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ALLIES – victory
In the 1st Battle of Marne, The Germans defeated the Belgium army and forced retreat on the British army due to their swiftness and preparation. After the defeat of the Belgium army, the Germans’ plan was to invade Paris. Paris prepared for a siege and the government even left Paris for safety reasons. The Germans got as close as 30 miles to Paris. The French army had been retreating for nearly a fortnight, ready to defend their country, when they reached an area to the south of the River Marne. It was when they decided to cease retreat and an attack was ordered on the German First Army and 150,000 French soldiers attacked the right flank of the German army. The Germans were left with no choice but to retaliate and it resulted in such a battle that the whole of the German army (even the soldiers ordered to continue to Paris) had to redirect their attention to this French Army. However, the momentum of this attack was short lived, and neither side claimed victory. The French withdrew again but had disrupted the German communication systems by separating the 2 German armies further, leaving German leaders with confused messages about what was really happening on the battlefield. The Germans began to fear the French as they were now in a position where they could not only divide the German soldiers, but they could defeat all German armies involved in the planned attack of Paris. The German leaders ordered retreat due to the communication breakdown and this was when the Germans drew back and began to dig their trenches. The act of digging trenches was new at the time and became the preferred method for combat for many years to come!
In the 1st Battle of Marne, The Germans defeated the Belgium army and forced retreat on the British army due to their swiftness and preparation. After the defeat of the Belgium army, the Germans’ plan was to invade Paris. Paris prepared for a siege and the government even left Paris for safety reasons. The Germans got as close as 30 miles to Paris. The French army had been retreating for nearly a fortnight, ready to defend their country, when they reached an area to the south of the River Marne. It was when they decided to cease retreat and an attack was ordered on the German First Army and 150,000 French soldiers attacked the right flank of the German army. The Germans were left with no choice but to retaliate and it resulted in such a battle that the whole of the German army (even the soldiers ordered to continue to Paris) had to redirect their attention to this French Army. However, the momentum of this attack was short lived, and neither side claimed victory. The French withdrew again but had disrupted the German communication systems by separating the 2 German armies further, leaving German leaders with confused messages about what was really happening on the battlefield. The Germans began to fear the French as they were now in a position where they could not only divide the German soldiers, but they could defeat all German armies involved in the planned attack of Paris. The German leaders ordered retreat due to the communication breakdown and this was when the Germans drew back and began to dig their trenches. The act of digging trenches was new at the time and became the preferred method for combat for many years to come!
FOCUS QUESTION RESPONSE: Though the French armies lost many men, Paris was saved and it has now become one of the largest tourist attractions in the world! Even though the Germans lost, they were forced to dig trenches to help with their withdrawal, and trench warfare dominated battle for many years to come. This meant that the Allies were at a disadvantage when trench warfare became the preferred method for combat.