BAY XII. THE MARNE--GENERAL PLAN OF BATTLE FIELD XIII. ALLIED AND GERMAN BATTLE PLANS XIV. FIRST MOVES IN THE BATTLE XV. GERMAN RETREAT XVI. CONTINUATION OF THE BATTLE OF THE MARNE XVII. CONTINUATION OF THE BATTLE OF THE MARNE XVIII. OTHER ASPECTS OF THE BATTLE OF THE MARNE XIX. "CROSSING THE AISNE" XX. FIRST DAY'S BATTLES XXI. THE BRITISH AT THE AISNE XXII. BOMBARDMENT OF RHEIMS AND SOISSONS XXIII. SECOND PHASE OF BATTLE OF THE AISNE XXIV. END OF THE BATTLE XXV. "THE RACE TO THE SEA" XXVI. SIEGE AND FALL OF ANTWERP XXVII. YSER BATTLES--ATTACK ON YPRES XXVIII. ATTACKS ON LA BASSEE AND ARRAS XXIX. GENERAL MOVEMENTS ON THE FRENCH AND FLANDERS FRONTS XXX. OPERATIONS AROUND LA BASSEE AND GIVENCHY XXXI. END OF SIX MONTHS' FIGHTING IN THE WEST PART II.--NAVAL OPERATIONS CHAPTER XXXII. STRENGTH OF THE RIVAL NAVIES XXXIII. FIRST BLOOD--BATTLE OF THE BIGHT XXXIV. BATTLES ON THREE SEAS XXXV. THE GERMAN SEA RAIDERS XXXVI. BATTLE OFF THE FALKLANDS XXXVII. SEA FIGHTS OF THE OCEAN PATROL XXXVIII. WAR ON GERMAN TRADE AND POSSESSIONS XXXIX. RAIDS ON THE ENGLISH COAST XL. RESULTS OF SIX MONTHS' NAVAL OPERATIONS PART III.--THE WAR ON THE EASTERN FRONT XLI. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE THEATRE OF WAR XLII. THE STRATEGIC VALUE OF RUSSIAN POLAND XLIII. AUSTRIAN POLAND, GALICIA, AND BUKOWINA XLIV. THE BALKANS--COUNTRIES AND PEOPLES XLV. THE CAUCASUS--THE BARRED DOOR PART IV.--THE AUSTRO-SERBIAN CAMPAIGN XLVI. SERBIA'S SITUATION AND RESOURCES XLVII. AUSTRIA'S STRENGTH AND STRATEGY XLVIII. AUSTRIAN SUCCESSES XLIX. THE GREAT BATTLES BEGIN L. FIRST VICTORY OF THE SERBIANS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS KING GEORGE V REVIEWING THE ARMIES IN FRANCE GREAT SIEGE GUN IN ACTION BRIDGE DESTROYED BY THE BELGIANS AT LIEGE BELGIAN FIELD GUN IN ACTION FORTRESS TOWN OF NAMUR CITY OF MALINES, BELGIUM MACHINE GUN CREW IN A WHEAT FIELD HEAVY BELGIAN ARTILLERY IN ACTION BELGIANS INTRENCHED ALONG A RAILWAY OBSERVER IN A RUINED CHATEAU BAYONET CHARGE OF FRENCH INFANTRY BRITISH NAVAL BRIGADE AT LIERRE CITY OF LILLE UNDER FIRE WALL FALLING UNDER SHELL FIRE HOUSE-TO-HOUSE FIGHT AT YPRES FIGHT IN AN ARGONNE VILLAGE RALLY OF THE LONDON SCOTTISH GERMAN LOOKOUTS IN A TREETOP GERMAN PRISONERS IN CHAMPAGNE LOUVAIN LANCERS ON THE FRENCH COAST COMRADES AIDING A WOUNDED CUIRASSIER RED CROSS DOCTOR DRESSING AVIATOR'S WOUNDS NAVE AND CHOIR OF NOTRE DAME, RHEIMS RUINS OF NOTRE DAME FRENCH MARINES DINING ASHORE SEARCHLIGHTS ON A BATTLESHIP WALK �RE, WRECKED AT PAPEETE SYDNEY, AUSTRALIAN CRUISER EMDEN AGROUND AFTER THE SYDNEY'S VICTORY RESCUING SAILORS AFTER THE FIGHT NEAR THE FALKLAND ISLANDS CANADIANS SHIPPING FIELD ARTILLERY INTERIOR OF A SUBMARINE WRECK OF THE BL CHER IN THE NORTH SEA BATTLE� LIST OF MAPS BELGIUM-FRANCO-GERMAN FRONTIER FRANCE, PICTORIAL MAP OF BELGIUM, BEGINNING OF GERMAN INVASION OF ALSACE-LORRAINE, FRENCH INVASION OF BATTLE OF MONS AND RETREAT OF ALLIED ARMIES BATTLE OF THE MARNE--BEGINNING ON SEPTEMBER 5, 1914 BATTLE OF THE MARNE--SITUATION ON SEPTEMBER 9, 1914 BATTLE OF THE MARNE--END OF GERMAN RETREAT AND THE INTRENCHED LINE ON THE AISNE RIVER LIEGE FORT, GERMAN ATTACK OF ANTWERP, SIEGE AND FALL OF FLANDERS, BATTLE FRONT IN GERMAN AND ENGLISH NAVAL POSITIONS WAR IN THE EAST--RELATION OF THE EASTERN COUNTRIES TO GERMANY THE BALKANS, PICTORIAL MAP OF SERBIAN AND AUSTRIAN INVASIONS PART I--GREAT BATTLES OF THE WESTERN ARMIES * * * * * CHAPTER I ATTACK ON BELGIUM The first great campaign on the western battle grounds in the European War began on August 4, 1914. On this epoch-making day the German army began its invasion of Belgium--with the conquest of France as its ultimate goal. Six mighty armies stood ready for the great invasion. Their estimated total was 1,200,000 men. Supreme over all was the Emperor as War Lord, but Lieutenant General Helmuth van Moltke, chief of the General Staff, was the practical director of military operations. General van Moltke was a nephew of the great