France
France in the First World War →Tag
(541)1882
1894
1904
1905
1906
1911
1914
July
August
- 02
- First fighting on the French borderOn 2 August 1914 the first soldiers on the Western Front were killed at Joncherey, the Frenchman Jules-André Peugeot and the German Albert Mayer.
- Britain guarantees protection of the French coastOn 2 August 1914 the British government promised France that the Royal Navy would defend its coasts against the German fleet in the North Sea and the Channel.
- 06
- Key eventBattle of the Frontiers beginsIn early August 1914 the Battle of the Frontiers began, a series of clashes between French and German armies that lasted until the Battle of the Marne.
- Franco-British naval conventionOn 6 August 1914 France and Britain concluded a naval convention in London. A French admiral took command of the Allied forces in the Mediterranean.
- 07
- First units of the British Expeditionary Force in FranceOn 7 August 1914 the first British units landed in France. The main body of the expeditionary force crossed the Channel over the following days.
- French 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
- Germans 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.
- France publishes its first contraband listOn 11 August 1914 the French government published its lists of war contraband. Aircraft and balloons were classed as absolute contraband.
- 16
- British Expeditionary Force completes its landing in FranceOn 16 August 1914 the landing of the original British Expeditionary Force in France was completed. The crossing was made without loss.
- Austro-Hungarian cruiser Zenta sunkOn 16 August 1914 an Allied fleet surprised the Austro-Hungarian cruiser Zenta off the coast of Montenegro and sank her. 173 sailors were killed.
- 20
- End of the battles of Morhange and SarrebourgOn 20 August 1914 a German counter-attack in Lorraine shattered the French offensive. The French armies fell back towards Nancy with heavy losses.
- Germans besiege the fortress of LongwyOn 20 August 1914 German troops closed the ring around the French fortress of Longwy. The garrison held out under heavy fire until 26 August.
- 22
- Key eventBattle of the Ardennes beginsOn 22 August 1914 French armies advancing through the Ardennes ran into strong German forces. It was the bloodiest day in the history of the French army.
- Polish volunteers join the Foreign LegionOn 22 August 1914 the first Polish volunteers were accepted into the Foreign Legion at the Invalides in Paris. Trained at Bayonne, they became the Bayonne men.
- 23
- Zeppelin Z VIII shot down in the VosgesOn 23 August 1914 the German army airship Z VIII, hit by ground fire while flying over French troops, came down in a forest near Badonviller.
- General Dobell to command the Kamerun expeditionOn 23 August 1914 General Charles Dobell was appointed commander of the Allied land forces against German Kamerun.
- 24
- End of the Battle of CharleroiOn 24 August 1914 the French Fifth Army was retreating from the Sambre towards the French border. The Battle of Charleroi ended in a French defeat.
- Battle of the Ardennes endsOn 24 August 1914 the French Third and Fourth Armies, beaten in the Ardennes, fell back behind the Meuse on Joffre's orders. A bloody frontier battle was over.
- Indian Expeditionary Force sets out for FranceOn 24 August 1914 the first units of Indian Expeditionary Force A sailed from India. They were sent first to Egypt and then on to France.
- 25
- Key eventBattle of the Meuse beginsOn 25 August 1914 the French Fourth Army, pulled back from the Ardennes, took post behind the Meuse from Mézières to Stenay. The fight for the crossings began.
- Germans occupy ValenciennesOn 25 August 1914 German troops entered Valenciennes in northern France. The town remained under occupation for more than four years.
- Siege of Maubeuge beginsOn 25 August 1914 German troops began to encircle the French fortress of Maubeuge on the Sambre, left behind by the retreating Allies.
- Key eventBattle of the Mortagne beginsOn 25 August 1914 the armies of Castelnau and Dubail halted the German drive on the Trouée de Charmes in Lorraine and went over to a counter-offensive.
- Germans retake Mulhouse for the second timeOn 25 August 1914, after the French withdrawal, German troops occupied Mulhouse for the second time. The city remained in their hands until the end of the war.
- Skirmish at Tepe. The French enter Kamerun from ChadOn 25 August 1914 the British drove the Germans from the post at Tepe on the Benue, and French troops from Chad attacked the German fort at Kousséri.
- France issues a new contraband decreeOn 25 August 1914 the French government issued a decree on applying the Declaration of London, tightening, like the British, the rules for seizing goods.
- 26
- Key eventBattle of Le CateauOn 26 August 1914 Smith-Dorrien's II Corps stood and fought at Le Cateau against the wishes of GHQ. It paid a high price but halted the German pursuit.
- Germans occupy NoyonA British chronology says the Germans took Noyon on 26 August 1914. French sources date the German entry into the town to 30 August.
