Wwi: Race to the Sea - Outflanking the Enemy - Paperback

by Daniel Van Basten (Author)

The Race to the Sea took place in September and October; the movement of the troops drove the momentum of battle toward the Belgian frontier and the North Sea shores. During these two months, the Germans held the initiative as the Allies scrambled to protect the ports of the English Channel and their link with Great Britain.

This episode of the war, when the Allies of France, Great Britain and Belgium, and the Central Powers of Germany, sought to reach the English Channel was defined by its failure to achieve its objective. For the Germans, the goal was to prevent the Allies from being reinforced with supplies and soldiers from Great Britain. The Germans were heading west toward the English Channel; their plans were to capture northern France's industrial and agricultural regions; to isolate Belgium and conquer Flanders; and to cut off the supply source for the British. For the Allies, the intent was to keep that valuable waterway open so that the British were not cut off from their homeland.

The methods for accomplishing this feat, or at least striving to do so, were to maneuver around the enemy flank by attacking from the rear. It was never an actual race, and in fact the term "Race to the Sea" was applied afterwards when the attempt was already history.