1914_0818_01s: Driving the Wedge - FWWC 01 France '14

Along the Gette River, Belgium, 18th August 1914: Following the fall of Liège, the Belgian Armée de Campagne began solidifying a line of defense along the Gette River. On 17 August, von Moltke issued instructions to von Kluck to shoulder the Belgian Army away from Antwerp. However, to complicate things, von Kluck was also told that his 1.Armee would be under the orders of 2.Armee's commander von Bülow. The cavalry, under H.K.K.2, would also be reassigned to the 2.Armee to provide security between the two advancing armies. von Moltke's justification was that during the advance on the north side of the Meuse, the 1.Armee and 2.Armee must remain in close proximity. von Kluck was furious and argued that it was his 1.Armee, which was on the flank, that had the strategic challenges necessitating independent action and the full use of the H.K.K.2 on the northern flank. But this was to be ignored and von Kluck was forced to drive a wedge between the Belgians and Antwerp with his hands tied. [Size: medium] *See the notes document for information on scenario design decisions and historical notes.