[Illustration:  THE WESTERN FRONT 1914]

THE GERMAN ADVANCE.—­Luxemburg was occupied without resistance, for that little country had no army.  On August 4, 1914, the German armies attacked the Belgian fortress of Liege (lee-[)e]zh’), and within twenty-three days Belgium was overrun, its capital taken, and all the important places except Antwerp captured.  After the delay in Belgium, the main German armies advanced into France.  Here they were met (August 21-23) by French and British troops; but the defenders were not yet strong enough to stop the German advance.  For twelve days they fell back toward Paris, fighting continually, until the invaders were within twenty miles of the city.  The French government and archives were withdrawn from Paris to Bordeaux in the southwest, so imminent seemed the capture of the capital.  The battle line now extended for one hundred and seventy-five miles eastward from near Paris to the fortress of Verdun.

THE FIRST BATTLE OF THE MARNE.—­In the meantime the French commander, General Joffre (zhofr), had secretly been collecting another army with which to attack the invaders on the flank from the west.  At the right moment he hurled this army upon the German flank, while the men on the main battle line were commanded to “face about and accept death rather than surrender.”  On September 6-10 took place the first great battle of the Marne, during which the Germans, under these new attacks, were compelled to retreat fifty miles from their most advanced position.  The French armies had rescued Paris in the nick of time.  The French government once more returned to its capital.  “France had saved herself and Europe.”

THE RACE TO THE COAST.—­On reaching the river Aisne (an) the German armies had time to entrench themselves and thus beat off the heavy attacks of the French and British (September 12-17).  The Allied armies in turn began to entrench opposite the German positions.  But both armies turned toward the north in a race to reach the North Sea and outflank the enemy.  The Germans were particularly anxious to reach Calais (ca-l[)e]’) and cut the direct line of communication between England and France.  Antwerp surrendered to the Germans on October 9; Lille (leel) on the 13th.  In tremendous massed attacks the Germans sought in vain to break through the British lines (Battle of Flanders, October 17 to November 15).  The German losses were upwards of 150,000 men.  On the coast the Belgians cut the dikes of the river Yser ([=i]’ser) and flooded the neighboring lowlands, thus putting a stop to any further advance of the enemy.