Battle of Lorraine

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Battle of Lorraine
Part of World War I
French heavy cavalry on the way to battle, Paris, August 1914.
Date 14-25 August 1914 (major combat) Location Lorraine Result German victory
Belligerents
France	German Empire
Commanders
Auguste Dubail, Noel de Castelnau	Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria
Strength
French First and Second Armies (6 Corps)	German Sixth and Seventh Armies (8 Corps)

v • d • e Battle of the Frontiers Mulhouse – Lorraine – The Ardennes – Charleroi – Mons

The Battle of Lorraine was fought in August, 1914, between France and Germany. This followed Plan XVII, which proposed a French offensive through Lorraine and Alsace, and into Germany itself.

[edit] French Offensive

The main French offensive in the south, known as the Battle of Lorraine, began on 14 August when the First Army of General Auguste Dubail advanced on Sarrebourg, while the Second Army of General de Castelnau headed towards Morhange. The French moves were welcomed by the German Sixth and Seventh Armies under the combined command of Crown Prince Rupprecht; Rupprecht was in charge of the German forces assigned to meet and engage the French assault in the centre until they could be enveloped by the encircling German right wing. The German rearguards, equipped with machine guns, inflicted heavy casualties on the French infantry, still wearing their early 19th-century uniform of blue coat and red trousers.

[edit] German Counteroffensive

Crown Prince Rupprecht, dissatisfied with the defensive role assigned to him, petitioned his superiors to allow him a counter-offensive. On August 20, the offensive began and Auguste Dubail ordered his army to withdraw from Morhange. Seeing this, Noel de Castelnau's army pulled out of Sarrebourg. The Germans didn't halt at the border and instead marched on to try to take Nancy. Ferdinand Foch's XX Corps managed to defend Nancy successfully, halting the German offensive. To the north, Mulhouse was retaken, but it was abandoned as the French gave up on Plan XVII.

The battle lapsed into stalemate until August 24th, when a limited German offensive was launched. The French had been alerted beforehand by scouting aircraft and so German gains were limited to a small salient. The following day, even that was lost when the French counterattacked. Fighting continued on to the end of the month, at which time trenches were built and a permanent stalemate ensued.