Are You Missing this WWI Battle of the Marne Mint Stamp Sheet?
This detailed mint stamp sheet honors one of the most decisive battles in history, the Battle of the Marne. It features four stamps, each depicting a different scene from the battle – First Marine Zouaves manning machine guns, French dragoons marching German prisoners, German machine gun trenches,... more
Are You Missing this WWI Battle of the Marne Mint Stamp Sheet?
This detailed mint stamp sheet honors one of the most decisive battles in history, the Battle of the Marne. It features four stamps, each depicting a different scene from the battle – First Marine Zouaves manning machine guns, French dragoons marching German prisoners, German machine gun trenches, and a French medic tending to a wounded Marine. Plus, the selvage pictures German commander Helmuth von Moltke and French commander Joffre French.
The First Battle of the Marne began on September 6, with 150,000 French soldiers in the 6th Army attacking the German 1st Army’s right flank. The 1st German Army had turned to meet the attack, leaving a 30-mile gap between them and the 2nd Army. The combined French and British assault filled the gap and attacked the German 2nd Army.
Heavy fighting occurred in the marshes of Saint Gond, when the Germans repeatedly attacked the French 9th Army. On September 7, a force of more than 6,000 reinforcements were rushed to the front lines using Paris’s taxis and buses. This was the first use of motorized transports during any war, and the cabs were later called the “taxis of the Marne.”
The reinforcements helped turn the tide of the battle. On the 10th, von Moltke ordered his forces to regroup to the northwest, but the French pursued them toward the Aisne River. This time, the Germans built defenses the Allies could not penetrate. Each side tried to outflank its opponents in a series of maneuvers known as the “race to the sea.” This was the beginning of the trench warfare that would continue for four more years.
The Battle of the Marne was a decisive victory for the Allies. It stopped the German advance and led to the end of their two-front war strategy. It also changed the opinion of many people on both sides of the conflict about the length of the war. When World War I began, the popular belief was it would be a short war. This battle and the subsequent development into trench warfare proved otherwise. Political leaders and military commanders now realized this would be an extended struggle.
Add this important military history to your collection – order now.
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