Arciniega

The French and Germans have argued about the territories of Alsace and Lorraine for centuries. In 1871, following losing the Franco-Prussian War, France was forced to cede the territories back to Prussia. When Germany invaded Belgium in 1914, France seized upon the opportunity to restore its honor and reclaim the coal wealthy regions of Alsace and Lorraine. On August 14, 1914, the French army beneath the command of Generals Foch and Dubail marched into Lorraine. The German forces (Sixth Army) had been led by Crown Prince Rupprecht and equipped with machine guns and heavy artillery.

The German strategy was easy. On August 14th, they began a controlled retreat intending to draw the French armies into attacking heavily defended places. The French Initial and Second Armies very easily marched forward. On August 17th, Fochs XXth Corps was able to seize Chteau Salins. On August 18th Dubails 1st Army advanced into Sarrebourg and on the very same day the 2nd Army took manage of Dieuze. As the French armies continued to advance, they were met with increasingly heavier resistance from the German troops.

Rupprecht grew impatient with the retreating approach and requested orders to attack. There are contradictory reports regardless of whether the order to counter attack came from Army Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke or if Rupprecht employed his own authority. On August 20th, the German Sixth Army attacked the French 2nd Army. Since the French army had been advancing incredibly quick, they had no trenches or other defensive positions to thwart the German offensive. ppi claims

The XXth Corps led by Foch was capable to sustain its position, but the 1st and 2nd armies were pushed backed. Gaps began to form in the French lines. On August 22nd, only 8 days after the French offensive started, the Commander-in Chief of the French Army Joffre was forced to order a retreat to Belfort, Epinal and Toul exactly where trenches were in spot and a stalemate in between opposing forces followed.