The Guns of August

“On the Western front,” Tuchman writes, “the fifteenth day brought an end to the period of concentration and preliminary attacks. The period of offensive battle began” (206). The French right wing moves into Alsace and Lorraine, where the Germans will attempt to draw them further in. In Belgium, France’s General Lanrezac recognizes that the Germans are attempting to envelop the French, but higher command won’t listen. Finally, after repeated reports of German movement, Joffre gives orders to move some of the troops to meet the German offensive, though Lanrezac thinks it will be too little, too late. The Germans are cutting through villages, fields, and roads, straight toward Lanrezac. However, the German leadership, under Moltke, is cracking, as it lacks communication and fears a French counterattack to the north. To the south, when the French appear to be moving north and therefore out of the enveloping trap, Prince Rupprecht, head of the German Sixth Army, prepares to attack, abandoning previous German plans.

The arrival of the British Expeditionary Force in France does not reassure the French military leaders, despite the cheering crowds. Sir John French does not instill confidence in the French, and lack of communication, as well as stubbornness on the part of each army’s respective leaders, brings about anger and altercations.