By August 20 the Germans were in touch with the French army that had advanced into Belgium and occupied the line Dinant-Charleroi-Mons, the right of the French resting on Dinant and the left on Mons, where they were reinforced by the British expeditionary force under Field Marshal French.  There was a heavy engagement at Charleroi, and a four days’ battle was begun at Mons August 23.  Slowly but surely the Franco-British army was forced back across the French border, to take up a new position on the line, Noyon-Chant-La Fere, which constituted the second line of the French defense.

The German right, opposing the British, was under command of General von Kluck; General von Buelow and General von Hausen commanded the German center opposing the Franco-Belgian forces between the Sambre and Namur and the Meuse.  The Grand Duke Albrecht of Wuerttemberg operated between Charleroi and the French border fortress of Maubeuge.  The German Crown Prince led an army farther east, advancing toward the Meuse.  The Crown Prince of Bavaria commanded the German forces farther south toward Nancy, and General von Heeringen was engaged in repulsing French attacks on Alsace-Lorraine, in the region of the Vosges mountains, where the French had met with early successes.

Meanwhile on August 18 the town of Aerschot had been the scene of a bloody engagement and was occupied and partly destroyed by the Germans.  The occupation of Brussels followed on August 20-21 and the German line of communications was kept open by a line of occupied towns.

After overwhelming the Belgians the Kaiser’s great advance army swept quickly into deadly conflict with the allies.  The first mighty shock came at Charleroi, where the French were forced back, and on August came the first battle with the British at Mons.

THE BATTLE OF MONS——­FOUR DAYS OF FIGHTING——­RETREAT OF THE ALLIES

All England was thrilled on the morning of September 10 when the British government permitted the newspapers to publish the first report from Field Marshal Sir John D.P.  French, commander-in-chief of the British army allied with the French and Belgians on the continent, telling of the heroic fight made by the British troops, August 23-26, to keep from being annihilated by the Germans.  The withdrawal of the British army before the German advance was compared to the pursuit of a wildcat by hounds, the English force backing stubbornly toward the River Oise, constantly showing its teeth, but realizing that it must reach the river or perish.  The report of Field Marshal French created much surprise in England, as it was not known until his statement was made public just how hard pressed the British army had been.

The communication was addressed to Earl Kitchener, the secretary for war, and its publication indicated that the government was responding to the public demand for fuller information on the progress of operations, so far as the British forces in France were concerned.