- This article is about World War One. For the American Civil War campaign, see Sherman's March to the Sea
The Race to the Sea was a name given to a period of World War I when, on the Western Front, the two sides were still engaged in mobile warfare. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All See Western Front (disambiguation for other meanings Western Front was a term used during the First and Second World With the German advance stalled at the First Battle of the Marne, the opponents continually attempted to outflank each other through north-eastern France. The First Battle of the Marne (also known as the Miracle of the Marne) was a World War I battle fought from 5 September to 12 September 1914 This process brought the forces back to positions prepared under British Admiralty guidance, on the North Sea coast in Western Belgium. The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. The North Sea is a marginal, Epeiric sea of the Atlantic Ocean on the European Continental shelf. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those The nature of operations then changed to trench warfare, which is very large scale siege warfare. Trench warfare is a form of warfare where both combatants have fortified positions and fighting lines are static This produced a continuous front line of trench fortifications more than two hundred miles long, which by the following Spring extended from the coast to the Swiss border. A front line is a line of confrontation in an Armed conflict, most commonly a War. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation
It began in September of 1914 in Champagne, at the end of the German advance into France, and ended at the North Sea in November. Year 1914 ( MCMXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Champagne is a historic province in the northeast of France, best known for the production of the sparkling white wine that bears the region's name The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The North Sea is a marginal, Epeiric sea of the Atlantic Ocean on the European Continental shelf. In the ensuing battles fought in Picardy, Artois and Flanders, neither side could gain the advantage and so, as repeated attempts to find the open flank were made, the line was extended until it reached the coast. Picardy (Picardie is an historical Province of France, in the north of France. Artois (Artesië (adjective Artesian) is a former province of northern France. Flanders (Vlaanderen Flandre Flandern is a geographical region located in parts of present day Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. The term "Race to the Sea" suggests that all the forces began in Champagne though significant parts of the German Army arrived from Belgium, after the fall of Antwerp, and much of the BEF arrived from England by way of English Channel coast of France. The Siege of Antwerp was an engagement of the Germans and the Belgians during World War I. The British Expeditionary Force ( BEF) was the British army sent to the Western Front in France and Belgium on the outbreak of The movement towards the North Sea was the result of continual failed attempts at flanking manoeuvres. In Military tactics, a flanking maneuver, also called a flank attack, is an attack on the sides of an opposing force
In fact, the eventual "finish line" of the race was already occupied by two forces. The Belgian army, later reinforced by the British Royal Naval Division, had been holding out in Antwerp which finally fell on October 10. The British 63rd (Royal Naval Division was a First World War division of the New Army. The Siege of Antwerp was an engagement of the Germans and the Belgians during World War I. Events 680 - Battle of Karbala: Shia Imam Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is decapitated The Belgian and British forces had withdrawn to a line on the River Yser (IJzer) which flows into the North Sea at Nieuwpoort. The Yser (IJzer Yser is a River that finds its origin in the north of France, enters Belgium and flows into the North Sea in the town Nieuwpoort is a Municipality located in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of West Flanders
The race is deemed to have begun late September, 1914 following the end of the Battle of the Aisne, the unsuccessful Allied counter-offensive against the German forces halted during the preceding First Battle of the Marne. Year 1914 ( MCMXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year This article is about the 1914 battle For other battles of the Aisne see Battle of the Aisne. The First Battle of the Marne (also known as the Miracle of the Marne) was a World War I battle fought from 5 September to 12 September 1914 The route of the race was largely governed by the north-south railways available to each side, the French through Amiens and the Germans through Lille. "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. Amiens (amjɛ̃ is a city and commune in northern France, 120 km north of Paris. Lille (lil Rijsel is a city in northern France. It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest Metropolitan area in the country
The French Tenth Army began to assemble at Amiens from mid-September and on September 25 began to push eastwards. The Tenth Army (Xe Armée was a Field army of the French Army during World War I. The German Sixth Army had reached Bapaume on September 26 and advanced to Thiepval on the 27th, in the middle of what was to become the Somme battlefield of 1916. The 6th Army was a German Field army which saw action in World War I and World War II. Bapaume is a commune and the chief town of a canton in the Pas-de-Calais département in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region Thiepval is a commune in the Somme département in the Picardie region of France. The Battle of the Somme, also known as the Somme Offensive, fought from July to November 1916 was among the largest battles of the First World War Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year The German aim was to drive westward to the English Channel, seizing the industrial and agricultural regions of Northern France, cutting off the supply route of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and isolating Belgium. The British Expeditionary Force ( BEF) was the British army sent to the Western Front in France and Belgium on the outbreak of Meanwhile, six of the eleven German cavalry divisions would sweep through Flanders to the coast. The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on A division is a large Military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to thirty thousand soldiers Flanders (Vlaanderen Flandre Flandern is a geographical region located in parts of present day Belgium, France, and the Netherlands.
However, between October 1 and October 6 the German Sixth Army's offensive north of the Somme was halted by the French under the direction of General Ferdinand Foch. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Events 105 BC - Battle of Arausio: The Cimbri inflict the heaviest defeat on the Roman army of Gnaeus Mallius Maximus Ferdinand Foch OM GCB (2 October 1851 – 20 March 1929 was a French soldier military theorist and writer credited with possessing "the most original The German cavalry encountered the French XXI Corps near Lille and were likewise halted. The only gap remaining was in Flanders with the Belgians on the Yser to the north and the French in Picardy to the south.
