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The Battle of Mons was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in World War I. It was a subsidiary action of the Battle of the Frontiers, in which the Allies clashed with Germany on the French borders. At Mons, the British army attempted to hold the line of the Mons-Condé Canal against the advancing German First Army. Although the British fought well and inflicted disproportionate casualties on the numerically-superior Germans, they were eventually forced to retreat due both to the greater strength of the Germans and the sudden retreat of the French Fifth Army, which exposed the British right flank. Though initially planned as a simple tactical withdrawal, and executed in good order, the British retreat from Mons ultimately lasted for two weeks and took the BEF to the outskirts of Paris before it was finally able to counterattack, in concert with the French, at the Battle of the Marne.
Battle of Mons | |||||||
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Part of the First World War | |||||||
"A" Company of the 4th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, resting in the town square at Mons before entering the line prior to the Battle of Mons. The Royal Fusiliers faced some of the heaviest fighting in the battle. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
United Kingdom | German Empire | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Sir John French | Alexander von Kluck | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
2 corps 1 cavalry division total: 80,000 men and 300 guns |
4 corps 3 cavalry divisions total: 160,000 men and 600 guns | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
1,638 | 5,000 (estimate)[1] |
- For the ancient Roman campaign, see Battle of Mons Algidus.