Let Them Pass

[Geon]

Chapter 10: Preparations for Battle​

August 11, 1914, Paris: General Joffre has for the last 48 hours been frantically trying to arrange a defense to stop the German attack. A line has been formed by the French army from the city of Chantilly to Reims. Joffre’s plan is simple. Stop the advance of the German 2nd army and then counterattack tearing a hole in the German lines of advance. If the first line from Chantilly to Reims fails, he will fall back to the line on the Marne.

Joffre knows it will take at least another week, possibly two for the British Expeditionary Force to be fully deployed into France. And he has been informed General French will be debarking via Le Havre. This means the British will have to fight their way through German lines to link up with the French forces. The French must buy those two weeks no matter the cost.

Joffre has already strongly suggested to President Poincare’ that the French government relocate southward to Lyons. Poincare’ is less then receptive toward this advice at first, until Joffre explains the tactical situation. “The facts are clear. Unless we can win either at the Chantilly/Reims line or at the Marne, Paris will be surrounded in at most two weeks." Poincare’ reluctantly agrees to prepare for the French government to move to Lyons.

Ambassador Herrick meantime has received an answer to his request for 60 troops to help safeguard French monuments. That answer is no. The United States will not risk a possible shooting incident with German troops. Herrick may use troops guarding the embassy if he so desires but no more will be sent. Wilson is determined to keep America out of this European War.

Le Havre, France: Advance elements of the British Expeditionary Force debark in Le Havre. These elements immediately are moved to the outskirts of the city to form a defensive perimeter. General French is among those first arriving.

Berlin, Germany: German military intelligence learns of the arrival of the first British troops. After conferring with the General Staff, the Kaiser consults with Admiral Scheer. He orders the Admiral to specifically target British troop ships approaching Le Havre. He and the rest of the General Staff hope to delay the British entry into actual combat for as long as possible. Seven U-Boats are ordered to take up positions around Le Havre with orders to sink any British troopships that approach the harbor.

 

[Derek Pullem]

October???

 

[Not Henry G.]

I didn't know that thread had been turned into a TL! Subscribed

 

[Geon]

October???

Whoops!!

Thanks for the catch Derek!!

 

[Geon]

Chapter 11: The First Line is Breached​

August 12, 1914; The Aisne/Vesle Line: At 4 a.m. on August 12th a massive artillery barrage erupts along the line the French have sent up along the Aisne and Vesle Rivers. After four hours of bombardment by the Krupp batteries at precisely 8 a.m. massive attacks by German infantry are launched just east Of Compiegne and just west of Reims.

The first attack at 8 a.m. is thrown back by battalions of the 3rd and 4th French armies. So is the second attack 3 hours later. The third attack at 2 p.m. breaches the line near Compiegne. German infantry from General Von Bulow’s 2nd army pour through and the line begins to waver. General Ruffey orders a general retreat by his forces at Compiegne back to the line on the Marne. As the line is breached and orders to retreat are passed along the retreat in some places nearly becomes a rout. Only by some French officers taking drastic measures of shooting those who are starting to foment panic in the ranks is the rout halted.

Paris: General Joffre receives word of the retreat by 4 p.m. that afternoon. He had half expected the hastily formed defense line at the Aisne/Vesle to collapse. Hence, he did not give an order to resist until overwhelmed as such an order would be suicidal. But now the Marne line must be held. If it falls Paris may well be surrounded. He gives orders that the Marne River line is to be held at “whatever the cost.” He calls upon “all loyal sons of France to stand fast at the Marne.”

Elsewhere in Paris President Poincare’ is working with his Cabinet to develop an evacuation plan for the government. As Poincare’ prepares for the evacuation of the government Joffre sends him word of the fall of the first line of defense. The government should be prepared to evacuate at a moment’s notice. Workers are already carefully removing priceless works of art from the Louvre. And police and fire personnel are preparing for the worst should fighting spill into the city proper.

Meantime the evacuation of all children under the age of 12 has begun. Trains leave every hour with children bound for the hopeful safety of southern France. Parents tearfully say hurried goodbyes to their children wondering if they will see them again.

