Page "Schlieffen Plan" Paragraph 27

The BEF was small, numbering only 75, 000 at the start of the war.

The French mobilized millions of recruits, and their goal was to use this number to defeat the Germans quickly in Alsace.

To this end, the French commander-in-chief Joseph Joffre placed the small but highly-trained BEF on the left flank, where he believed there would not be any fighting.

Due to the rapid German advance through Belgium, the British were almost annihilated several times, but they managed to delay the Germans long enough for French and British reinforcements to arrive.

While the BEF was forced into retreat throughout the month of August, it provided enough resistance against the German First Army under Alexander von Kluck to help induce the German general to break off the Schlieffen Plan.

Instead, von Kluck turned south-east towards Compiègne, showing his flank to the Garrison of Paris under Gallieni, making possible the " Miracle of the Marne ".