battle of the Marne

battle of the Marne two important battles of World War I that are named for the Marne River. In the first battle (Sept. 6-9, 1914) the German advance on Paris was halted at the Marne by the Allies under Joffre , Gallieni , and Sir John French. The German retreat that followed signified the abandonment of the Schlieffen plan (see under Schlieffen, Alfred, Graf von ). In the second battle (July, 1918) the last great German offensive was decisively repulsed by the Allies.

Bibliography: See studies by R. H. Asprey (1962), G. Blond (tr. 1965), and H. Isselin (tr. 1965).

Marne, Battles of the Two engagements on the River Marne, n France, during World War I. The first, in September 1914, was a counterattack directed by General Joffre, which checked the German drive on Paris. The second, in July 1918, was another Allied counter-stroke, which stopped the last German advance and preceded the final Allied offensive.