James Baquet The First Battle of the Marne took place in September 1914, just three months after the start of World War I. In it, France and her Allies pushed back the German assault; this was an optimistic sign. The Second Battle of the Marne, in July and August 1918, took place just three months before the end of the war, and was the beginning of the end for Germany and the Central Powers. On July 15, 1918, the Germans attacked the Allies at Reims, 130 kilometers northeast of Paris. The two-pronged attack is sometimes named the Battle of the Mountain of Reims (to the west of the city); and the Fourth Battle of Champagne, the region near Reims famed for its sparkling wine (to the city’s east). In the east, the Germans had been planning to commence a bombardment at 12:10. But the French had learned of this from interrogating captured prisoners, and began their own artillery attack at 11:30, rattling the Germans. The Germans were then lured into attacking a dummy front line with many vacated gun pits, and their progress was halted by noon the next day. The Germans were more successful on the west, building twelve skeleton bridges across the Marne and crossing by any means necessary, including small boats. The German commander called their advance “the very pinnacle of military victory.” But reinforcement of French troops by newly-arrived British and American soldiers managed to stall the Germans by July 17. Beginning on July 18, the Allies counterattacked, with 350 tanks in addition to the massive troops. It is believed that the Germans were taken in by a ruse: a briefcase containing fake plans was attached with handcuffs to a dead Allied soldier and placed where the Germans would find it. Believing the plans to be authentic, the Germans adjusted their strategy — exactly as the Allies had hoped — and exposed themselves to defeat. On July 20, the Germans began a retreat from which they never recovered. After more back-and-forth, the Allies claimed victory Aug. 6. German morale was broken, and three months later, after a steady string of Allied victories, the war was over. Vocabulary: Which word above means: 1. questioning under force 2. abandoned, empty 3. shaking up, confusing 4. the final turning point 5. heavily armored vehicles 6. made up of two parts 7. spirit, confidence 8. fake 9. using only essential parts 10. genuine, real | 