On September 4, 1914, Kaiser Wilhelm II exulted: “It is the 35th day!” The 35th day of the war had a very significant meaning to the German General Staff. The Schlieffen Plan anticipated a victory over France within 35-40 days of combat. This would allow Germany to avoid a damaging two front war and would leave the Germany army with plenty of time to turn and crush the Tsar’s newly mobilized forces in the East. With the Allied armies in retreat and the French government abandoning Paris, on day 35 the Kaiser and his staff were confidently looking forward to the decisive battle that would end the war in the West. By day 40 however, far from menacing Paris or completing the envelopment of British and French forces, the German forces were in retreat. In what was later referred to as the Miracle of the Marne, the beleaguered British and French forces pushed the German armies back – ultimately saving France and denying the German’s the quick victory they needed to win the war. This 1st Battle of the Marne would prove a strategic victory for the Allies but would also usher in trench warfare and the deadly stalemate that would forever characterize the nature of World War I.

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