SEPTEMBER 9, 1914
On September 9, the battle reached its culminating point along the whole front.
Under pressure from the right wing of Maunoury's army, and before the menacing advance of the British forces which had reached Château-Thierry, the Germans were obliged to withdraw from both banks of the River Ourcq.
In order to make this retreat easier along the banks of the Ourcq Von Kluck, at the end of the day, caused an extremely fierce attack to be made against the French left, which bent beneath the shock and was almost turned.
At that time, the situation was truly extraordinary: the Germans were already retreating, while the French, stunned by the blow they had just received, were in anxious doubt whether the morrow would not bring them disaster.
The struggle seemed so hopeless, that orders were asked for, in view of a possible retreat on Paris. However, General Gallieni refused to consider this possibility and, faithful to Joffre's instructions, gave orders to "die rather than give way." Maunoury's left continued therefore its heroic resistance.
GROSSETTI
Von Kluck's retreat along the Ourcq left Von Bulow's army completely unprotected, and he was, in turn, obliged to give way before Franchet d'Esperey's left.
The latter continued to co-operate actively in the heroic resistance of the French centre, by taking in the flank the enemy forces which were furiously attacking Foch. This general became the objective of the last and most furious attacks of Von Bulow and Von Hausen who, realizing that should they fail they would be forced to continue the retreat begun on their right, decided to make one more attempt to crush in the French centre.
They very nearly succeeded; all along the line, the French were forced to fall back, and the southern boundary of the Marshes of Saint-Gond was entirely abandoned.
The position, to the east of Sézanne, seemed hopeless. It was there that the loss of ground was most dangerous, and it is perhaps necessary to explain in detail this critical phase of the battle.
On the large-scale map below is shown the position of Foch's left and centre on September 8 and 9.
It was in the region of Villeneuve and Soisy that General Grossetti's Division had fought so heroically for four days. Absolutely decimated, it was replaced on the morning of the 9th by one of the neighbouring army corps under Franchet d'Esperey. This corps advanced during the day but, further to the right, the Germans forced back the French from the Woods of Botrait and from the crest of the Poirier, capturing the heights of Mondement.
Mondement is situated on a narrow plateau, the last counterfort before reaching the vast plain of the Aube. On the opposite side of this plateau are to be seen the villages of Allemant and Broyes.
If the Germans, in possession of Mondement, had succeeded in reaching these two villages on the day of the 9th, they would have attacked in the rear those forces under Foch which were fighting in the plain. Mondement had, therefore, to be held at all costs. Thus the battle pivoted on this axis. In accordance with Foch's instructions, the Moroccan Division under General Humbert, was placed there and, with the help of the 77th Infantry, not only held its ground but, recapturing the castle during the day, forced the Germans back on the Marshes in the evening.
At the foot of the villages of Allemant and Broyes, the vast plain of the Aube spreads itself out, and it was there that things were going badly with Foch, the loss of ground being serious. The colonials under General Humbert, who were hanging on grimly to the Plateau of Mondement, could see their comrades on the right falling back as far as Mount Chalmont, while the enemy fire reached successively Linthes and Pleurs.
ALB. VON WURTEMBERG
If the centre had given way completely, the defenders of Mondement would have been taken in the rear, and obliged to abandon the plateau. In other words, it would have meant complete defeat.
To avert this terrible danger, Foch had only Grossetti's Division which, as mentioned a few moments ago, had been decimated by four days of the fiercest fighting, and which he had that morning taken from his left wing and sent to the rear to rest.
Foch recalled this division, and hurled it against the most critical point of his line between Linthes and Pleurs. He hoped it would be in a position to attack about noon, but at three in the afternoon it had not yet been reformed. These were hours of mortal suspense along the whole front.
General Grossetti needed all his energy to reform the scattered units of his division, and his men, who were on their way to the rear to rest, when they were again ordered into the thick of the battle, had need of superhuman courage to carry out the long fatiguing flank march of twelve miles, which was to bring them that afternoon to Foch's centre.
Finally, at about four in the afternoon, Grossetti appeared on the scene and the situation rapidly changed.
With what feelings of intense relief the defenders of Mondement must have seen Grossetti's men moving eastwards to the attack and driving the Germans back again behind Mount Chalmont. The enemy was literally demoralized by this unexpected arrival of reinforcements.
The objective of Grossetti's attack was the junction of the armies of Von Bulow and Von Hausen, viz.: the weakest point of the German front.
The German generals had at that time nothing with which to counter this last effort of Foch's, and, realising that the battle was indeed lost, began to make preparations for retreat.
Just as Franchet d'Esperey had supported Foch energetically on his left, so, throughout this fateful day, Langle de Cary helped him not less effectually on his right, where he violently attacked Von Hausen. However, in the centre and on the right, the troops of Langle de Cary could not do more than hold their ground against the furious attacks of the Duke of Wurtemberg's army.
SARRAIL
CROWN PRINCE
Sarrail, in turn, supported Langle de Cary, by operating with his left against the flank of the German forces, which were pressing that commander. Meanwhile, his right was in a critical position, owing to the operations in his rear by German forces on the heights above the Meuse. In spite of the danger, and although he had been authorized by the commander-in-chief to withdraw his right so as to escape this menace, Sarrail clung with dogged tenacity to Verdun: he would not abandon his position, so long as the Meuse had not been crossed, and while there was still the slightest hope of being able to hold out.