Battle of the Ourcq

Allied Forces, 515,000

Sixth French Army, 175,000
General Maunoury, Commander
General Pau, Chief of Staff

Paris Garrison, 50,000
General Gallieni, Commander
Admiral Ronarch (Marines)

British Expeditionary Force, 130,000
General Sir John French, Commander

Fifth French Army, 160,000
General D'Esperey, Commander

German Forces, 520,000

First German Army, 270,000
General von Kluck, Commander
General von Kühl, Chief of Staff

Group Commanders:
General von Linsingen
General von Armin
General von Quast

Second German Army, 250,000
General von Buelow, Commander

The Battle of the Ourcq, which inaugurated and so largely determined the issue of the First Battle of the Marne, is properly viewed, not as a single isolated action, spending itself wholly) on the banks of a remote little stream, but rather as a sequence of widely separated battles, requiring for their vast theater the entire region lying between the Aisne and Aubertin Rivers, and involving four gigantic armies — a third of the whole embattled host of the Marne — throughout the period of the German repulse and retreat.

Timed for the strategic moment of the Allied offensive, when General Joffre was preparing to launch his surprise attack on the German right flank, the Battle of the Ourcq River began just at dawn on September 5th with the movement Eastward from Dam- martin of four divisions of General Maunoury's Sixth French Army, then secretly concentrating in the fortified area north of Paris, to give battle to General Gronau's Fourth Reserve Corps and General von Marwitz's cavalry brigade, which were posted on the west bank of the Ourcq as the flank guard of General von Kluck's First German Army. It was the French intention, after disposing of this German rearguard, to cross the Ourcq above Lizy and then advance eastward in the general direction of Chateau Thierry, thus getting in rear of von Kluck's main army, which was then massed below the Marne. Neither von Kluck nor th...

Throughout September 6, 1914, Manoury had consistently driven back the one German reserve corps opposing him, had reached the Ourcq and was threatening to get behind the main Germain line. The outnumbered Germans resisted stubbornly, but were steadily compelled to withdraw from one position after another. On the next day, however, the advance guard of von Kluck's returning army began to reinforce the Reserve Corps and Manoury made all haste to achieve a crushing defeat before further reinforcements against him could arrive. At the same time, he himself was strengthened by the arrival of fresh troops from the Paris garrison, rushed to the scene of battle in every kind of vehicle Paris was able to provide. But throughout September 7, 1914, the German forces were being constantly strengthened by new detachments hastening up from the German First Army, and on the whole Manoury was unable to gain further headway. He could foresee nothing but defeat on the next day when the main body of the German First Army should arrive. Von Kluck was executing a difficult manoeuvre with extreme skill and rapidity. Indeed, on September 8, 1914, the German First Army arrived in force opposite Manoury, and not only launched tremendous frontal attacks against him, but also started extremely dangerous flanking movements; and on September 9, 1914, Manoury's position was desperate. He was still taking the offensive at times, but his case was hopeless. His men were at the end of their resources, knew they were beaten, and could anticipate nothing better than a wild retreat back into Paris. His northern flank 'had been driven back until it bent far behind the remainder of his line, and even retreat might not save his outnumbered and overwhelmed troops. He could get no further help from the Paris garrison, which could now itself expect an attack by von Kluck, and only by a miraculous Allied victory on another portion of the line could the pressure exerted by von Kluck be lessened.

And it w...