Battle of the Sambre (1914)
| date | August 21 to August 23, 1914 |
|---|---|
| place | on the Sambre between Charleroi and Namur , Belgium |
| output | tactical victory of the Germans |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
|
|
|
| Troop strength | |
.svg){kind=small} 2nd Army
|
 5th Army
|
| losses | |
|
k. A. |
k. A. |
The Battle of the Sambre from 21 to 23 August 1914 was one of the so-called Battle of the Frontiers on the Western Front at the beginning of the First World War . The battle, associated with cruel war crimes, was referred to by the Germans as the Battle of Namur , and by the French as the Battle of Charleroi . The French chief of staff Joffre tried to stop the German advance through neutral Belgium and ordered a counterattack to protect northern France. The French 5th Army was to advance north to the Sambre and stop the advance of the German 2nd Army . On August 21, the German 2nd Army wrestled with Belgian insurgents while marching through Charleroi and carried out an attack south across the Sambre with the advance guard. The Germans were able to fight for two bridgeheads across the river because the French on the opposite side lacked sufficient artillery. On August 22nd, the German 2nd Army attacked the French 5th Army with three corps on a broad front; on the evening of August 23rd, the French broke off the fight and retreated south.
initial situation
On August 17, the Chief of the German General Staff Helmuth Johannes Ludwig von Moltke had tactically subordinated the German 1st Army to AOK 2 under Colonel General von Bülow . After the bulk of the Belgians had been pushed away via the Gete , the Germans now expected strong counterattacks from the French when crossing the French border. Colonel-General von Kluck , Commander-in-Chief of the 1st Army, acted as the extreme right wing of the German front during his advance over Brussels . The British Expeditionary Corps under General French had almost completed its deployment in the Maubeuge - Valenciennes area with initially two corps.
On August 20, the French 5th Army under General Lanrezac was advancing on the Sambre and by evening had been with the X. Corps (General Defforges ) in the direction of Fosses and with the III. Corps (General Sauret ) advanced on Gerpinnes . The vanguard held the Sambre crossings at Ham-sur-Heure to Marchienne-au-Pont west of Charleroi . Further to the east, the 1st Infantry Division followed, with its left group covering the Sambre bridges from Namur to Franière , while the bulk of the I. Corps under General Franchet d'Espèrey crossed the western bank of the Meuse between Namur and Givet against the approach of the German 3rd Army (General von Hausen ) covered.
The French cavalry corps Sordet had met the German vanguard on August 18 at Gembloux and had retreated via Fleurus and behind the Charleroi-Brussels Canal , on August 20 Sordet secured the Sambre crossings at Gosselies and Seneffe . The troop strength of the advancing Germans (1st and 2nd Army) was determined to be nine corps, which Lanrezac and the English could only oppose seven corps. General French decided the following day to advance in a north-easterly direction on Mons to forestall an overflank by German troops. Lanrezac knew of the British marching up in the Valennciennes area that they could intervene in the fighting on the Binche –Mons– Condé line on the morning of 23 August at the earliest . Therefore, he decided to delay the German advance until then and to cross the river the next day, while the bulk of his army on the south bank should prepare for a defensive battle. The French III. (5th, 6th and 38th Divisions) and X. Corps (19th, 20th and 37th Divisions) initially bore the brunt of the fighting. The XVIII. Corps under General Mas-Latrie with the 35th and 36th Divisions were already approaching the left wing of the army. It was unloaded at Hirson and had advanced on Thuin and Beaumont . The 53rd and 69th Reserve Divisions of the 4th Reserve Group under General Valabrègue were deployed at Hirson, the 51st Reserve Division had reached Rocroi and was supposed to strengthen the I. Corps at Dinant on the Meuse.
_August_1914.jpg)
General Lanrezac wanted to attack the German forces advancing north of the Meuse in unity with the English, but first wanted to unite all parts of his army in order to then cross the Sambre between Namur and Thuin. The rapid advance of the German 2nd Army thwarted this plan. The advance troops of the 2nd Army had already reached the area north of Namur; swiveling around the fortress they could quickly appear before the Sambre Line. Judging from the German movements, Lanrezac believed he could clearly see the intention of a comprehensive attack directed from the north against the left wing. In the fortress of Namur, the Belgian 4th Division under General Michel settled through parts of the German Guard Reserve Corps (General von Gallwitz ) and the XI. Include Army Corps (General von Plüskow ). General von Gallwitz ordered the bombardment of the Belgian Meuse fortress the next day.
