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A second series of fortifications, to prevent the main line being outflanked, was built in the south from Langres to Dijon and in the north from La Fère to Rheims, then from Valenciennes to Maubeuge, although for financial reasons these took until 1914 to complete. The French had suffered a crushing defeat in the Battle of Lorraine and were retreating in disorder. The situation left Helmuth von Moltke the Younger, the Chief of the General Staff of the German army, with a difficult choice. The apparent collapse of the French Second Army made possible a breakthrough at the Trouée de Charmes and the encirclement of all French troops in Lorraine and the Ardennes. Moltke decided to pursue the French and to break through the trouée. He maintained the left wing at its full strength of 26 divisions and ordered the Bavarian 6th Army (General Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria) to attack at the junction of the French Second and First armies (General Auguste Dubail).
Castelnau, whose Second Army was regrouping in the Trouée de Charmes area, learned from the Deuxième Bureau (military intelligence), that German columns were moving to Saffais and Bechamps and heading for the gap and a few hours later French aerial observers spotted the German troops. Joseph Joffre, the French Commander in Chief, directed General Dubail to reinforce the Second Army with the VIII Corps. On 24 August, the Bavarian 6th Army began to attack in the direction of the "Trouée de Charmes" against the centre of the Second Army, as this was judged to be where the French were the strongest. Initially the Germans were successful and managed to take Damelevières and Gerbéviller, then pushed the French from Vacquenat Wood, Clairlieu and Censal, from where they moved towards Bayon. The Second Army was able to limit the German advance, the French 74th Infantry Regiment in particular, fighting with great tenacity and Bavarian attacks on the Flainval plateau were repulsed. To force through the gap, the 6th Army moved troops to the centre from the flanks, which Castelnau exploited by attacking the German flanks with the 71st Division (General Émile Fayolle) and they were pushed out of Erbeviller, Réméréville and Courbesseaux. The right wing of the Second Army attacked Rupprecht's left flank and managed to take Saint-Boingt, Essey-la-Côte, Clézentaine and Ménarmont. During the night of 24/25 August, the French continued a bombardment and Castelnau concentrated the Second Army against the centre of the 6th Army and launched an early morning attack to take Rozelieures, the attack succeeded but the Germans counter-attacked and retook Rozelieures. Castelnau now again attacked both German flanks with the XV Corps and XVI Corps.
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