THE GREAT WAR *VIRTUAL TOUR* Race To The Sea
THE RACE TO THE SEA The Formation Of The Western Front (1914) FIELD-MARSHALL Sir John French The first Soldiers of the BEF arrived in France on the 7th August. Commanded by Field-Marshal Sir John French, his foe was General Alexander von Kluck who was the Commander of the German First Army. The BEF comprised of two Corps of Infantry, and a Cavalry Division; 85,000 men and 290 guns. With Lieutenant-General Sir Douglas Haig Commanding I Corps and General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien Commanding II Corps. Both Corps of the BEF and the Cavalry Division were in action, although the bulk of the fighting was carried out by Smith-Dorrien’s II Corps along the line of the Mons Canal. General von Kluck’s First Army comprised of four Corps and three Cavalry Divisions; 160,000 men, and 550 guns. GENERAL SIR HORACE SMITH-DORRIEN LEUTENANT-GENERAL SIR DOUGLAS HAIG The BEF prepared to join the French advance to the East, but the weight of two Germ...