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Battle Of Mons Essay

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The battle of Mons was one of the first interactions between the British and German forces in World War I. This battle ended with a clear, although heavily battered victory for the German First Army. Although the British fought valiantly and with fewer casualties than those of their German antagonist; the outcome of this battle could have been altered. Through the use of proper intelligence preparation of the battle field, and human intelligence, the outcome could have been a British victory. Over the remainder of this paper, I will explain how the battle was fought and lost, how the improper planning of the Allied forces directly caused the loss in this battle and how proper implementation of scouts as human intelligence could have given enough warning to change the outcome even with the poor planning. The battle of Mons began on 23 August 1914 in the early morning hours. The British Expeditionary Forces (BFE) attempted to hold the line of the Mons-Conde Canal against the German 1st Army. This battle took place as a part of the Battle of Frontiers, in which the German armies and the Allied armies clashed along the France/ Belgian and France/ German borders. The BEF were stationed to the left of the Allied line stretching from Alsace-Lorraine in the east to Mons and Charleroi in the south. The BEF in this area consisted of II Corps lining the Mons-Conde Canal and I Corps positioned to the right along the Mons–Beaumont Road. The German 1st army was in position to invade

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