The First Battle of the Marne 1914: The French 'miracle' halts the Germans

Osprey's study of the Battle of the Marne, which was one of the decisive encounters of World War I (1914-1918), saving France from a catastrophic defeat that would almost certainly have knocked her out of the war. Germany's failure to defeat the French committed her to a war on two fronts, which would lead to trench warfare and the war of attrition that the General Staff had hoped to avoid.

The conduct of the battle served to make and break the reputation of commanders and subordinates alike. Although not an decisive defeat, the battle was a strategic Allied victory. Further attempts by each side to outflank the other led to the formation of a continuous front from the North Sea to Switzerland, which set the pattern for the rest of the war.

This title presents the origins of the campaign, followed by a brief chronology, before detailing the opposing commanders and armies. It then breaks out the French orders of battle and the German's opposing plans, the outcome of the fighting and the aftermath of the battle. The book concludes with a look at the battlefield today and suggestions for further reading.

ISBN-13 : 9781846035029
Publisher : Osprey Publishing, Limited
Publication date : 25/05/2010
Author : Ian Sumner, Graham Turner

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Essential to a better understanding of Western Front history." - The Midwest Book Review

"This 96-page book documents the origins of the campaign, followed by a brief chronology. Then the opposing commanders and the forces at their disposal are detailed ... Hobbyists will discover diorama ideas in this good book’s great mixture of period photographs and full-color illustrations. Especially notable is one of the plates by Graham Turner depicting one of the battle’s iconic moments when French reinforcements rushed to the front embarked from a column of 6,000 Parisian taxi cabs." -Toy Soldier & Model Figure August 2011

Meet the Author

Ian Sumner was born in 1953 in Eccles, near Manchester, UK. He originally trained as a librarian in Newcastle-upon-Tyne but now devotes himself to full-time writing. He has written numerous titles for Osprey, and also several books on the history of the East Riding of Yorkshire, where he now lives with his wife. The author lives in Yorkshire, England.