Misplaced Pages

#651348

30-661: Crossed by the river Marne . Neuilly-sur-Marne has an oceanic climate ( Köppen climate classification Cfb ). The average annual temperature in Neuilly-sur-Marne is 12.3 °C (54.1 °F). The average annual rainfall is 721.2 mm (28.39 in) with December as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in July, at around 20.7 °C (69.3 °F), and lowest in January, at around 4.9 °C (40.8 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Neuilly-sur-Marne

60-605: A bridgehead on either side of Dormans 4 mi (6.4 km) deep and 9 mi (14 km) wide, despite the aerial intervention of 225 French bombers, dropping 44 short tons (40  t ) of bombs on the makeshift bridges. Ludendorff regarded their advance as "the very pinnacle of military victory". The French were reinforced by the British XXII Corps and 85,000 American troops and the German advance stalled on 17 July 1918. The German failure to break through, or to destroy

90-492: A defense in depth to counter an intense bombardment and infiltrating infantry. Their main line of resistance was four to five km behind the front, beyond the range of the enemy field guns, it was a continuous trench line – to prevent infiltration – dug on a reverse slope so it could not be overlooked by enemy artillery observers on the ground. Between the front and the main line of resistance were two lines of strong points, again mostly on reverse slopes. The French gun line behind

120-401: A major problem as Foch had to work with "four national commanders but without any real authority to issue order under his own name ... they would have to fight as a combined force and to overcome the major problems of different languages, cultures, doctrines and fighting styles." However, the presence of fresh American troops, unbroken by years of war, significantly bolstered Allied resistance to

150-523: A trench raid. The German bombardment was scheduled for 12:10. The French opened fire on the German assault trenches at 11:30, naturally shaking the confidence of attackers. When the Germans opened fire they pounded the almost empty French front line and their counter-battery fire struck many vacated gun pits. The attackers moved easily through the French front and then were led onward by a rolling barrage, which soon

180-511: Is Neuilly-Plaisance station on Paris RER line A . This station is located in the neighboring commune of Neuilly-Plaisance , 1.3 km (0.81 mi) from the town center of Neuilly-sur-Marne. Schools in the commune: Senior high schools/sixth-form colleges in the surrounding area include: This Seine-Saint-Denis geographical article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Marne (river) The Marne ( French pronunciation: [maʁn] )

210-543: Is a river in France , an eastern tributary of the Seine in the area east and southeast of Paris . It is 514 kilometres (319 mi) long. The river gave its name to the departments of Haute-Marne , Marne , Seine-et-Marne , and Val-de-Marne . The Marne starts in the Langres plateau, runs generally north then bends west between Saint-Dizier and Châlons-en-Champagne , joining

240-568: The 51st (Highland) and 62nd (West Riding) , alongside the Italians straight into attack down the Ardre Valley (the Battle of Tardenois ( French : Bataille du Tardenois ) – named after the surrounding Tardenois plain). The Germans ordered a retreat on 20 July and were forced back to the positions from which they had started their Spring Offensive . They strengthened their flank positions opposite

270-769: The British Expeditionary Force (BEF). To shield his intentions and draw Allied troops away from Belgium , Ludendorff planned for a large diversionary attack along the Marne. The battle began on 15 July when 23 German divisions of the First and Third armies – led by Bruno von Mudra and Karl von Einem – assaulted the French Fourth Army under Henri Gouraud east of Reims (the Fourth Battle of Champagne ( French : 4e Bataille de Champagne ). The U.S. 42nd Division

300-502: The Canal de Meaux à Chalifert , the Canal de Chelles , and the Canal de Saint-Maurice which ended at Charenton-le-Pont near the Marne's confluence with the Seine . Furthermore, a portion of the Canal de l'Ourcq also runs parallel and quite close to the Marne before swinging away to enter Paris from the north; at one time the two were linked by a "tub-boat" inclined plane near Meaux . During

330-642: The 19th and 20th centuries the Marne inspired many painters, among whom were: Second Battle of the Marne 1915 1916 1917 1918 Associated articles Associated articles The Second Battle of the Marne ( French : Seconde Bataille de la Marne ; 15 – 18 July 1918) was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during the First World War . The attack failed when an Allied counterattack, led by French forces and supported by several hundreds of Renault FT tanks , overwhelmed

SECTION 10

#1732852295652

360-599: The Allied armies in the field, allowed Ferdinand Foch , the Allied Supreme Commander, to proceed with the planned major counteroffensive on 18 July; 24 French divisions, including the American 92nd and 93rd Infantry Divisions under French command, joined by other Allied troops, including eight large American divisions under American command and 350 tanks attacked the recently formed German salient. The Allied preparation

390-425: The Allied pincers and on the 22nd, Ludendorff ordered to take up a line from the upper Ourcq to Marfaux . Costly Allied assaults continued for minimal gains. By 27 July, the Germans had withdrawn their center behind Fère-en-Tardenois and had completed an alternative rail link. The Germans retained Soissons in the west. On 1 August, French and British divisions of General Charles Mangin 's Tenth Army renewed

420-562: The Canal de Cornillon in Meaux, which was built in 1235, the oldest canal in France. Canalisation was started in 1837 and completed to Épernay in 1867. It included a number of canals to bypass the most extravagant meanders. In World War I , the Marne was the scene of two notable battles. In the First Battle of the Marne (September 1914), the military governor of Paris, General Joseph Gallieni , took

450-453: The German commanders that they could not prevail. The Fourth Army was now able to send reinforcements to their neighbors to the west who had not fared as well. In the west on the opening day of the offensive the defenders of the south bank of the Marne had to hold the river bank by enduring an intense three hour bombardment, including many gas shells. Under this cover stormtroopers swarmed across