Attention now turned to Artois and Flanders where the BEF had begun to redeploy in order to shorten their supply route through Boulogne and Calais. Boulogne-sur-Mer ( Bonen in Dutch is a City in Northern France. Calais (kaˈlɛ in English often kæˈleɪ traditional English pronunciation /ˈkælɨs/ Kales is a town in northern France. The Germans reached Lille on October 13 and the British reached Balleuil (Belle) on the next day. Events 54 - Nero ascends to the Roman throne 409 - Vandals and Alans crossed the Pyrenees The line formed in Artois was established by the Battle of La Bassée between October 12 and October 27; the British held Arras while the Germans were in Lens. Events 539 BC - The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon. Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. Arras (Atrecht is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. Lens is a commune in northern France, in the Pas-de-Calais département.
In Flanders, the British 7th Division had moved in to Ypres (Ieper) on October 14. The 7th Infantry Division was established by Arthur Wellesley 1st Duke of Wellington for service in the Peninsula War and was active for most of the period since Ypres ( French, generally used in English French ipʁ English ˈiːprə Ieper (official name in Dutch, pronounced /ˈiːpər/ or Ypern Events 1066 - Norman Conquest: Battle of Hastings - In England on Senlac Hill seven miles from Hastings, the forces The Germans had actually occupied the town with a small detachment on October 3 but were forced to withdraw. Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's The British planned to advance along the road to Menen (Menin) but were stopped by a superior German force. Menen is also a variation of the nauruan district's name Meneng Menen (Menin is a Municipality located in the Belgian province On October 21, during the Battle of the Yser, King Albert of Belgium ordered the sea-locks at Nieuwpoort to be opened, creating an impassable flooded marshland up to a mile wide as far south as Diksmuide. Events 1512 - Martin Luther joins the theological faculty of the University of Wittenberg. The Battle of the Yser secured the coastline of Belgium for the allies in the " Race to the Sea " in the first three months of World War I. Albert I (8 April 1875 &ndash 17 February 1934 was the third King of the Belgians from 1909 until 1934 A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States Diksmuide ( Dixmude in French) is a Belgian City and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders
The German effort to achieve a breakthrough now concentrated at Ypres. In what was to become the First Battle of Ypres, the German attack began on October 21. The First Battle of Ypres, also called the Battle of Flanders, was the last major battle of the first year of World War I (1914 Fighting would continue until late November but, while the British forces were dangerously stretched, no breakthrough came.
While the race to the sea was over when the offensive at Ypres ceased, the Western Front still contained gaps. In particular, no front was established in the Vosges Mountains until early 1915. The Vosges (voːʒ or Vosges Mountains are a Mountain range in eastern France, stretching along the west side of the Rhine valley Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year
The implications seaward
While the BEF was following events to the Marne and returning northwards, there had been coordinated efforts by relatively small forces of the Belgian field and fortress armies, French marines, Royal Marines, the Naval Brigade (sailors half retrained as infantry), the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) and vessels of the Royal Navy. The Land Component (French Composante Terre, Dutch Landcomponent) formerly the Belgian Army, is the land-based service of the Belgian The Fusiliers Marins (Navy riflemen are units specialised in the protection and defence of key sites of the French Navy on land The Royal Marines ( RM) are the marine corps and amphibious Infantry of the United Kingdom and along with the Royal Navy The British 63rd (Royal Naval Division was a First World War division of the New Army. The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) The aim was to support Antwerp, so tying up German forces and protecting the coast from occupation which would permit its harbours to be used by U boats and prevent their use in supplying a British army. ||-||-||-||} Antwerp ( Dutch:, French: Anvers) is a City and Municipality in Belgium and the capital of the U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word, itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot ( undersea boat) and refers This much and the importance of Calais and Boulogne-sur-Mer in supplying the BEF were perceived at the time. Boulogne-sur-Mer ( Bonen in Dutch is a City in Northern France.
It is also true that in order to maintain a British army in France at all, the allies had to control the English Channel. The British Expeditionary Force ( BEF) was the British army sent to the Western Front in France and Belgium on the outbreak of To do this, particularly against U boats, the Strait of Dover had to be controlled. The Strait of Dover or Dover Strait ( French: Pas de Calais, pɑdə kalɛ "Strait of Calais " Dutch: Nauw van For this, its two coasts had to be occupied by the Allies so that a barrage of vessels, mines and nets could be maintained up to the two coasts. [1] In the event, this aim of retaining control of the French coast was achieved by coordination between naval and military forces of Belgium, France and the United Kingdom and no French port was lost. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located How much of this aspect was understood before the event is not clear. It was perhaps, so obvious, in the Admiralty at least, that it was not stated explicitly. The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. Certainly, the U boat threat was well appreciated at this stage but the First Lord's account of the time and its events makes no mention of the need to stop the threat at the strait.
These considerations made crucial the BEF's return to the north before the fluid situation there had solidified into a line reaching the coast west of Dunkirk. On the whole, the German forces significant in this aspect of the 'race' came from eastern Belgium, having been occupied there by operations associated with the resistance of Antwerp.
References
- Churchill, W. S. The World Crisis 1911–1918 London (1938) Chapter XII
Notes
- ^ This is seen in practice in Hist Opale, a French language site.
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