PHOTO ARTICLE: Miracle on the Marne

110 Years On

This week marks the beginning of the 110th anniversary of the Battle of the Marne. In September 1914, the left flank of the Allied armies had been fleeing from the oncoming Germans for more than a week. Things got so bad that they reached the outskirts of Paris. Then came the Miracle on the Marne. Joffre staked the future of France on a huge attempt at turning around and making a stand to try and scupper the Schlieffen Plan. Somehow multiple French armies, with a little British help from the BEF, pulled it off, and the result saw the tables turned and the Germans retreating northward again.

I recently found a commemorative booklet that featured colour images of the battlefield, with a twist. These photos were taken before it had been cleared, which means that they give a really unique look at the length of the front before graves were concentrated, trenches were filled in, and buildings repaired. I’ve picked out some of my favourites to share…

Starting nearer to the Paris end of the line, this is a shot of a mass grave for men serving in one regiment. Among them is writer Charles Peguy, one of the famous casualties suffered on the Marne. We’ve covered what happens to his unit in detail in Ring of Fire, so you’ll be able to read about it in English next summer. The site is still there, and marked by a large monument which names as many of those buried there as possible. It is known as La Grande Tombe de Villeroy, and it sits on the road between that village and Chauconin-Neufmontiers.

When we talk about “trenches’ in the war of 1914, you need to scrub from your mind the perception of in-depth defences that came later in the war. This ditch on a road near Barcy, just to the northeast of Paris served well enough for sheltering from German artillery fire. The next image shows the result of some furious digging…