First Battle of Picardy | |||||||
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Part of the Race to the Sea, First World War | |||||||
![]() Franco-German northward flanking moves, 15 September – 8 October 1914 | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Joseph Joffre Michel-Joseph Maunoury Noel de Castelnau |
Erich von Falkenhayn Alexander von Kluck Rupprecht of Bavaria | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Sixth Army Second Army |
1st Army 6th Army | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
Picardy, a historical territory and former administrative region of France, now part of the Hauts-de-France region |
The First Battle of Picardy (22–26 September 1914) took place during the Race to the Sea (17 September – 19 October) and the First Battle of the Aisne (13–28 September). The "race" was a Franco-British counter-offensive, which followed the Battle of the Frontiers (7 August – 13 September) and the German advance into France during the Great Retreat, which ended at the First Battle of the Marne (5–12 September).[a] The term describes reciprocal attempts by the Franco-British and German armies to envelop the northern flank of the opposing army, through Picardy, Artois and Flanders.
The first outflanking attempt resulted in an encounter battle in Picardy. The French Sixth Army attacked up the Oise river valley towards Noyon, as the Second Army assembled further north, ready to attempt to advance round the northern flank of the German 1st Army. Both French armies managed to advance successively on a line from Roye to Chaulnes, until the German 6th Army and other reinforcements arrived from Lorraine and halted the French advance. Both sides then attempted another flanking move to the north, which merged into the Battle of Albert (25–29 September).[b]
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