August 21
On August 21, around 8 a.m., Lanrezac gave the order that the masses of X and III. Corps should be preferred to the heights south of the Sambre, the 1st Corps had to remain in the Namur area until it was relieved on the Meuse. Two approaching reserve divisions were to be on the left wing in front of the XVIII. Secure Corps. It was not permitted to descend into the confusing terrain of the Sambre Valley; only weak outposts should try to stop the German vanguard there. Fuses of the French 5th and 6th Infantry Divisions had taken up positions opposite Charleroi.
At about 5 a.m., troops of the German Guard Corps under General von Plettenberg crossed the Sambre at Tamines and formed bridgeheads. The X. Reserve Corps under General von Kirchbach was approaching Charleroi via Gosselies with the 19th Reserve Division under General von Bahrfeldt . The 2nd Guard Reserve Division deployed on the right was advancing via Roux to Marchienne-au-Pont . The outpost of the French III. Corps were also forced to retreat to Aiseau across the Sambre. Further east, the Xth Army Corps under General von Emmich reached the Sambre at Pont de Loup and Tamines. The 19th Division (General Hofmann ) reached Farciennes , the 20th Division Tamines. Further to the east, guard troops forced the Sambre crossing at Auvelais . German troops spread out in the streets of Tamines and penetrated the houses, there was heavy house-to-house fighting with the population and looting. On the opposite bank of the Sambre the French 19th Infantry Division under General Bonnier had taken up position. The Guard Corps had forced the river between Auvelais and Jemeppe . The Germans forced the fuses of the French X Corps on the heights of Arsimont back and Auvelais.
August 22nd
The German 1st Army had reached the Silly- Soignies -Mignault line in the west , the bulk of the army was advancing on Condé, the Marwitz cavalry corps covered the wing against Ath . On Kluck's left wing was the German IX. Army Corps (General von Quast ) advanced on the Maubeuge fortress and maintained contact with the 2nd Army.
The French 5th Army was in the morning south of the Sambre, with the X. Corps at Fosse, the III. Corps south of Charleroi and at Châtelet . The French XVIII. Corps reached Thuin at noon, the 69th Reserve Division followed behind the left wing. The 51st Reserve Division arrived at Givet and took over the security of the Meuse crossing south of the town against the German 3rd Army, which was approaching. In the east, the French I. Corps secured the Meuse line between Givet and the fortress of Namur, the approaching 4th Reserve Group secured the southern bank of the Meuse in front of it. On the far right wing near Dinant, the isolated French 2nd Division under General Deligny was reinforced by the 53rd Reserve Division under General Boutegourd .
Colonel-General von Bülow stood on the morning of August 22nd with the staff of AOK 2 on the heights near Fleurus to get an impression of the Sambre section to be overcome. The German VII Army Corps had reached Nivelles on the right wing , followed by the VII Reserve Corps . The 19th Division advanced via Wainage to the Sambre and fought for a bridgehead at Châtelet. The 14th Reserve Division formed the Army Reserve and stood behind it at Gembloux . The German X. Army Corps (19th and 20th Divisions) had been in a heavy fight with the French over the Sambre crossing at Pont de Loup in the area east of Charleroi since early this morning. The 2nd Guard Division under General von Winckler met the French at Auverlais, a little further north, the 1st Guard Division under General von Hutier at Mazy. The advance of the 19th Reserve Division (General von Bahrfeldt ) had come to a standstill in the suburbs of Charleroi, which had been set up for defense by the residents. While crossing the eastern part of Monceau-sur Sambre, the German vanguard was fired at by the inhabitants, bitter street and house fights ensued, and the Germans tried in vain to get their hands on the Sambre Bridge. Monceau was then bypassed to the west by the 2nd Guard Reserve Division and the Sambre Bridge was forced east of Ham.
As the right wing of the 2nd Army, the VII. Army Corps with the 13th (Lieutenant General von dem Borne ) and 14th Division (Lieutenant General Fleck ) advanced south via Seneffe. The corps attacked with the 14th Division at the suburb of St. Pierre to the south and pushed the French back via Binche to La Buissiere, with the 13th Division from Anderlues to Thuin . The French III. Corps vacated their northern bridgehead at Marchienne. The 20th Division suffered heavy losses while advancing on Aiseau and Les Bruyeres. The advance of the 19th Division under General Hoffmann took place via Wainage to Sambre and strengthened the bridgehead at Châtelet. The 1st Guard Division broke through to Mettet, the 2nd Guard Division to Biesme. After the storming of Charleroi, the Xth Army Corps captured the south bank at Gerpinnes . In the evening the bulk of the German 2nd Army fought on the Merbes-le Chateau -Thuin-St. Gerard.