The English Channel: Four German U-Boats patrolling in the North Sea (U-5, U-7, U-8, and U-9) as well as the 2nd Torpedo Boat Squadron are dispatched by wiireless into the English Channel with orders to sink British troopships attempting to land in France. For now, the Kaiser orders Admiral Scheer to concentrate on military “targets of opportunity” and to ignore shipping to England. “Supplies will do the English no good if there are no troops to be supplied,” he is said to have commented.

The Kaiser hopes that by delaying British landing in France he can finish off the French Army before the British are able to land sufficient numbers to be a threat

 

[matzeskatze]

Nope!
Sorry but you lost me here.

Two things are becomeing more then glaring.

First is the near total defensiveness of the French. That is, as I understand it, for the persons not thinkable. As even in OTL as the French faced massive presure on their left, they attacked into German Elsaß-Lothringen.

Second, you use U-Boots that do not exist... seriously a simple Google search on them is enough to get the dates. And again, the submarine as of this time is not recocniced as an offensive weapon of this magnitude. At least not without much more preparation then you have shown.

 

[Riain]

The English Channel: Seven German U-Boats patrolling in the North Sea (U-108, UB-86, UB-121, UB-125, UB-96, UC-58 and U-60) as well as the 2nd Torpedo Boat Squadron are dispatched by wiireless into the English Channel with orders to sink British troopships attempting to land in France. For now, the Kaiser orders Admiral Scheer to concentrate on military “targets of opportunity” and to ignore shipping to England. “Supplies will do the English no good if there are no troops to be supplied,” he is said to have commented.

Germany had 38 uboats built at the start of WW1, including some of their oldest versions which i think used parrafin as fuel. The UB and UC were not ordered until the war started and entered service in March 1915. IOTL of these 38 boats 3 were allocated to the Flanders station, meaning one was on station at any one time. Tboats conducted patrols off the Dutch coast but the Channel was much too far for them operating from Germany, the Battle off Texel is an example of this. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_U-boat_campaign_of_World_War_I https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_off_Texel

May I suggest you revise this bit, sending 2-4 of uboats through the Dover narrows and beef up the minelaying off Britain by light forces on the North Sea side of the narrows. Losing a single troopship will force the British to react and slow their movement.

 

[Monitor]

Nope!
Sorry but you lost me here.

Two things are becomeing more then glaring.

First is the near total defensiveness of the French. That is, as I understand it, for the persons not thinkable. As even in OTL as the French faced massive presure on their left, they attacked into German Elsaß-Lothringen.

Second, you use U-Boots that do not exist... seriously a simple Google search on them is enough to get the dates. And again, the submarine as of this time is not recocniced as an offensive weapon of this magnitude. At least not without much more preparation then you have shown.

Yeah, the U boats might be an issue... (still, I can see the Germans using their existing U boats that way. An emergency attack to buy time? Hopefully they work, if not, it’s not as if they cannot be replaced if they show themselves worth it...). But no offensive actions on side of the french? Possible. Considering that they are currently in panic mode. Still, I would expect at least a testing of the defensives...

 

[Geon]

Nope!
Sorry but you lost me here.

Two things are becomeing more then glaring.

First is the near total defensiveness of the French. That is, as I understand it, for the persons not thinkable. As even in OTL as the French faced massive presure on their left, they attacked into German Elsaß-Lothringen.

Second, you use U-Boots that do not exist... seriously a simple Google search on them is enough to get the dates. And again, the submarine as of this time is not recocniced as an offensive weapon of this magnitude. At least not without much more preparation then you have shown.

I can site my source as Wikipedia.

U-boat campaign - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The numbers I gave were copied verbatim from a Wikipedia article. Rather then sending them after British capital ships I sent them after troop ships.

 

[Deleted member 94680]

The numbers I gave were copied verbatim from a Wikipedia article. Rather then sending them after British capital ships I sent them after troop ships.

Not verbatim as the U-boats that sailed in August ‘14 were U-5, U-7, U-8, U-9, U-13, U-14, U-15, U-16, U-17, and U-18.

UB-86 wasn’t launched until 1917 for instance.

 

[Geon]

I did make changes as noted above. It is now half the number of subs.

 

[VoidStalker]

Yeah, the U boats might be an issue... (still, I can see the Germans using their existing U boats that way. An emergency attack to buy time? Hopefully they work, if not, it’s not as if they cannot be replaced if they show themselves worth it...). But no offensive actions on side of the french? Possible. Considering that they are currently in panic mode. Still, I would expect at least a testing of the defensives...