480-469: The German offensive . Floyd Gibbons wrote about the American troops, saying, "I never saw men charge to their death with finer spirit." On 19 July, the Italian Corps lost 9,334 officers and men out of a total fighting strength of about 24,000 during a German assault on their positions, successfully stopping the German advance. Henri Mathias Berthelot rushed two newly arrived British infantry divisions,

510-466: The Germans on their right flank, inflicting severe casualties. The German defeat marked the start of the relentless Allied advance which culminated in an armistice with Germany about 100 days later. Following the failure of the German spring offensive to end the conflict, Erich Ludendorff , Chief Quartermaster General , believed that an attack through Flanders would give Germany a decisive victory over

540-588: The Germans with no choice but to retreat. This engagement marked the beginning of a German withdrawal that was never effectively reversed. In September nine American divisions (about 243,000 men) joined four French divisions to push the Germans from the St. Mihiel salient . Earlier, in May, Foch had spotted flaws in the German offensives. The force that defeated the German offensive was mainly French, with American, British and Italian support. Co-ordinating this counter-attack would be

570-750: The Seine at Charenton just upstream from Paris. Its main tributaries are the Rognon , the Blaise , the Saulx , the Ourcq , the Petit Morin and the Grand Morin . Near the town of Saint-Dizier , part of the flow is diverted through the artificial Lake Der-Chantecoq . This ensures both flood prevention and the maintenance of minimum river flows in periods of drought. The Marne is famous as

600-470: The attack, advancing to a depth of nearly 5 miles (8.0 km). The Allied counterattack petered out on 6 August in the face of German offensives. By this stage, the salient had been reduced and the Germans had been forced back to a line running along the Aisne and Vesle Rivers; the front had been shortened by 28 miles (45 km). The Second Battle of the Marne was an important victory. Ferdinand Foch received

630-759: The east: the Meuse (via the Canal de l'Aisne à la Marne and the Canal des Ardennes ), the Moselle and the Rhine (via the Marne-Rhine Canal ), and the Saône and Rhône (via the Canal de la Marne à la Saône ). To facilitate transportation along the Marne itself, a number of lateral canals were constructed alongside. The most extensive was the Canal latéral à la Marne , which runs 67 km (42 mi) between Vitry-le-François and Dizy . Downstream of this were several more, including

SECTION 20

#1732852295652

660-428: The front was lightly manned, but the remaining guns fired frequently, so the Germans did not detect its weakness from rate of firing, although aerial observers did spot a concentration of field guns behind the main line of resistance. German offensive tactics stressed surprise, but French intelligence based on aerial observation gave clear warning and they learned the hour for the attack from twenty-seven prisoners taken in

690-586: The initiative in driving the Germans back from the capital, rendering their war-plan inoperative. In the Second Battle of the Marne (July-August 1918), the last major German offensive on the Western Front was defeated by an Allied counter-attack, leading eventually to the Armistice . During the heyday of canal transportation, the Marne was a major artery connecting Paris and the Seine with major rivers to

720-401: The river in every sort of transport – including 30-man canvas boats and rafts. They began to erect skeleton bridges at 12 points under fire from the Allied survivors. Some Allied units, particularly Colonel Ulysses G. McAlexander 's 38th Infantry Regiment of the American 3rd Infantry Division , the "Rock of the Marne", held fast or even counterattacked, but by evening, the Germans had captured

750-416: The site of two eponymous battles during World War I . The first battle was a turning point of the war, fought in 1914. The second battle was fought four years later, in 1918. The Celts of Gaul worshipped a goddess known as Dea Matrona ("divine mother goddess") who was associated with the Marne. The Marne was navigable as a free-flowing river until the 19th century. It had one gated 500 m shortcut,

780-455: Was 42.5 °C (108.5 °F) on 25 July 2019; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −17.0 °C (1.4 °F) on 17 January 1985. On 13 April 1892, a third of the territory of Neuilly-sur-Marne was detached and became the commune of Neuilly-Plaisance . Neuilly-sur-Marne is served by no station of the Paris Métro, RER, or suburban rail network. The closest station to Neuilly-sur-Marne

810-719: Was attached to the French Fourth Army. Meanwhile, 17 divisions of the German Seventh Army , under Max von Boehn , aided by the Ninth Army under Johannes von Eben , attacked the French Sixth Army led by Jean Degoutte to the west of Reims (the Battle of the Mountain of Reims ( French : Bataille de la Montagne de Reims )). Ludendorff hoped to split the French in two. East of Reims the French Fourth Army had prepared

840-405: Was handcuffed to a man who had died of pneumonia and placed in a vehicle which appeared to have run off the road at a German-controlled bridge. The Germans, on finding and being taken in by these plans, then adjusted their attack to thwart the false Allied plan. Consequently, the French and American forces led by Foch were able to conduct a different attack on exposed parts of the enemy lines, leaving

870-520: Was very important in countering the German offensive. It was believed that the Allies had the complete picture of the German offensive in terms of intentions and capabilities. The Allies knew the key points of the German plan down to the minute. There is a legend, possibly true, that engineer Cpt. Hunter Grant, along with the help of engagement coordinator and engineer Cpt. Page, devised a deceptive ruse. A briefcase with false plans for an American countererattack

900-502: Was well ahead of the infantry because they were held up by the points of resistance. When they encountered the French mainline they were ordered to rest, regroup and wait until their field guns were moved into range. They attacked the main line at 08:30 the following morning, an hour after they had originally scheduled to attack. They were stopped by accurate fire by the bulk of the French artillery. They tried again at noon, but failed. A French counter-attack gained little ground, but convinced

#651348