France - Alsace: Battle of Mulhouse

The Battle of Mulhouse began on 7th August 1914 and was the opening attack of World War I by the French army against Germany.  It was intended to secure the recapture of Alsace (with Lorraine to follow separately), territories which had been lost to Germany 43 years earlier in the Franco-Prussian War.  The taking of Mulhouse on 8th August sparked wild celebrations in France, duly reported in the English press.  The joy was short-lived, however, as, with the arrival of German reserves from Strasbourg, the Germans mounted a counter-attack on the morning of 9th August.  In the absence of reserves of their own, the French began a slow withdrawal the same day.