No the ideas of the time is the offensive and Joffre is very much part of the cult of the offensive so him not trying to punch through the border and force the germans to falls back and defend their own land and capital is very odd and is going to get the Russians yelling at them hard.

 

[marathag]

No the ideas of the time is the offensive and Joffre is very much part of the cult of the offensive so him not trying to punch through the border and force the germans to falls back and defend their own land and capital is very odd and is going to get the Russians yelling at them hard.

I'd say about the only thing that could have gotten him to toss Plan 17 into the trash, would be the Germans rolling thru Belgium unhindered, or even assisted, with free access to the national railroads of Belgium

Now the man was an idiot with tunnel vision, but the ATL actions are perception shattering, a wake up call like no other
General Michel resigned over his defensive planning with Plan 16 in 1911 to thwart a German thrust thru Central Belgium, since it was seen as defeatist

Joffre's Plan 17 didn't ignore Belgium, but there were no French mobile forces North of Hirson, just garrisons

Fortifications in 1914

Would the attack south of Metz still kick off?

sure, but the Fifth and Fourth Armies are the only forces nearby, but they will be occupied by the Three German armies barrelling thru.

OTL, General Lanrezac wanted to move the 5thArmy to the Meuse on August 11(day before Liege fell), but this was vetoed by Joffre and he was ordered to stick his head into the Noose that was Belgium, and wait for the BEF to be on his left, to hold Central Belgium, where there wouldn't be very many Germans, anyway. They would head towards Sedan, like 1870
Things were going great, in the advance into Alsace-Lorraine, occupying Altkirch and Mulhouse on the 7th . Stick to Plan 17, he was told.

This ATL, even Joffree would get cold feet about Belgium in early August with the Germans going thru rapidly past the Namur fortifications in the first week of the War,rather than August 26th.
Lanrezac would be on the Meuse, as he wanted, but there really isn't anything that can be sent to the coast, except Reservists with little more than their rifles and a French Territorial Brigade, around 6000 men

 

[Parma]

I'd say about the only thing that could have gotten him to toss Plan 17 into the trash, would be the Germans rolling thru Belgium unhindered, or even assisted, with free access to the national railroads of Belgium

Now the man was an idiot with tunnel vision, but the ATL actions are perception shattering, a wake up call like no other
General Michel resigned over his defensive planning with Plan 16 in 1911 to thwart a German thrust thru Central Belgium, since it was seen as defeatist

Joffre's Plan 17 didn't ignore Belgium, but there were no French mobile forces North of Hirson, just garrisons
View attachment 587337 Fortifications in 1914

Would the attack south of Metz still kick off?
View attachment 587340
sure, but the Fifth and Fourth Armies are the only forces nearby, but they will be occupied by the Three German armies barrelling thru.

OTL, General Lanrezac wanted to move the 5thArmy to the Meuse on August 11(day before Liege fell), but this was vetoed by Joffre and he was ordered to stick his head into the Noose that was Belgium, and wait for the BEF to be on his left, to hold Central Belgium, where there wouldn't be very many Germans, anyway. They would head towards Sedan, like 1870
Things were going great, in the advance into Alsace-Lorraine, occupying Altkirch and Mulhouse on the 7th . Stick to Plan 17, he was told.

This ATL, even Joffree would get cold feet about Belgium in early August with the Germans going thru rapidly past the Namur fortifications in the first week of the War,rather than August 26th.
Lanrezac would be on the Meuse, as he wanted, but there really isn't anything that can be sent to the coast, except Reservists with little more than their rifles and a French Territorial Brigade, around 6000 men

Nice explanation, but unlikely that a man as Joffre will bin plan 17. He spent years to remove other senior officers who had other idea's. As stated in an other comment in OTL he continued with the execution of this plan 17 despite the dire situation on the French left flank. He has such a tunnel vision that he even sacked the commander of the French 5th? army since the man insist in a tactically retreat which was, still, seen as defeatist.
It would be more plausible if the French still execute plan 17, even the German 1st and 2nd army went by train thru Belgium.