- Surrender of the fortress of LongwyOn 26 August 1914, after days of bombardment, the French fortress of Longwy surrendered. Its garrison under Lt Col Darche was taken prisoner.
- Germans take CambraiOn 26 August 1914, after street fighting with French Territorial units, the Germans took Cambrai. The occupation of the town lasted more than four years.
- Germans occupy DouaiA British chronology records the capture of Douai on 26 August 1914. The first occupation of the town was brief; the Germans entered for good on 1 October.
- Germans surrender in TogolandOn 26 August 1914 the German forces in Togoland surrendered to British and French troops. Germany lost its first colony of the war.
- General Gallieni becomes military governor of ParisOn 26 August 1914 General Joseph Gallieni became military governor of Paris. His task was to prepare the capital for defence against the approaching Germans.
- Dismissal of war minister Adolphe MessimyOn 26 August 1914 the French war minister Adolphe Messimy lost his post in Viviani's reshuffled government and soon went to the front.
- Delcassé becomes French foreign ministerOn 26 August 1914 Théophile Delcassé, architect of the Entente Cordiale, replaced Gaston Doumergue as French Minister of Foreign Affairs.
- 27
- German cavalry at the gates of LilleIn late August 1914 German cavalry patrols reached undefended Lille. The real occupation of the city began only in October.
- Germans take MézièresAt the end of August 1914 the Germans took Mézières and neighbouring Charleville on the Meuse. In September the town became the seat of German headquarters.
- Alexandre Millerand becomes French minister of warOn 27 August 1914 Alexandre Millerand was named minister of war. He replaced Messimy in Viviani's reshuffled government, a government of national unity.
- 29
- French abandon ArrasAt the end of August 1914 French territorial units withdrew from Arras. The Artois town was left undefended as the Germans approached.
- Key eventBattle of Guise beginsOn 29 August 1914 Lanrezac's French Fifth Army broke off its retreat and counter-attacked Bülow's German Second Army on the river Oise.
- Germans take SedanAt the end of August 1914 the Germans took Sedan on the Meuse, the town where Napoleon III's army had capitulated in 1870.
- 30
- Germans take Laon, La Fère and RoyeAt the turn of August and September 1914 the German armies took Laon, La Fère and Roye. The towns remained in their hands for most of the war.
- Battle of Guise endsOn 30 August 1914 the French Fifth Army broke off the fight with Bülow's army and withdrew behind the Serre. The Battle of Guise was over.
- First German air raid on ParisOn 30 August 1914 a German Taube dropped a few small bombs on Paris and a note urging the city to surrender. It was the first air raid on the French capital.
- 31
- Germans enter AmiensOn 31 August 1914 troops of Kluck's army entered Amiens without a fight. The occupation lasted less than two weeks and ended after the Battle of the Marne.
- Britain and France partition TogolandAt the end of August 1914 Britain and France divided conquered Togoland into two provisional occupation zones. Lomé went to the British.
September
- 01
- Germans take CraonneOn 1 September 1914 German troops pursuing the French reached the Chemin des Dames heights and took the village of Craonne in the Aisne department.
- Germans occupy SoissonsOn 1 September 1914 German troops entered Soissons on the Aisne. The occupation lasted under two weeks, until the German retreat after the Battle of the Marne.
- 03
- End of the Battle of the MortagneOn 3 September 1914 the Battle of the Mortagne ended. The French held Lorraine, and the Germans prepared a new blow, this time against Nancy.
- France accepts the Declaration of London with modificationsOn 3 September 1914 France told the United States that it would observe the Declaration of London, but with changes that tightened control of trade.
- 05
- Key eventBattle of the Ourcq beginsOn 5 September 1914 Maunoury's French Sixth Army struck the flank of Kluck's army near Meaux. The clash at Monthyon opened the great Battle of the Marne.
- Germans reach ClayeIn early September 1914 units of Kluck's army reached Claye, east of Paris. The British chronicle called it the closest point to the capital in the war.
- Germans occupy ReimsAt the beginning of September 1914 German troops occupied Reims. The occupation of the coronation city of the kings of France lasted just over a week.
- Germans leave LilleOn 5 September 1914 the German detachment that had entered Lille three days earlier left the city. The Germans returned for good only in October.
- Pact of LondonOn 5 September 1914 in London Britain, France and Russia pledged not to make a separate peace. The Entente became a formal wartime alliance.
- 12
- End of the Battle of the Grand CouronnéOn 12 September 1914 the Battle of the Grand Couronné ended. The German 6th Army withdrew from Nancy, and the French recovered Lunéville and Pont-à-Mousson.
- Key eventBattle of the Aisne beginsOn 12 September 1914 the British and French, pursuing the Germans after the Marne, reached the Aisne. The Germans dug in on the heights beyond the river.
