Germans retake Mulhouse for the second time
- Category:
- Military operations
- Front:
- Western Front
- Date:
- 25 August 1914
- Author:
- Łukasz Skowroń
- Battle:
- Battle of Mulhouse
On 25 August 1914 German troops occupied Mulhouse in Alsace for the second time. This time there was no fighting. The French Army of Alsace, which had entered the city on 19 August (see French retake Mulhouse), withdrew from it on the orders of the high command.
The order to retreat
The fate of Mulhouse was decided by events on other sectors of the front. After the French defeats in Lorraine, the Ardennes and at Charleroi, the Commander-in-Chief, Joseph Joffre, needed every division to defend northern France. The main body of the VII Corps and one reserve division were soon moved by rail to the west, to the Somme area. There they became part of the Sixth Army, then being formed.
The weakened Army of Alsace of General Paul Pau could not hold the ground it had gained. The French abandoned Mulhouse, as well as Altkirch and most of the southern Alsace they had occupied earlier, and withdrew to a line covering Belfort. Sources give different dates for the evacuation of the city, from 24 to 26 August. The Army of Alsace was disbanded on 25 or 26 August; sources give different dates.
The end of hope
So ended, for the second time in a month, the French attempt to regain Mulhouse. The first time, the Germans had retaken the city as early as 10 August (see Germans retake Mulhouse). This time Mulhouse remained in German hands until the end of the war. The French returned to it only in November 1918, after the armistice.
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Meanwhile
(04)Elsewhere in the same days.
- 25 August 1914 · Eastern FrontEnd of the Battle of KraśnikOn 25 August 1914 the Austro-Hungarian First Army took Kraśnik and the Russian Fourth Army fell back towards Lublin. It was Austria-Hungary's first victory.
- 25 August 1914 · Balkan FrontEnd of the first invasion of SerbiaAt the end of August 1914 the Serbs recaptured Šabac and the last Austro-Hungarian units withdrew across the Drina and Sava. The first invasion ended in defeat.
- 25 August 1914 · Asia and the PacificJapan breaks off diplomatic relations with Austria-HungaryOn 25 August 1914 Japan broke off diplomatic relations with Austria-Hungary. The ambassador, Baron Ladislaus Müller von Szentgyörgy, left Tokyo.
- 25 August 1914 · Asia and the PacificJapan declares a state of war with Austria-HungaryOn 25 August 1914 Japan and Austria-Hungary found themselves at war. The reason was the Austro-Hungarian cruiser Kaiserin Elisabeth, stationed at Tsingtao.
Related events
(04)The same battle, people or subject.
- 19 August 1914 · Western FrontFrench retake MulhouseOn 19 August 1914 General Paul Pau's Army of Alsace re-entered Mulhouse after heavy fighting. This time the French held the town for a week.
- 8 August 1914 · Western FrontFrench troops take MulhouseOn 8 August 1914 French troops entered Mulhouse in Alsace. France celebrated, but within two days a German counter-attack forced the French to retreat.
- 7 August 1914 · Western FrontFrench cross the border into AlsaceOn 7 August 1914 the French VII Corps crossed the border into German Alsace. The troops took Altkirch and Thann and the next day entered Mulhouse.
- 11 August 1914 · Western FrontGermans retake MulhouseAfter a German counter-attack the French withdrew from Mulhouse, which they had taken only two days earlier. The town was back in German hands.