rver, who were destitute of ammunition,
succeeded by manoeuvring boldly above a German machine in bringing it to
the ground and taking it captive.

On the afternoon of the 5th of September neither the German Supreme
Command (which had its headquarters at Luxembourg) nor the staff of the
German First Army had any idea that an offensive of the whole French
army was imminent. The Supreme Command was expecting a decisive victory
in the east against the Verdun-Nancy-St.-Die defences. They believed
that the German First and Second Armies could easily hold the weak
French forces around Paris until this decision should be achieved, and
they did not know how great a part of the French strength had been
transferred from the east to the west. From the 5th to the 9th of
September they issued no orders to their First and Second Armies, who
were left to fight out the decisive battle of the war, without their
help and almost without their knowledge, against superior forces.

General Joffre's 'Instruction' for the offensive on the 6th was brought
to British General Headquarters by a French staff officer at 3 a.m. on
the morning of the 5th. Unfortunately, orders to the British army to
continue the retreat in accordance with General Joffre's previous
instructions had already been given to the corps commanders. The Second
Corps had moved off before midnight and the First and Third Corps a
little later. Consequently the British army by the end of the day was
some twelve to fifteen miles farther back than the French
Commander-in-Chief expected, and although its subsequent advance across
the Marne had a decisive effect, the hard fighting of the battle was
borne by the French army on the Ourcq. During the 5th, General Maunoury,
commanding the Sixth French Army on the British left, and later on
General Joffre himself, visited Sir John French, and all arrangements
for the morrow's offensive were discussed. Sir John French's operation
orders issued at 5.15 p.m. on the 5th of September directed the army to
advance eastward with a view to attacking. The preliminary movement of
the British army, a wheel to the east, pivoting on its right, was to be
completed by the right wing at 9 a.m. and by the left wing at 10 a.m. on
the 6th.

On the early morning of the 6th Sir John French gave verbal instructions
that the Royal Flying Corps were to send aeroplanes to report for
reconnaissance direct to the First and Second Corps. The officer
commanding No.