position had been made
dangerous by the retreat of Kluck. Buelow had to go back north of the
Marne, suffering severe losses and his retirement uncovered the flank
of Hausen's army fighting to the east from La Fere Champenoise to
Vitry. (Vol. II, 107.)

Meantime things had been going badly on this line for the French, and
their troops under Foch had been driven back many miles. The Germans,
feeling the danger from the west, were making one final effort to
break the French center and win the decisive contest. But Buelow's
retreat opened the way for a supreme piece of strategy on the part of
Foch, who descended from the heights, struck Hausen, almost routed him
and sent him in quick retreat beyond the Marne. (Vol. II, 120, 121.)

This settled the battle. Kluck, Buelow, and Hausen were now forced to
retreat, their retreat communicated itself all along the line and by
September 13, 1914, the Germans were all withdrawing, Kluck was over
seventy miles north of the Grand Morin, just taking root behind the
Aisne, the Battle of the Marne was over, and the great German plan to
deal with France in six weeks had been completely wrecked. Actually
the first phase of the war was over, unless the Germans could regain
the offensive and restore the conditions existing before the Marne.
(Vol. II, 120-123.)

THE END OF THE FIRST WESTERN CAMPAIGN

In this the Germans failed. They did succeed in rallying and beating
down the Anglo-French pursuit with great skill and promptitude. The
Battle of the Aisne (Vol. II, 130-146) marked the beginning of the
deadlock and the Germans took the positions they were to hold for the
next two years between the Oise and the Meuse.

[Illustration: September 20, 1914, the Deadlock. Solid lines show
trench fronts. Dotted lines show extension toward Belgium--"the race
to the sea" in September and October.]

But the effort to renew the attack failed. It began with an effort,
made by troops brought from before Nancy, where a new French defensive
success had saved the Lorraine capital, to come south to Paris along
the west bank of the Oise. It was continued in the so-called "race to
the sea," when French and German commanders tried to outflank their
opponents along the Oise, the Somme, and the Lys. But this resulted
only in extending the lines of parallel trenches which now stretched
to the Belgian frontier from Noyon.

Finally, having beaten down the Belgian resistance and taken Antwerp
in the second week