Battle of Lorraine
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Lorraine was a battle of World War I
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.
, while the Second Army of General de Castelnau headed towards Morhange
.
On the 17th, the XXth Corps (General Foch
) captured Château Salins near Morhange, while Sarrebourg was captured on the 18th. However, after four days of retreat in order to lure the French armies into German territory, the German Sixth and Seventh Armies under the combined command of Konrad Krafft von Dellmensingen
launched a counter-attack; Crown Prince 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.
. On August 20, the offensive began and Noel de Castelnau ordered his army to withdraw from Morhange (the Battle of Morhange ). Seeing this, Auguste Dubail
's army pulled out of Sarrebourg (the Battle 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 south, 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 Battle of the Mortagne ). 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.
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
fought in August 1914 between France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Germany
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
. This followed Plan XVII
Plan XVII
Plan XVII was the name of a "scheme of mobilization and concentration" that was adopted by the French General Staff in 1913, to be put into effect by the French Army in the event of war between France and Germany but was not ‘a prescribed narrative for the campaign’ or battle...
, which proposed a French offensive through Lorraine
Moselle
Moselle is a department in the east of France named after the river Moselle.- History :Moselle is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
and Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
, and into Germany itself.
French Offensive
The main French offensive in the west, known as the Battle of Lorraine, was launched on 14 August. The First Army of General Auguste Dubail was to advance on SarrebourgSarrebourg
Sarrebourg is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. It lies in on the upper course of the river Sarre.It should not be confused with Saarburg in Germany....
, while the Second Army of General de Castelnau headed towards Morhange
Morhange
Morhange is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France....
.
On the 17th, the XXth Corps (General Foch
Foch
-People with the surname Foch:*Ferdinand Foch , Marshal of France and Allied Supreme Commander in World War I*Nina Foch , Dutch actress-Other uses:...
) captured Château Salins near Morhange, while Sarrebourg was captured on the 18th. However, after four days of retreat in order to lure the French armies into German territory, the German Sixth and Seventh Armies under the combined command of Konrad Krafft von Dellmensingen
Konrad Krafft von Dellmensingen
Konrad Krafft von Dellmensingen was a Bavarian Army general in World War I. He served as Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Bavarian Army before World War I and commanded the elite Alpenkorps, the Imperial German Army's mountain division formed in 1915.-Early life:Krafft von Dellmensingen...
launched a counter-attack; Crown Prince 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.
German Counteroffensive
Crown Prince Rupprecht, dissatisfied with the defensive role assigned to him, along with Dellmensingen, petitioned his superiors to allow him a counter-offensive, contrary to the warnings of Schlieffen in the Schlieffen PlanSchlieffen Plan
The Schlieffen Plan was the German General Staff's early 20th century overall strategic plan for victory in a possible future war in which the German Empire might find itself fighting on two fronts: France to the west and Russia to the east...
. On August 20, the offensive began and Noel de Castelnau ordered his army to withdraw from Morhange (the Battle of Morhange ). Seeing this, Auguste Dubail
Auguste Dubail
Auguste Yvon Edmond Dubail was a French Army general. He commanded the First Army and Army Group East during World War I.-Biography:...
's army pulled out of Sarrebourg (the Battle of Sarrebourg ). The Germans didn't halt at the border and instead marched on to try to take Nancy. Ferdinand Foch
Ferdinand Foch
Ferdinand Foch , GCB, OM, DSO was a French soldier, war hero, military theorist, and writer credited with possessing "the most original and subtle mind in the French army" in the early 20th century. He served as general in the French army during World War I and was made Marshal of France in its...
's XX Corps
XX Corps
List of military corps — List of military corps by numberA number of countries have a Twentieth, or XX, Corps:* Italian XX Motorised Corps* XX Corps * XX Corps * XX Corps * XX Corps...
managed to defend Nancy successfully, halting the German offensive. To the south, Mulhouse was retaken, but it was abandoned as the French gave up on Plan XVII
Plan XVII
Plan XVII was the name of a "scheme of mobilization and concentration" that was adopted by the French General Staff in 1913, to be put into effect by the French Army in the event of war between France and Germany but was not ‘a prescribed narrative for the campaign’ or battle...
.
The battle lapsed into stalemate until August 24th, when a limited German offensive was launched (the Battle of the Mortagne ). 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.