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Following the detonation of the mines, nine Allied infantry divisions attacked under a creeping artillery barrage, supported by tanks. [56] British casualties were 13,000 men, with 1,700 killed. Pursued by the British and French, they defeated Allied attacks against this new position. Weapons played a big part in creating thedifficult and unusual circumstances of trench warfare which the British Army encounteredduring the First WorldWar (1914-18). [34] von Kluck and von Kuhl vigorously objected to this order as they believed their army was on the verge of breaking the Sixth Army. Simply enter your email address below to start receiving our monthly email newsletter. Our editors update and regularly refine this enormous body of information to bring you reliable information. World War I was a crucible for military aircraft development. On September 8 Gen. Louis Franchet dEspereys Fifth Army made a surprise night attack on the German Second Army and widened the gap. Both battles were key moments in the First World War, which resulted in German defeats. One further factor must be mentioned, the most significant of all: the Germans had advanced so rapidly, outrunning their timetable, that their supplies had failed to keep pace. The Short Magazine Lee Enfield was usually fitted with a bayonet which gave the Tommy a one-metre reach in hand-to-hand combat. With the outbreak of World War I, Germany began implementation of the Schlieffen Plan. By then the German armies had recovered cohesion, and the German command was expecting and ready to meet such a maneuver, now the obvious course. Echoes of the decisive victory at Sedan rang loudly in the ears of German generals, and this led them to pluck the fruit before it was ripe. 25 Decade-Defining Events in U.S. History, Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement, https://www.britannica.com/list/weapons-of-world-war-i. The Germans ceased their retreat after 65km (40mi), at a point north of the Aisne River, where they dug in, preparing trenches. [63], The French Second Army completed a move from Lorraine and took over command of the left-hand corps of the Sixth Army, as indications appeared that German troops were also being moved from the eastern flank. Grenades were ideal weapons for trench warfare, they could be thrown into enemy positions before troops entered them. Gronau ordered the II Corps to move back to the north bank of the Marne, which began a redeployment of all four 1st Army corps to the north bank which continued until 8 September. In the resulting Battle of the Ourcq, Kluck's men were able to put the French on the defensive. The first was Gen. Helmuth von Moltkes action in detaching seven regular divisions to invest Maubeuge and Givet and watch Antwerp, instead of using Landwehr (reserve) and Ersatz (replacement) troops as earlier intended. After the battle at the Marne River, the German and Allied troops realized old-fashioned battle was not the way to win this war. Allied casualties in the fighting numbered around 263,000, while the Germans incurred similar losses. Despite the advances in technology, cavalry retained a significant role in World War I, and horses died by the millions in the conflict. Need a reference? This often involvedclose-quarters fighting in confined spaces so many experienced soldiers preferred to use improvised clubs, knives and knuckledusters rather thancumbersome rifles. (2021, July 31). The French threw back the massive German advance and thwarted German plans for a quick and total victory on the Western Front. On an unsuspecting enemy, Britain unleashed its new secret weapon - the tank. He has appeared on The History Channel as a featured expert. Every year, bomb-clearing units remove more than 40 tons of unexploded munitions from the Verdun area alone. [25] The Fifth Army by 8 September crossed the Petit Morin, which forced Blow to withdraw the right flank of the 2nd Army. He earned a B.A. The chief developments of the intervening period had been the machine gun and the rapid-fire field artillery gun. Machine guns had been used successfully in wars leading up to the First World War such as the Second Boer War and the Russo-Japanese War. Driving south, the Germans inflicted defeats on the Allies along the Sambre at the Battles of Charleroi and Mons. The taxis, following city regulations, dutifully ran their meters. They were also effective at taking out enemy machine gun and sniperposts. By 6 October, the French needed British reinforcements to withstand German attacks around Lille. One of the few ways that tanks were effective during the war, was that they were capable of crossing barbed wire defences, although their tracks were