'The occupation of the Somme area marked the conclusion of the fighting
with the British Army for the time being. In spite of the great efforts
of the First Army the British had escaped the repeated attempts to
envelop them. They continued their retreat southwards.' On the same day
the headquarters of the German army propounded a new task. 'The left
wing of the main French forces', they wrote, 'is retreating in a
southerly and south-westerly direction in front of the victorious Second
and Third Armies. It appears to be of decisive importance to find the
flank of this force, whether retreating or in position, force it away
from Paris, and outflank it. Compared with this new objective the
attempt to force the British Army away from the coast is of minor
importance.'

The German Supreme Command were giving most of their attention to the
operations on their left wing, where the Fifth and Sixth German Armies
were converging for the attack on Nancy, which town, when it fell, was
to witness the triumphal entry of the German Emperor. Meantime, the
French, trusting to the strength of their eastern fortifications, were
rapidly taking troops away from their eastern armies to form a new
French army, the Sixth, which was to operate to the north of Paris and
was to take part in the counter-offensive against the German First and
Second Armies. This was unknown to the German Command, who thought that
victory lay within the grasp of their eastern armies.

On the evening of the 30th of August General von Kluck received wireless
messages from the headquarters of the Second Army reporting a decisive
victory, and asking the First Army to wheel inwards towards the line La
Fere-Laon in order to gain the full advantages of the victory. General
von Kluck replied that the First Army had wheeled round towards the
Oise and would advance on the 31st by Compiegne and Noyon to exploit the
success of the Second Army. This was the much-discussed wheeling
movement, or swerve, which was discovered by the British from the air.
Von Kluck had been ordered by the German Supreme Command on the 28th to
continue his march towards the Lower Seine. Now, in response to von
Buelow's request, he wheeled his army south-eastwards towards the Oise.
The German Supreme Command was informed of this, and replied, 'The
movement begun by the First Army is in accordance with the wishes of the
Supreme Command'. The Royal Flying Corps reports of the 31st of August
gave to the