A major objective
of the French Plan XVII was a strong offensive action in Lorraine where national pride had suffered a
heavy blow in the 1870-71 Franco Prussian war. The Germans realised that that
any future war would see the French making a concerted effort to reclaim
Alsace-Lorraine and as a result they had taken this into account in the
Schlieffen Plan.
The “Battle of the Frontiers”
were a bloody series of clashes at the outbreak of the war. One of them,
carried out by the French 1ere and 2eme Armees, was the invasion of Lorraine. General Auguste Dubail’s 1st Army
was to march on Sarrebourg, General Noel de Castelnau’s 2eme had Morhange as
their objective. Facing them in what was to become the “Battle of
Morhange-Sarrebourg” was the German 6. and 7. Armies under Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria and General von
Herringen respectively.
On the 8th of
August General Pau’s “Army of Alsace” had failed in its offensive aimed at Mulhouse near the Swiss
border. The 1ere and 2eme French armies had initial successes as the German
army followed the Schlieffen plan and pulled back, luring the French into a
position where a German Counter-Offensive could be launched. Although it was “part of the plan” Rupprecht was beginning
to become impatient as the German Armies on the right wing gathered pace. He
began to pressure von Moltke to allow him to stop his retreat and take the
offensive. His ambition was to strike and drive the French back to Nancy.
The offensive
was launched on the 20th of August 1914, striking de Castelnau’s 2eme
Armee who were engaged at Morhange. The 2eme Armee was caught in the open and
forced back over the French border. With his flank in danger Dubail was forced
to abandon Sarrebourg with his 1ere Armee.
Foch’s XX Corps
was able to defend Nancy
in the face of the German Advance.
Without a solid
French front the “Army of Alsace” which had finally seen success at Mulhouse was forced to
withdraw.
The French
offensive, so carefully prepared, had exacted a high cost in blood and was a
failure. By the 22nd of August the 1ere and 2eme Armies were back in
the fortress belt of Belfort,
Epinal and Toul. Rupprecht’s Divisions pushed through the Trouee des Charmes, a
natural gap between Toul and Epinal. The German attack was launched on the 24th
but by the 25th French counter attacks had brought Rupprecht’s
advance to a standstill. The sector was to become one of the Static sectors of
the front in the years that followed.
Above: A German officer leads his troops in an Attack.
The fighting at Dieuze/Vergaville(Scroll to the bottom for a detailed map)
On the 20th
of August 1914 Lt.Hawickhorst commanded
a section of the 4th Komp., 174. I.R. during the attack on
Vergaville in Lothringen. It was the regiment’s first action of the war.
According the Regimental history, the men were sure of their superiority over
the French troops and could only foresee victory.
At 6:00am
the 174. I.R. left its positions advanced to the west of the Bensdorf
(Benestroff) – Dieuze Railway line, heading for Vergaville.
On the
Gebling (Guebling)-Wuisse road the I. and II.
Battalions advanced next to each other the III. Battl advancing behind them. To
the east of the Railway line the 70. I.R. advanced. As soon as the Batlns
reached the first high ground to the South of the road they were engaged in the
fighting. Bullets whizzed by and shrapnel exploded overhead as they came under
fire from French positions ahead of them and from the flanks. The men bounded
forward as if on the training ground, and in no time at all there were holes
torn in their ranks. Especially hard hit was the 3rd company who had
reached the tree line to the South of the road first. The 4th
Company was ordered forward.
Hauptmann
Bühler gave orders, (from a letter written by Lt. Hawickhorst):
“”Lt.
Hawickhorst, take three groups from your section and move into the first wave.
“ about 1000m away, in the direction of Vergaville we saw the first sign of the
enemy… then suddenly they were right in front of us. “Aim here! Aim at those
burning houses! Aim at the depression by the railway!”. How the bullets flew
around us! Hauptmann
Bühler was hit. Hauptmann
Bockmann of the 3./174 was killed as well. Leutnant Krevet of my company had
his chin shattered by shrapnel, the man to my left had a fatal wound to his
left side, the man to the right, a serious head wound.”
The
bursting shrapnel, exploding shells and sounds and sights of battle weighed
heavily on the nerves. To be faced with this hour after hour, but again and
again to look into the fire spitting muzzles of enemy guns as attack after
attack was launched, required much energy and courage. Major Hahn of the II.
Batln. was also badly wounded.
The III.
Batln joined the fight. A single bullet went through the head of a man from the
M.G.K. then through the cheek of Lt. Walter, flying out through his open mouth.
Shell after
shell exploded on the South East Corner of Monacker wood. The amount of wounded
needing evacuation became very worrying.
A French
Machine Gun fired into the flank of the 2./174. until a riflemen crawled
forward and killed the gun crew, bringing back the machine gun and getting the
first Iron Cross in his company.
Cries for
help, screams of the wounded, but those not yet hit had to ignore them and move
forward. The enemy positions were their goal.
The
fighting continued, the men of the 174. I.R. pushed their way forward, their MG
suppressing the fire of the defenders. As they advanced they ignored the fire
from the flanks, or fire from behind where wounded or isolated French soldiers
remained hidden in the hedges and fields.
The 174.
advanced with bayonets glinting and the defenders wavered. The fields were covered
in the bodies of the French dead and wounded. Suddenly the defensive line broke
and the men streamed towards the rear. The only resistance was now murderous
artillery fire. The 174. pushed rapidly forward as the resistance crumbled.
Those who were not dead, or who escaped, surrendered. French officers who tried
to stop the rout were (according to the Germans) shot down by their own men.
The forward momentum of the Germans was only stopped by the fire of the French
artillery.
Above: Equipment abandoned at a French First Aid post
By 4:00pm
the battlefield was in the hands of the victors. The fields were covered with
the bodies of French soldiers, Lebel rifles and backpacks.
An
emotional Oberst Foerster thanked his assembled regiment for their bravery and
the results before they marched into their bivouac area. The Supply officers
had a hot meal ready for the troops. The regiment had suffered terrible losses.
Of the 72 officers 21 had been killed, 13 wounded. Of the other ranks about
1500 were reported dead, wounded or missing. The four companies of each
battalion were amalgamated to form two.
The 2. and 4. Komp were joined, Lt. D.Res. Hawickhorst and Lt. Textor
being all that remained of the 11 Officers in the companies at the start of the
day.
To go to the page on Heinrich Hawickhorst please click HERE
Left: About
4km to the North of Dieuze is the national cemetery of Vergaville, it contains
the bodies of 1161 French soldiers killed in the area on the 19th and 20th of
August 1914.
Hauptmann
Bühler gave orders, (from a letter written by Lt. Hawickhorst):
Above: Equipment abandoned at a French First Aid post
By 4:00pm
the battlefield was in the hands of the victors. The fields were covered with
the bodies of French soldiers, Lebel rifles and backpacks.
