British Expeditionary Force retreat of 1914
E841079
The British Expeditionary Force retreat of 1914 was the rapid fighting withdrawal of British troops from advancing German forces in the opening weeks of World War I, following the Battle of Mons and shaping the early Western Front.
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
World War I military operation
ⓘ
military retreat ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs | Great Retreat (British sector) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| belligerent |
German Empire
ⓘ
United Kingdom NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| characterizedBy |
fighting withdrawal
ⓘ
rapid movement ⓘ rear-guard engagements ⓘ |
| commandedBy | Field Marshal Sir John French NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| conflict | World War I ⓘ |
| coordinatedWith | French Fifth Army retreat ⓘ |
| country | United Kingdom ⓘ |
| endTime | early September 1914 ⓘ |
| followedBy |
First Battle of the Marne
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
entrenchment on the Aisne ⓘ |
| follows | Battle of Mons NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasCause | advance of German forces ⓘ |
| hasEffect |
BEF withdrawal towards the River Marne
ⓘ
stabilization of the early Western Front ⓘ |
| hasPart |
rear-guard actions during the retreat
ⓘ
retreat from Mons ⓘ stand at Le Cateau ⓘ |
| historicalSignificance |
demonstrated mobility and resilience of the British Expeditionary Force
ⓘ
helped shape the early Western Front line ⓘ |
| involves |
British I Corps
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
British II Corps NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| location |
Belgium
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
France ⓘ |
| militaryTacticUsed |
defensive rearguard positions
ⓘ
delaying actions ⓘ |
| opposedBy |
German First Army
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
German Second Army NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| participant |
British Expeditionary Force
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
German Army NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| partOf |
Allied retreat in 1914
ⓘ
Western Front NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| precededBy | British Expeditionary Force deployment to France ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
German advance through Belgium
ⓘ
Schlieffen Plan NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| result |
heavy British casualties in rear-guard units
ⓘ
preservation of the core of the British Expeditionary Force ⓘ successful escape from German encirclement ⓘ |
| startTime | August 1914 ⓘ |
| strategicObjective |
avoid encirclement by German forces
ⓘ
fall back to a defensible line with French forces ⓘ maintain cohesion of the British Expeditionary Force ⓘ |
| timePeriod | opening weeks of World War I ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.