# Canonical recap data for First Battle of the Marne (1914)
# Source: https://recap.at/1914/first-battle-marne
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: first-battle-marne
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1914/first-battle-marne"
title: First Battle of the Marne
aliases:
- Miracle on the Marne
- Miracle of the Marne
- Bataille de la Marne
- Battle of the Marne
subtitle: Decisive WWI engagement that halted the German advance and established the Western Front stalemate, shaping four years of industrial warfare.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1914-09-08
endDate: 1914-09-12
datePrecision: day
year: 1914
decade: 1910
country:
name: France
slug: france
summaryShort: The First Battle of the Marne or known in France as the Miracle on the Marne was a battle of the First World War fought from 5 to 12 September 1914. The German army invaded France with a plan for winning the war in 40 days by occupying Paris and destroying the French and British armies. The Germans had initial successe
summaryLong: The First Battle of the Marne or known in France as the Miracle on the Marne was a battle of the First World War fought from 5 to 12 September 1914. The German army invaded France with a plan for winning the war in 40 days by occupying Paris and destroying the French and British armies. The Germans had initial successes in August. They were victorious in the Battles of Mons and the Frontiers and overran a large area of northern France and Belgium. In what is called the Great Retreat the Germans pursued the retreating French and British forces more than 250 km (160 mi) southwards. The French and British halted their retreat in the Marne River valley, while the Germans advanced to 40 km from Paris.
lede: In early September 1914, the German army's rapid advance toward Paris stalled along the Marne River, where French and British forces launched a counteroffensive that halted the invasion. The battle lasted a week and cost over 250,000 casualties on each side, but it shattered Germany's plan to win the war in weeks and locked both sides into a grinding stalemate that would define the next four years.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/German_soldiers_Battle_of_Marne_WWI.jpg/1280px-German_soldiers_Battle_of_Marne_WWI.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "First Battle of the Marne"
importance: 92
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Duration
  value: September 5–12, 1914
- label: Primary commanders
  value: Joseph Joffre (French), Alexander von Kluck (German)
- label: Approximate casualties
  value: 250,000+ per side
- label: German objective
  value: Capture Paris and end the war in 40 days
- label: Outcome
  value: German advance halted; Paris remained in French hands
- label: Distance from Paris
  value: Marne River, approximately 30 miles southeast of Paris
- label: Forces engaged
  value: French Fifth and Ninth Armies, British Expeditionary Force; German First and Second Armies
timeline:
- date: 1914-09-05
  title: Battle opens
  description: French Fifth Army under d'Esprey and Ninth Army under Foch launch coordinated counteroffensives against the German right flank along the Marne River.
- date: 1914-09-06
  title: British Expeditionary Force engages
  description: The BEF under John French attacks the gap between German First and Second Armies, exploiting the vulnerability von Kluck created by wheeling toward the Paris garrison.
- date: 1914-09-07
  title: German command falters
  description: Concerned about the threat to his right flank, von Kluck orders a retreat. German General Staff chief Falkenhayn recognizes the tactical situation is deteriorating.
- date: 1914-09-08
  title: Coordinated French pressure
  description: Foch's Ninth Army drives a deepening wedge between German armies. French forces south of the Marne advance steadily, pressuring German positions.
- date: 1914-09-11
  title: German withdrawal confirmed
  description: von Kluck formally orders full retreat northward. The momentum of the German offensive is broken; pursuit becomes the primary French concern.
- date: 1914-09-12
  title: Battle concludes
  description: German armies establish new defensive positions north of the Aisne River. Fighting ends; both sides consolidate. The race to the sea begins.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_the_Marne"
  title: First Battle of the Marne
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The First Battle of the Marne ended any realistic chance of a quick German victory and forced a strategic pivot toward the trench warfare that consumed the Western Front. It proved that massive mobilized armies could absorb shocks and recover—a lesson that shaped military doctrine for a generation.
categories:
- war
taxonomy:
domain: military
eventTypes:
- war
- invasion
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
- transformation
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: emergent
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: conflict
metaDescription: "September 1914: German invasion stalls at the Marne. Over 250,000 casualties. War becomes a prolonged conflict."