strategist of 1870, and his name possibly appealed as of happy augury for repeating the former capture of Paris. The First Army was assembled at Aix-la-Chapelle in the north of Belgium, within a few miles of the Dutch frontier. It was under the command of General van Kluck. He was a veteran of both the Austrian and Franco-Prussian Wars, and was regarded as an able infantry leader. His part was to enter Belgium at its northern triangle, which projects between Holland and Germany, occupy Liege, deploy on the great central plains of Belgium, then sweep toward the French northwestern frontier in the German dash for Paris and the English Channel. His army thus formed the right wing of the whole German offensive. It was composed of picked corps, including cavalry of the Prussian Guard. The Second Army had gathered in the neighborhood of Limbourg under the command of General von B low. Its advance was planned down the � valleys of the Ourthe and Vesdre to a junction with Von Kluck at Liege, then a march by the Meuse Valley upon Namur and Charleroi. In crossing the Sambre it was to fall into place on the left of Von Kluck's army. The German center was composed of the Third Army under Duke Albrecht of W rttemberg, the Fourth Army led by the crown prince, and the� Fifth Army commanded by the Crown Prince of Bavaria. It was assembled on the line Neufchateau-Treves-Metz. Its first offensive was the occupation of Luxemburg. This was performed, after a somewhat dramatic protest by the youthful Grand Duchess, who placed her motor car across the bridge by which the Germans entered her internationally guaranteed independent state. The German pretext was that since Luxemburg railways were German controlled, they were required for the transport of troops. Preparations were then made for a rapid advance through the Ardennes upon the Central Meuse, to form inorder upon the left of Von B low's army. A part of the Fifth Army � was to be detached for operations against the French fortress of Verdun. The Sixth Army was concentrated at Strassburg in Alsace, under General von Heeringen. As inspector of the Prussian Guards he bore a very high military reputation. For the time being General von Heeringen's part was to remain in Alsace, to deal with a possibly looked for strong French offensive by way of the Vosges or Belfort. The main plan of the German General Staff, therefore was a wide enveloping movement by the First and Second Armies to sweep the shore of the English Channel in their march on Paris, a vigorous advance of the center through the Ardennes for the same destination, and readiness for battle by the Sixth Army for any French force which might be tempted into Alsace. That this plan was not developed in its entirety, was due to circumstances which fall into another place. [Illustration: PICTORIAL MAP OF FRANCE] The long anticipated _Day_ dawned. Their vast military machine moved with precision and unity. But there was a surprise awaiting them. The Belgians were to offer a serious resistance to passage through their territory--a firm refusal had been delivered at the eleventh hour. The vanguard was thrown forward from Von Kluck's army at Aix, to break through the defenses of Liege and seize the western railways. This force of three divisions was commanded by General von Emmich, one of them joining him at Verviers. On the evening of August 3, 1914, Von Emmich's force had crossed into Belgium. Early on the morning of August 4, 1914, Von Kluck's second advance line reached Vis , situated on the Meuse north of � Liege and close to the Dutch frontier. Here an engagement took place with a Belgian guard, which terminated with the Germans bombarding Vis�. The Belgians had destroyed the river bridge, but the Germans succeeded in seizing the crossing. This was the first actual hostility of the war on the western battle grounds. With the capture of Vis , the way was clear for Von Kluck's � main army to concentrate on Belgia