- 19
- Indian troops sail from Egypt to MarseilleOn 19 September 1914 the first units of Indian Expeditionary Force A sailed from Egypt for France. A week later they landed at Marseille.
- Fire at Reims CathedralOn 19 September 1914 German shells set fire to Reims Cathedral, where the kings of France were crowned. The burning church became a symbol of wartime barbarity.
- French fleet bombards KotorOn 19 September 1914 French battleships shelled Austro-Hungarian batteries at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor, covering the withdrawal of their own cruisers.
- Britain and France guarantee the integrity of Belgium's coloniesOn 19 September 1914 Britain and France assured Belgium that it would keep its colonies after the war, above all the Belgian Congo.
- 22
- Key eventFirst Battle of Picardy beginsOn 22 September 1914 General de Castelnau's new French Second Army attacked north of the Oise. The Race to the Sea had begun.
- Key eventFirst Battle of Albert beginsIn September 1914 the French and Germans clashed at Albert and Bapaume. On the heights above the Somme a front formed that held until the Somme battle of 1916.
- Von Spee shells PapeeteOn 22 September 1914 the cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau shelled Papeete on Tahiti. The French burned the coal stocks before the Germans could seize them.
- 24
- Germans take PéronneOn 24 September 1914 German troops again occupied Péronne on the Somme. The town remained in their hands until March 1917.
- Germans take Saint-MihielOn 24 September 1914 the Bavarians took Saint-Mihiel on the Meuse and next day Fort Camp des Romains, creating a salient held by Germany until September 1918.
- 25
- Germans retake NoyonAccording to the British chronology the Germans retook Noyon on the Oise on 25 September 1914. The front settled just beyond it and held until March 1917.
- First Battle of Albert endsThe British chronology ends the First Battle of Albert on 25 September 1914, but fighting for the heights between Albert and Bapaume went on to the month's end.
- 26
- End of the First Battle of PicardyOn 26 September 1914 the First Battle of Picardy ended. The French failed to turn the German flank, and the front between the Oise and Somme set in trenches.
- Germans occupy BapaumeOn 26 September 1914 German troops took Bapaume in Artois. The town stayed in their hands until March 1917 and became an objective of the Battle of the Somme.
- First Indian troops land at MarseilleOn 26 September 1914 the first units of Indian Expeditionary Force "A" landed at Marseille. A month later they were already fighting in Flanders.
- 27
- Key eventFirst Battle of Artois beginsOn 27 September 1914 the Race to the Sea reached Artois. The French and Germans began fighting for Arras, Lens and the heights that shaped the front for years.
- Allies capture DualaOn 27 September 1914 British and French troops took Duala, the main port of German Kamerun. The Germans withdrew inland and fought on there until 1916.
October
- 04
- The Germans take Lens and BailleulOn 4 October 1914 the Germans entered Lens, centre of the Artois coalfield. The British chronology also records the capture of Bailleul.
- Battle of Arras endsOn 4 October 1914 Maud'huy considered retreating from Arras, but Joffre forbade it and sent Foch north. Arras was saved, and the Germans took Lens.
- 10
- British retake Hazebrouck and EstairesThe British chronicle records the recapture of Hazebrouck and Estaires on 10 October 1914. British cavalry entered Hazebrouck; Estaires was still under threat.
- Key eventBattle of La Bassée beginsOn 10 October 1914 the British II Corps, moved from the Aisne, marched towards Béthune and La Bassée. So began the British fighting in Flanders.
- 12
- Key eventBattle of Messines beginsOn 12 October 1914 Allenby's British cavalry took the Mont des Cats in Flanders. The battle for the Messines ridge south of Ypres had begun.
- First Battle of Artois endsOn 12 October 1914 the First Battle of Artois ended. The French held Arras, but Lens and the heights of Vimy and Lorette remained in German hands.
- Capitulation of LilleOn 12 October 1914, after heavy bombardment, the French garrison of Lille surrendered. For the city a German occupation lasting four years began.
- 13
- Key eventBattle of Armentières beginsOn 13 October 1914 the British III Corps attacked the Germans at Meteren in Flanders. After a day's fighting in rain it took the village, losing over 700 men.
- Belgian government in Le HavreOn 13 October 1914 the Belgian government sailed from Ostend to Le Havre. It settled in Sainte-Adresse, and France granted its buildings extraterritoriality.
November
- 01
- Germans take MessinesIn the night and early morning of 1 November 1914 the Germans took Wytschaete and the Messines ridge. British cavalry left the town and fell back to Wulverghem.
- Marie Skłodowska-Curie's X-ray carsIn autumn 1914 Marie Skłodowska-Curie and her daughter Irène set off in the first X-ray car for the front-line hospitals. Soldiers called them "little Curies".