Aftermath Battle of Albert (1914)

the french had been able use undamaged railways behind front move troops more germans, had take long detours, wait repairs damaged tracks , replace rolling stock. french iv corps moved lorraine on 2 september in 109 trains , assembled 6 september. french had been able move troops in 200 trains per day , use hundreds of motor-vehicles, co-ordinated 2 staff officers, commandant gérard , captain doumenc. french use belgian , captured german rail wagons , domestic telephone , telegraph systems. initiative held germans in august not recovered , troop movements right flank piecemeal. until end of siege of maubeuge (24 august – 7 september), single line trier liège, brussels, valenciennes , cambrai available , had used supply german armies on right 6th army travelled in opposite direction, limiting army forty trains day, taking 4 days move corps. information on german troop movements wireless interception, enabled french forestall german moves germans had rely on reports spies, wrong. french resorted more cautious infantry tactics, using cover reduce casualties , centralised system of control german army commanders followed contradictory plans. french did not need obtain decisive result , concentrate on conserving french army.

subsequent operations

on 30 september, french division arrived @ arras , on 1 october pushed guémappe, wancourt , monchy-le-preux until arrival of x corps. 2 more french corps, 3 infantry , 2 cavalry divisions had been sent northwards amiens, arras, lens , lille, increased second army 8 corps, along front of 100 km (62 mi). on 28 september, falkenhayn had ordered 6th army conduct offensive on existing northern flank iv, guard , bavarian corps near arras, , offensives further north. on 1 october, french attacked south-east, expecting cavalry screen.

three german corps attacked arras douai on 1 october, forestalling french. 3–4 october, costly german attacks made on beaurains, mercatel , arras suburbs of st. laurent-blangy , st. nicolas, repulsed , lens fell. german attacks made north of arras reach scarpe repulsed x corps. 4 october, german troops had reached givenchy-en-gohelle , on right flank of french south, several territorial divisions separated x corps. joffre made maud huy s subdivision d armée independent tenth army , told castelnau keep second army in position, wait while increasing number of troops further north diverted german pressure.

by 6 october, second army front oise somme , tenth army front thiepval gommecourt, blaireville, eastern fringe of arras, bailleul, vimy , souchez had been stabilised. operation cavalry under marwitz north of 6th army, had pushed french territorial divisions line between lens , lille , on 5 october, marwitz issued orders cavalry advance westwards abbeville on channel coast , cut railways leading south. @ end of 6 october, falkenhayn terminated attempts 2nd army break through in picardy. north, , ii cavalry corps attacked between lens , lille, repulsed , forced behind lorette spur. next day cavalry attacked first troops of french xxi corps, advancing béthune.

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