Battle of Rossignol 1914
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 22 August 1914 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1914 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | World War I era (1914–1918) | derived from year |
| Location | Belgium | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Battle of the Frontiers | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 49.7172, 5.4881 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Rossignol (22 August 1914) one of the first battles of the First World War, was part of the Battle of the Frontiers on the Western Front between the German and French armies. To counter the German invasion of Belgium, the French commander-in-chief, General Joseph Joffre, ordered an attack upon the centre of the German front. The attack was to be conducted by the French Fourth Army comprising the Colonial Corps and II Corps. Simultaneously, the German army turned the 5th Army southwards towards the French border. The French Colonial Corps advanced towards Neufchâteau expecting the nearest German forces to be several days march away.
Advanced elements of the 3rd Colonial Infantry Division (Léon Amédée François Raffenel) marching column clashed with German cavalry north of Rossignol and soon found themselves facing a strong defensive German position. After several bayonet charges through dense woods failed to make progress, French troops retreated southwards to Rossignol. The German 11th Division and 12th Division pushed around both flanks and engaged that part of the Colonial Corps still on the march. With the French II Corps behind schedule and unable to offer any support, German artillery destroyed the bridge at Breuvanne.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Rossignol (revision 1370587699), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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Other battles of the Battle of the Frontiers
- Battle of Charleroi 1914
- Battle of Grand Couronné 1914
- Battle of Halen 1914
- Battle of Lorraine 1914
- Battle of Mons 1914
- Battle of Sarrebourg 1914
- Battle of the Ardennes 1914
All 8 battles of the Battle of the Frontiers →
Browse more: battles in Belgium · Europe · World War I era battles