Map of Alsace and the Franco-German border from Switzerland north along the Vosges Mountains to Strasbourg. The postcard celebrates the German victory at Mulhouse on August 11, 1914, retaking the city from the French.
Der Sieg bei Mülhausen 11.8.1914Der Große Generalstab veröffentlicht folgende Meldung: Von Belfort in das Oberelsass nach Mülhausen vor gedrungener Feind, anscheinend das VII, französische Armeekorps und eine Infanterie-Division der Besatzung von Belfort, sind heute von unseren Truppen aus einer verstärkten Stellung westlich Mülhausen in südlicher Richtung zurückgeworfen worden. Verluste unserer Truppen nicht erheblich, die der Franzosen groß.The victory at Mulhouse 08/11/1914The Great General Staff issued the following message: From Belfort in Upper Alsace to Mulhouse, our troops have thrown back strong enemy forces – apparently the VII French army corps and one infantry division of the garrison of Belfort – from their reinforced position west of Mulhouse to the south. Losses to our troops are not significant, and comparable to those of the French.W.I.B. (4)Reverse:B.Z. KriegskarteVerlag der B.Z. am Mittag, Berlin (Publishing the B.Z. at noon, Berlin)
"This month of waiting, from June 15 to July 15, marked some of the greatest troop movements in the war. The British and French regrouped their reserves, and the American divisions were moved about in conformity as they formed part of these armies. The seasoned divisions were assembled back of the line between the two German salients, while the newly arrived divisions were rushed down to the quiet sectors in the Vosges mountains to relieve more experienced divisions for service on the Marne."
By July Germany had already mounted four offensives on the Western Front in 1918, the last ending on June 14. Through the following month, the Allies expected the fifth offensive at any time. American Commander-in-Chief John J. Pershing had long resisted placing American units under foreign command, but had relented in the face of the success of Germany's offensives. The Vosges Mountains are in eastern France, in what had been a quiet sector after the Battle of the Frontiers in the beginning of the war.
The History of The A.E.F. by Shipley Thomas, pp. 102–103, copyright © 1920, by George H. Doran Company, publisher: George H. Doran Company, publication date: 1920
1918-07-11, 1918, July, Vosges Mountains
