“But the retreat of these two army corps allowed General French and General Franchet d’Esperey both to drive forward vigorously.  Something resembling the phenomenon of a whirlwind then took place in the German ranks.  The British army made progress toward the north, the Fifth French Army, commanded by General Franchet d’Esperey, did the same.  General Manoury, assisted by all the troops that General Gallieni was able rapidly to put at his disposal, made headway against the furious onslaught of Von Kluck.  Thus the entire German right found itself in a most critical situation.  It could not overcome Manoury, who was threatening its communications, and on the other hand it found itself powerless to resist the victorious advance of Generals French and de Franchet d’Esperey.

“It was the critical moment of the battle.  The German General Staff decided that there was only one method of putting an end to it, and that was to direct against the army of General Foch in the center an offensive so violent that the center would be pierced and the French armies cut in two.  If this attack succeeded it would free at once the German right and separate into two impotent parts the entire French military force.  During the 7th, 8th, and 9th of September the Imperial Prussian Guard directed to the compassing of that end all its energy and courage.  All in vain.  General Foch not only checked the German onslaught, but drove it back.  Thus the French center was not pierced, Von Kluck was not relieved, and he found himself in a position that grew more and more critical.  The general retreat of the German armies was the inevitable result.  To this decision the German General Staff came, and on the evening of September 9 orders were given to all the armies of the right and center to retire sixty kilometers to the rear.  Thus the battle of the Marne was won by the French.”

The writer then goes on to say:  “It was on September 5, toward the end of the morning, that the general order of General Joffre, leading to the great battle, reached the French armies.  Each separate army immediately turned and vigorously engaged in battle.  The army of Manoury, the first to get ready, sprang forward to the attack.  It thrust back the German forces which were at first inferior in number, and it attained on the evening of the 5th the Pinchard-St. Soulplet-Ver front; but Von Kluck threw two army corps over the Marne and hurled himself on Manoury.  He summoned from Compiegne all the reenforcements at his disposal, and he placed all his heavy artillery between Vareddes and May-en-Multien.  During the day of September 6th Manoury made headway toward the Ourcq.  On the following day he advanced at a lesser pace on its left bank, taking and then losing the villages of Marcilly and Chambry—­murderous struggles maintained amid terrible heat.  General Gallieni, who followed the battle with the utmost attention, hurriedly came to the assistance of Manoury; he sent to him on the 7th and 8th the Seventh Division, which had just arrived at Paris, half of the division being transferred by rail, the other half by means of thousands of automobiles requisitioned for the purpose.  General Joffre likewise sent to Manoury the Fourth Army Corps, recruited from the Third Army, though an almost entire division of it was called for by the British to safeguard the junction of forces.