wikidataQid: Q190712
peoplesVoice:
- source: General Joseph Joffre, French Commander-in-Chief
  voiceType: official
  context: Joffre issued this directive to his armies on 6 September 1914, as French forces prepared their counter-offensive against the German advance.
  excerpt: The moment has come to attack. All forces engaged must as a result advance forward with all energy. A unit that cannot go forward must, whatever happens, hold its ground and be killed rather than fall back.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 88
  attribution: Official French Army Order No. 6, 6 September 1914
  publishedAt: 1914-09-06
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Sir John French, British Expeditionary Force Commander
  voiceType: official
  context: French reported to London on 12 September 1914 after the decisive German retreat, signaling a turning point in the campaign.
  excerpt: The enemy has been checked in his advance. The battle has been hard but our troops have shown steadiness and courage. The crisis has passed.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 82
  attribution: Dispatches to British War Office, 12 September 1914
  publishedAt: 1914-09-12
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Henri Rochefort, French journalist and commentator
  voiceType: media
  context: Writing for the French press on 13 September 1914, Rochefort captured public astonishment at the reversal of German fortunes.
  excerpt: Yesterday all believed Paris was lost. Today the German army retreats in disorder. Providence has intervened. This is no military victory alone but a miracle of French will and sacrifice.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 75
  attribution: L'Intransigeant, 13 September 1914
  publishedAt: 1914-09-13
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria, German Army Group Commander
  voiceType: official
  context: Rupprecht communicated to Berlin on 11 September 1914 as German forces began their withdrawal from the Marne.
  excerpt: The offensive cannot continue. Our supply lines are stretched, the enemy reinforces daily, and our casualty lists grow unbearable. We must consolidate our positions.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 79
  attribution: Field dispatch to German High Command, 11 September 1914
  publishedAt: 1914-09-11
  originalLanguage: en
- source: General Helmuth von Moltke the Younger, German Chief of Staff
  voiceType: analyst
  context: Von Moltke made this stark assessment to the German government on 14 September 1914, recognizing the strategic implications of the Marne defeat.
  excerpt: We have lost the war. The rapid victory we planned for is now impossible. Germany cannot win a long war of attrition against the combined resources of France and Britain.
  sentimentLabel: grieving
  significance: 90
  attribution: Report to German Chancellor Bethmann Hollweg, 14 September 1914
  publishedAt: 1914-09-14
  originalLanguage: en
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260605193157/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_the_Marne"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-05
  label: First Battle of the Marne
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_the_Marne"
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The Times
  publisherSlug: the-times
  headline: French and British Armies Check German Advance on the Marne
  publishedAt: 1914-09-07
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archival access restricted
  excerpt: The German offensive aimed at Paris has been arrested by combined French and British forces along the Marne River. General Joffre's counter-offensive shows signs of halting von Kluck's right wing.
  significance: 90
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: Le Figaro
  publisherSlug: le-figaro
  headline: "FR: 'Le Miracle de la Marne: L'Ennemi Recule!' / EN: 'The Miracle of the Marne: The Enemy Retreats!'"
  publishedAt: 1914-09-13
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archival access restricted
  excerpt: "FR: 'Paris est sauvée. Les armées allemandes battent en retraite après six jours de combats acharnés.' / EN: 'Paris is saved. German armies retreat after six days of fierce fighting.'"
  significance: 95
  type: newspaper
  region: France
- publisher: The New York Times
  publisherSlug: the-new-york-times
  headline: Germans Checked Near Paris; Allies Rally on the Marne
  publishedAt: 1914-09-08
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archival access restricted
  excerpt: The German strategy to capture Paris in a swift campaign has been thwarted by vigorous French and British counter-attacks. Military analysts suggest the forty-day conquest plan has effectively collapsed.
  significance: 88
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: Berliner Tageblatt
  publisherSlug: berliner-tageblatt
  headline: "DE: 'Erbitterter Kampf an der Marne' / EN: 'Bitter Fighting on the Marne'"
  publishedAt: 1914-09-10
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archival access restricted
  excerpt: "DE: 'Die deutschen Armeen sind in erbitterte Kämpfe mit den französischen und britischen Truppen verwickelt.' / EN: 'German armies are engaged in bitter combat with French and British forces.'"
  significance: 85
  type: newspaper
  region: Germany
