First Battle of the Aisne facts for kids
Quick facts for kids First Battle of the Aisne |
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| Part of the Western Front of World War I | |||||||
 Map of the Western Front and the Race to the Sea, 1914 |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 France United Kingdom |
 German Empire |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Michel-Joseph Maunoury Joseph Joffre Louis Franchet d'Esperey John French |
 Alexander von Kluck Karl von Bülow Josias von Heeringen |
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| Strength | |||||||
| Fifth Army Sixth Army BEF |
First Army Second Army Seventh Army |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 250,000 killed or wounded 13,541 killed or wounded |
Unknown | ||||||
The First Battle of the Aisne (French: 1re Bataille de l'Aisne) was a major fight during World War I in September 1914. It happened after the First Battle of the Marne, where the German army had to retreat. The Allied forces, including France and the British, chased them. This battle was part of a larger push called the "Advance to the Aisne."
Contents
The Battle Begins
German Defenses Along the Aisne
When the German army retreated, they stopped at the Aisne River in France. They chose a very strong position to defend themselves. The river itself was about 30 meters (100 feet) wide and 3.5 to 4.5 meters (12-15 feet) deep.
On each side of the river, there was flat ground for about 1.6 kilometers (1 mile). Then, the land rose sharply into steep cliffs, about 90 to 120 meters (300-400 feet) high. The Germans set up their defenses on the higher northern side, about 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) beyond the top of the cliffs.
This area was covered by thick bushes and trees. The open fields below offered no hiding spots for the Allied soldiers. Narrow paths cut into the cliffs, making it very dangerous for anyone trying to sneak through. From their high position, the Germans could see and shoot across a wide area.
Allied Advance and Challenges
On the night of September 13, 1914, a thick fog covered the area. Most of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) crossed the Aisne River. They used temporary bridges or bridges that had been partly destroyed.
The French Fifth Army also crossed the river. They captured the eastern part of Chemin des Dames. This was a steep ridge named after a road built for King Louis XV's daughters.
As the fog lifted the next morning, the Allied soldiers found themselves in the open. They were hit hard by German fire from the sides. Soldiers caught in the valley without the fog's cover also faced heavy attacks.
Stalemate and Trench Warfare
It quickly became clear that neither side could force the other to move. Since no one wanted to retreat, the fighting turned into a stalemate. This meant the armies were stuck in a small area for the next four years.
On September 14, British commander Sir John French ordered his troops to dig in. They didn't have many digging tools, so soldiers looked for pickaxes and spades on nearby farms. At first, they dug shallow holes for cover from enemy observation and artillery.
Soon, these holes became deeper, about 2 meters (7 feet) deep. Soldiers also used camouflage and reinforced the trench walls with wood. This was the beginning of Trench warfare, which was new to both sides.
New Weapons and Tactics
The Germans quickly changed their fighting methods for this new type of war. They used large howitzers to fire huge shells into the Allied trenches. They also used trench mortars and hand and rifle grenades. These weapons caused many casualties for the Allies, who were not trained or equipped for them.
The Germans also used searchlights, flares, and periscopes. These tools were originally for other purposes but became useful in the trenches.
The British army had a shortage of heavy weapons. Their largest guns were not as powerful as the German artillery. They quickly brought more guns from England, but they were still not as strong as the German howitzers. The British mainly relied on rifles and machine guns. While British soldiers were excellent shots, their accuracy could not match the power of German machine guns and grenades.
Aircraft in Battle
British aircraft were used to report enemy troop movements. Some planes had radios, allowing pilots to tell their commanders where enemy guns were located. On September 24, two lieutenants, B.T. James and D.S. Lewis, found three hidden German gun batteries. These batteries were causing a lot of damage.
They radioed the location of the batteries back to their side. Then, they flew in circles, watching for their own artillery shells to explode near the enemy. German anti-aircraft fire was not very accurate. Their shells rarely hit the planes and often fell to the ground, sometimes bursting near British lines.
Race to the Sea
For about three weeks after the trench warfare began, both sides tried to outflank each other. This period is known as the "Race to the Sea". The Germans tried to get around the Allied left side, while the Allies tried to get around the German right side.
This led to a continuous system of trenches that stretched for more than 640 kilometers (400 miles). These trenches ran from the Belgian coast all the way to the border of Switzerland.
Siege of Antwerp
Meanwhile, the Belgian Army became a threat to German communication lines as the battle moved north. On September 28, the Germans planned to capture the port city of Antwerp in Belgium.
Antwerp was surrounded by old forts that could not withstand heavy shells. The forts lacked good communication and ways to see where enemy fire was coming from. They also didn't have modern high-explosive shells or smokeless gunpowder.
On September 29, German General Hans von Beseler led six divisions against Antwerp's forts. The powerful German howitzers, which had destroyed other forts, were placed far out of reach of Belgian artillery. With help from aircraft, the German gunners quickly hit their targets.
Belgian guns produced thick, black smoke, which showed their exact positions. Two forts were quickly destroyed, and others fell one after another. That night, the Belgian government and 65,000 troops left the city. The remaining 80,000 soldiers tried to hold off the Germans.
The next day, the outer ring of forts collapsed. Many civilians left for the neutral Netherlands. A British Royal Marine Division joined the defenders, but they could not stop the German advance. After six days, the remaining Belgian soldiers retreated. The rest of the Belgian army moved west to defend the last part of Belgium in the Battle of the Yser (October 16–31, 1914).
Many soldiers who died at the Aisne are buried at Vailly British Cemetery.
There were two later battles on the Aisne River; the second (April–May 1917) and the third (May–June 1918).
See also
- La Ferté-sous-Jouarre memorial
- Neil Douglas Findlay - the first British General to die in the war was killed in this battle.
- Ronald Simson, Scotland rugby player - the first rugby internationalist to die during the war, killed in this battle.