August 23
On August 23, at 7 a.m., the fight began again: both wings of the French 5th Army were already threatened by being surrounded. General Lanrezac went forward from Philippeville at the beginning of the day and his headquarters were moved to Chimay . The French XVIII. Corps successfully held its position between Ham-sur-Heure and Thuin. Towards noon the battle broke out on the Ham – Thuin line. There was a violent struggle for the town of Gozée , and all German attacks were repulsed here. The French I. Corps, meanwhile, persisted in the Saint-Gérard area . The thunder of cannons of the German Xth Army Corps, which was launched from three directions, clearly showed the impression of the planned enclosure among the French. General Defforges then slowly withdrew his X. Corps onto the Graux - Mettet - Wagnée line .
On the left wing of the French III. Corps, General Hache's fuses were pushed back around noon at Lobbes and Fontaine-Valmont , the bridge at Lobbes was lost to the German VII Army Corps. In order to close a gap in the front that was forming, the French cavalry corps under General Sordet received orders to open the Sambre crossings between the left wing of the XVIII. Occupy Corps and Maubeuge. General Valabrègue, leader of the 4th Reserve group, continued his associations at Cousolre in March to replace the cavalry corps there, both reserve divisions did not come because of the withdrawal command but more to intervene. In the evening, Sordet's cavalry corps had instructions to seek contact with the left wing of the British as soon as possible, and to the west of Maubeuge they moved into bivouacs at Vieux-Mesnil .
At around 7 p.m., the French XVIII. Corps returned its right wing to the Thuillies- Thuin line , evacuating the hard-fought villages of Gozée and Marbaix . In the evening in Chimay, General Lanrezac received the message from the 4th Army, which was fighting on the Maas line in the east , that it had to retreat with its left wing in the direction of Mézières . At around 9 p.m. Lanrezac ordered his army to break off the fighting, to detach his vanguard and to march the masses onto the Givet-Philippeville-Beaumont-Maubeuge line.
On that day, the bombardment of the Namur Fortress extended to the entire northern front, and at noon the Germans penetrated Fort Lognelee. In the evening the Belgian fortress commander of Namur made the decision to break out with his field troops in a south-westerly direction via the only free road to Mariembourg .
After the battle
On August 24th, the French 5th Army was withdrawing from Chimay- Regniowez on the La Capelle-Hirson- Charleville line . In the Battle of Mons on August 23 and 24 , the British had tried in vain to bring the German 1st Army to a standstill at the same level as the front. In the early morning hours of August 24th, it became certain at British headquarters that the wing of the French 5th Army on the right was dismantling and going back to Maubeuge. While the fortress Maubeuge was being prepared for defense by the French General Fournier, almost all the forts of the fortress Namur fell into German hands on that day on the other wing.
The French 4th Army, which had also been defeated, was retreating to the Ardennes. The French troops had carried out the retreat with discipline, an unbroken fighting spirit and in the best order. The German 2nd Army had achieved a tactical victory, now completely occupied Charleroi and took up the pursuit. While the French continued to withdraw to Guise and Saint-Quentin , the VII Army Corps reached the northern apron of Maubeuge and began to siege the fortress on August 28th . In result, there were battles at Le Cateau and St. Quentin .
See also
literature
- Reichsarchiv: The World War 1914-1918. Volume I: Border Battles in the West. Middle and Son. Berlin 1925. pp. 355f., 479-492.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Reichsarchiv: Border battles in the west. Mittler and Son, Berlin 1925, p. 491 f.
- ^ Reichsarchiv: Border battles in the west. Mittler and Son, Berlin 1925, p. 355 f.
- ^ Reichsarchiv: Border battles in the west. Mittler and Son, Berlin 1925, p. 360 f.
- ^ Reichsarchiv: Border battles in the west. Mittler and Son, Berlin 1925, p. 489 f.
- ^ Reichsarchiv: Border battles in the west. Mittler and Son, Berlin 1925, pp. 214–224.