Battle of the Ardennes
Part of First World War
Date August 21–23, 1914 Location Ardennes forest Result German victory
Combatants
France	German Empire
Commanders
Pierre Ruffey, Fernand de Langle de Cary	Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg, Crown Prince Wilhelm
Strength
French Third and Fourth Armies	German Fourth and Fifth Armies
Casualties
?	?

The Battle of the Ardennes was one of the opening battles of World War I. It took place from August 21-23, 1914, part of the Battle of the Frontiers. French commander-in-chief Joseph Joffre ordered an attack through the Ardennes forest in support of the French invasion of Lorraine. According to the pre-war French war strategy document, Plan XVII, German forces in the area were only expected to be light, with French light, rapid-firing artillery proving advantageous in a wooded terrain such as that found in the Ardennes. Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... August 23 is the 235th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (236th in leap years), with 130 days remaining. ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The Ardennes (pronounced ar-DEN) (Dutch: Ardennen) is a region of extensive forests and rolling hill country, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France (lending its name to the Ardennes département and the Champagne-Ardenne région). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_France. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_German_Empire. ... Motto: Gott mit Uns (German: God with us”) Anthem: Heil dir im Siegerkranz (unofficial) Territory of the German Empire in 1914, prior to World War I Capital Berlin Language(s) Official: German Unofficial minority languages: Polish (Posen, Lower Silesia,Upper Silesia, Masuria) French (Alsace-Lorraine) Government Constitutional monarchy Emperor  - 1871... Duke Albrecht of Würtemberg (1865-1939) was a commander of the German Army in World War I in Belgium. ... Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany and Prussia (6 May 1882 - 20 July 1916), Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor August Ernst Kronprinz von Preussen, was born 6 May 1882 at Marmorpalais, Potsdam, Germany. ... The German Fourth Army (German: ) was a field army that fought in World War II. The Fourth Army was activated on December 1, 1938 with Field Marshal Günther von Kluge in command. ... The German Fifth Army (German: ) was a World War II field army. ... The Battle of the Frontiers was a series of battles fought along the eastern frontier of France and in southern Belgium shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. ... The Battle of the Frontiers was a series of battles fought along the eastern frontier of France and in southern Belgium shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. ... Lorraine: Missed Chances, and a French Disaster By C. Arthur Yancey From the 20th to the 24th of August 1914, the fighting was extremely fierce on the Western Front, in four battles that came to be known as the Battle of the Frontiers. ... Combatants Germany France Commanders Strength Casualties {{{casualties1}}} {{{casualties2}}} The Battle of Charleroi was fought on August 21, 1914, between French and German forces. ... Combatants Britain Germany Commanders Sir John French Alexander von Kluck Strength 4 divisions 8 divisions Casualties 1,600 5,000 (estimate) The Battle of Mons (Flemish name for Mons is Bergen) was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force in World War I. Following the surrender of the... Combatants Allied Powers: Russian Empire France British Empire Italy United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary German Empire Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Commanders Nikolay II Aleksey Brusilov Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Ferdinand Foch Robert Nivelle Herbert H. Asquith D. Lloyd George Sir Douglas Haig Sir John Jellicoe Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna... August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... August 23 is the 235th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (236th in leap years), with 130 days remaining. ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The Battle of the Frontiers was a series of battles fought along the eastern frontier of France and in southern Belgium shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. ... Joseph Jacques Césaire Joffre (January 12, 1852 - January 3, 1931) was a Catalan French general who became prominent in the battles of World War I. Joffre was born in Rivesaltes, Roussillon. ... The Ardennes (pronounced ar-DEN) (Dutch: Ardennen) is a region of extensive forests and rolling hill country, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France (lending its name to the Ardennes département and the Champagne-Ardenne région). ... Lorraine coat of arms location of the Lorraine province Lorraine (French: Lorraine; German: Lothringen) is a historical area in present-day northeast France. ...

By 20 August however it was becoming clear - first to General Charles Lanrezac's French Fifth Army, and then to Commander-in-Chief Joseph Joffre - that a massive German presence was gathering in the area. That same day the Germans launched a counter-attack against the French advance into Lorraine. Even so, Joffre ordered an invasion of the Ardennes on 20 August for the following day. Please wikify (format) this article as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ...

Two sets of armies joined battle on both French and German sides. General Pierre Ruffey's Third Army and General Fernand de Langle de Cary's Fourth Army fought the German Fourth and Fifth Armies: the former led by Duke Albrecht, the latter by Crown Prince Wilhelm. The two German armies together formed the center of the German Schlieffen Plan's advance into France. Duke Albrecht of Würtemberg (1865-1939) was a commander of the German Army in World War I in Belgium. ... Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany and Prussia (6 May 1882 - 20 July 1916), Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor August Ernst Kronprinz von Preussen, was born 6 May 1882 at Marmorpalais, Potsdam, Germany. ... Alfred Graf von Schlieffen The Schlieffen Plan was the German General Staffs overall strategic plan for victory on the Western Front against France, and was executed to near victory in the first month of World War I; however, a French counterattack on the outskirts of Paris, the Battle of...

The French Fifth Army, meanwhile, had been engaged northbound to Charleroi on the back of news of a German build-up of strength in Belgium. Charleroi (Walloon: Tchålerwè) is the first city and municipality of Wallonia in population. ...

German troops had begun to advance through the forest on 19 August, building defensive positions as they went. Crown Prince Wilhelm was positioned at Briey with Duke Albrecht en route to Neufchateau. Neufchâteau is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Luxembourg. ...

The aim of the advancing French forces was straightforward: to attack the German center in the flank as it passed through the forest of the Ardennes.

With the upcoming of thick fog the opposing forces literally stumbled into each other in the forest on 21 August; in such fog, advanced recon was of little worth. At this early stage the French mistook the German presence for small screening forces; in reality the French were heavily outnumbered. The first day of the battle, 21 August, was marked by scattered fighting, mostly skirmishes. Widespread battle began the following day.

The advanced tactical positioning by the Germans more than offset the occasional French success, although casualties were heavy on both sides. French troops, dressed brightly, were notably conspicuous in the woods, no concession to camouflage having been considered.

The French, acting with 'offensive spirit', charged at German positions in the wood, only to be cut down by efficient machine gun fire, backed by heavy artillery.

In contrast to the Germans' willingness to settle and dig trenches, the French forces began a disorderly retreat on the late afternoon of 23 August, the Third Army withdrawing to Verdun chased by the German Fifth Army (where Ruffey was subsequently removed by Joffre), and Fourth Army retreating near Sedan and Stenay. The latter engaged their German pursuers whilst there on 26-28 August, temporarily halting the Germans' progress.

As a consequence of the poorly managed French retreat the Germans were able to take possession of important iron resources, and were able to continue their advance into France.

The scale of the French defeat was notable, only becoming clear to Joffre after a period of time had elapsed. Even then he was inclined to blame the poor performance of his forces rather than attribute it to strategy and circumstances. It did not discourage him from planning further offensive attacks in his future battles.