French abandon Arras
- Category:
- Military operations
- Front:
- Western Front
- Date:
- 29 August 1914
- Author:
- Natalia
- Tags:
- Arras, France, Germany, great retreat
On 29 August 1914, according to the old British chronology of the war, French troops abandoned Arras, the capital of the historic region of Artois. Since mid-August French territorial divisions, made up of older reservists, had been stationed in and around the town under General Albert d’Amade. When the German right wing moved south after the Battle of Mons, these divisions were sent towards the Somme. Orders to retreat were issued on 26 and 27 August, and over the following days the town gradually emptied. The public offices left as well.
The first German patrols appeared around Arras in the last days of August. A larger detachment of German Landwehr entered the town only on 6 September and stayed there for just three days. The Germans demanded that the prefect hand over men fit for military service, but he refused. Sources state that the Germans left Arras on 8 or 9 September, as the fate of the campaign was being decided on the Marne. In the second half of September the French returned.
At the beginning of October, during the so-called Race to the Sea, a heavy battle was fought near Arras. The French held the town, but the front came to a halt just beyond its eastern suburbs and remained there for most of the war. German artillery shelled Arras for years to come. On 21 October 1914 the famous Gothic belfry of the town hall collapsed under the bombardment. In April 1917 a great British offensive, known as the Battle of Arras, was launched from positions near the town.
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