Chateau Fury

At the climax of the Battle of the Marne, while the German front fought to stabilize, two companies of the 4 Hannoversches IR 164, 20. Division, advanced to seize the crossroads village of Mondement and the nearby cháteau. The position, …

1914-09-09

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At the climax of the Battle of the Marne, while the German front fought to stabilize, two companies of the 4 Hannoversches IR 164, 20. Division, advanced to seize the crossroads village of Mondement and the nearby cháteau. The position, some 36 miles south of the Marne River, was a spear point in the German offensive. French Zouaves hit back hard. German Captain Purgold tried to hold the cháteau against the 2” battalion of the 77“ R.l. led by Major Beaufort. Friendly and enemy artillery struck both sides and casualties were high. Finally by nightfall the French had lugged up a section of 75mm guns, leveled direct fire, and blasted holes in the strong walls. The breaches made Purgold take stock of the situation: many wounded, little support, low ammunition. His ragtag force withdrew north just as the Germans pulled back on the whole Marne front. The Battle of the Marne had been won, and Mondement was saved.

Mondement, France

The First Battle of the Marne was a battle of the First World War fought from 6 to 12 September 1914. It resulted in an Allied victory against the German armies in the west. The battle was the culmination of the Retreat from Mons and pursuit of the Franco–British armies which followed the Battle of the Frontiers in August and reached the eastern outskirts of Paris. Field Marshal Sir John French, commander of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), began to plan for a full British retreat to port cities on the English Channel for an immediate evacuation. The military governor of Paris, Joseph Simon Gallieni, wanted the Franco–British units to counter-attack the Germans along the Marne River and halt the German advance. Allied reserves would restore the ranks and attack the German flanks. On 5 September, the counter-offensive by six French armies and the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) began.

Wikipedia: First Battle of the Marne

German

French