How Does Geography Affect The First Battle Of The Marne

War has been a terrible part of the human existence since the beginning of time. According to historians, there has been only 268 years of peace out of the nearly 3,500 years that civilized humans have existed (Hedges). So while war itself might be inevitable the outcome of any given conflict is anything besides predictable. There are numerous different elements that come into play during combat, however perhaps the biggest factor is geography. In fact, geography has been such a significant aspect of war that a new field of study has emerged in recent years entitled military geography. One particular war where the effect of geography can be seen is World War I. During this war the recently formed Germany attempted to invade France and gain
It is, after all, the battle that began one of the largest wars in history. However, what they might not recognize is that the outcome of the Battle of the Marne, fought in September of 1914, was significantly affected by the topography of the region. Fought just a few miles outside of Paris, the land in this region is almost entirely flat, which caused a mess of problems for both the attacking Germans and the defending French. The German army had hoped to surprise the French and sack Paris before a resistance force could be raised against them. However, in order to move into France undetected they must pass through Belgium. Belgium unexpectedly put up an opposition, which allowed the French enough time to gather a force in Paris and meet the Germans (“Battle”). Now this is where the landscape came into play. The Germany military officials weren’t expecting resistance and did not prepare for a long-term battle. With the levelness of the land there was nowhere for the German troops to camp without being exposed to enemy fire. Therefore, in order to set up a perimeter within fighting distance of the French without being peppered with enemy bullets, the German’s dug down into the earth and created the trenches. This set the tone for the entire war and was a colossal factor why World War I lasted so long and countless lives were
Otherwise identified as the Siege of Verdun, this altercation took place from February to December of 1916 between German and French forces. Much like the Battle of the Marne, during WWI the geography of Western Europe was a vital factor in the Battle of Verdun. Fought in northeast France at Verdun-sur-Meuse, this battle centered on a series of antique French forts. Now there was no real strategic advantage to be gained by the Germans taking this position. The German Chief of General Staff Eric von Falkenhayn believed that the French’s honor would not allow such a historic site to fall into enemy hands and would fight to the last man to protect it (Trueman). By doing this French military would be drained of men and the Germans would have the upper hand. However the Germans did not foresee the muddiness of the land. The city of Verdun-sur-Meuse was in a low-lying region that tended to hold moisture. Europe is famous for its rather inclement climate and soon the land between the two opposing forces turned into a giant, muddy pit. This prevented the German forces from advancing on the French, as they could not transport their heavy artillery through the mire quickly or easily. That single fact turned the course of the battle as German troops were fighting against the much more entrenched French with essentially no support. Consequently the German