One other thing, given the more plausible fact that the French, led by Joffre execute plan 17. If the German 1st and 2nd army go by train through Belgium they do not need to swing that far West as you describe. If Joffre still execute plan 17, attacks at all cost, it will be more plausibel that the German right flank swing much more East, more as in OTL in order to trap the French army. The only thing the French can counter the Germans is with the 5th army and lagging behind the 4th army. All other armies are concentrated in the Alsace/Loraine region and occupied in the offensive against Germany. See map other post.

 

[Michel Van]

Little side Note to Chapter 11

With German success down to Aisne/Vesle Line
France lost all there coals mines in north France (so far i Know, please correct me, if I'm wrong)
now they depending totally on import from British Empire, US or Greece...

 

[marathag]

If the German 1st and 2nd army go by train through Belgium they do not need to swing that far West as you describe.

with open railway lines thru Belgium, the Germans can actually attempt the grand sweep as envisioned by von Schlieffen, and not Moltke the Lesser short sweep with the one to two week bonus gifted them by not fighting thru Belgium, and having the raillines intact from Aachen to Namur

 

[Parma]

View attachment 587575
with open railway lines thru Belgium, the Germans can actually attempt the grand sweep as envisioned by von Schlieffen, and not Moltke the Lesser short sweep with the one to two week bonus gifted them by not fighting thru Belgium, and having the raillines intact from Aachen to Namur

You are correct regarding the ''Grand Sweep"" however it is not about, executing a plan to the letter but to adopt the initial attack plan to the ever changing events during the battle.
The end goal of an attack plan is to eliminate the enemy, so ever changing events during a battle dictate that the attack plans shall be adopted to the ever changing reality. If the Germans will sweep too far West the advancing German armies , notably the 1st and 2nd, will be exposing their flanks.

 

[Riain]

Bear in mind that the 1st Army is the biggest of the 8 armies, some 320,000 men in 12 divisions compared to 260,000 of 2nd Army IIRC.

IOTL it had to 1) mask Antwerp 2) be secure against Groupe de Amade 3) fight the BEF head on 4) continually seek the open flank while 6 other German Armies fought 5 French Armies.

ITTL 1st Army s basically conducting a route march against the 2 Territorial divisions of Groupe De Amade and city garrisons, while 6 other German Armies engage 5 French Armies. It could easily keep the main body of ~8 divisions together, inland from the sea and able to turn east or west while simultaneously detaching ~4 divisions to capture the coastal port towns. In the early days there is little that the French could do about it, they can't disengage from 2nd-7th armies because they'd charge directly into France without opposition. I suspect the French would do something similar to OTL when they added 2 reserve and 2 territorial divisions to groupe de Amade, and likely beef it up into an Army in its own right rather than keeping it in a 'herding' role as per OTL.

 

[Geon]

Chapter 12: The Marne Disaster (Part 1)​

August 15, 1914; Paris: General Joffre reviews the defense for the Marne Line. For Joffre the war has thus far been an exercise in futility. Operation 17 was canceled because the forces that would have been rolling into the Rhineland by now were needed to defend Paris. Joffre has been fuming since the war began that he has been unable to attack. Offense and not defense was the idea behind the French war plans.

Joffre still believes a stunning counterattack will bring the German juggernaut to a screeching halt. Although initially he had agreed with the idea of a defensive line at the Marne over the last day, he has been formulating a different idea. Hit the advancing Germans in a pincer movement as they advance along a broad front. If he can outflank the oncoming German forces he can force them to retreat and then turn his forces southward to deal with the German 1st army which is now moving south of Paris in an encirclement move.

Joffre believes this will halt the German offensive and buy time for the French to reorganize and prepare a counteroffensive.

The English Channel: Two troopships are sunk on their way to LeHavre by German U-Boats with the loss of 315 British troops and their equipment. In response the British send several cruisers and destroyers to the area to try to hunt down “The German pirates” as the British press dubs the German raiders.

--------------------------------
This is a short entry admittedly, things have been hectic at work here. One question for WWI naval military buffs out there. So, I can better flesh out this chapter what ships realistically would the British have sent to deal with the U-Boat menace in the south?

 

[Michel Van]

This will be a carnage !
OTL Joffre started a senseless war of annihilation,
He not care about numbers on dead french solders, so long as the German losses are higher !