still at risk of becoming entangled. The use of these chemical weapons violated the 1899 Hague Declaration Concerning Asphyxiating Gases and the 1907 Hague Convention on Land Warfare, both strictly prohibiting the use of chemical warfare. On 1 September Lord Kitchener, the British Secretary of State for War, met with French (and French Prime Minister Viviani and War Minister Millerand), and ordered him not to withdraw to the Channel. Before the Battle of the Somme (1916) the Germans retreated into their concrete dugouts during the artillery barrage, emerging when they heard the guns stop. In July 1917, the British and French launched a massive offensive near the Belgian city of Ypres. By 1918 tanks were being effectively usedas part of an 'all arms' approachduring the Allies' successful attacks. To the chagrin of the Germans, such an effort had begun before the new plan could take effect. The decision to abandon the original plan was definitely taken on September 4, and Moltke substituted a narrower envelopment of the French centre and right. The First Battle of Ypres (20 October-22 November 1914) marked the end of open and mobile warfare on the Western Front. Their size and mobility offered advantages over conventional artillery as they could be fired from within the safety of a trench. As the speed andflying capabilities of aircraft improved they evenbombed airfields, transportation networks and industrial facilities. The machine guns available at the start of World War I needed four to six men to operate them. The man with the goggles belongs to the Intelligence Corps. The First Battle of the Marne marked the end of the German sweep into France and the beginning of the trench warfare that was to characterise World War One. Quick Firing18-pounder field gun Mk I, 1906. It could be fired into the trenches via shells. German barbed wire at Beaucourt, November 1916. For his failure, he was replaced as Chief of the General Staff on September 14 by Erich von Falkenhayn. The Franco-British attacks towards Lille in October at the battles of La Basse, Messines and Armentires (OctoberNovember) were followed up by attempts to advance between the BEF and the Belgian army by a new French Eighth Army. With the war stalled along the Aisne in Champagne, both armies began efforts to turn the other's flank in the west. The front line trenches werebacked-up by second and third lines: 'support' and 'reserve' trenches. He used interior lines to move troops from his right wing to the critical left wing and sacked generals. Using the German Sanittsberichte, Herwig recorded that from 110 September, the 1st Army had 13,254 casualties, the 2nd Army had 10,607 casualties, the 3rd Army had 14,987 casualties, the 4th Army had 9,433 casualties, the 5th Army had 19,434 casualties, the 6th Army had 21,200 casualties and the 7th Army had 10,164 casualties. The first units of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) landed in France and French troops crossed the German frontier. Here we explore some of the weapons used and developed by the British Army during the conflict. The German retreat from 9 to 13 September marked the end of the attempt to defeat France by crushing the French armies with an invasion from the north through Belgium and in the south over the common border. Both sides commenced reciprocal operations to envelop the northern flank of their opponent, in what became known as the Race to the Sea which culminated in the First Battle of Ypres. The German armies ceased their retreat after 40mi (65km) on a line north of the Aisne River, where they dug in on the heights and fought the First Battle of the Aisne. Chemical weapons, such as diphosgene and mustard gas, were employed extensively on the Western Front. His subordinates took over and ordered a general retreat to the Aisne, to regroup for another offensive. One successful use of mines was on 7 June 1917, when the Britishunleashed a seriesof huge mine explosionsat Messines Ridge. . [39] General Castelnau prepared to abandon the French position around Nancy, but his staff contacted Joffre, who ordered Castelnau to hold for another 24 hours. The World War I infantryman could produce a volume of fire that dwarfed that of his mid-19th-century predecessors. The German armies attacked from Verdun westwards to Reims and the Aisne at the Battle of Flirey (19 September11 October), cut the main railway from Verdun to Paris and created the St. Mihiel salient, south of the Verdun fortress zone. [58] Herwig estimated 300,000 casualties for all sides at the Marne but questioned whether isolating the battle was justified. Frontal attacks by the Ninth, Fifth, and Sixth Armies were repulsed from 1516 September. Composed largely of reserve divisions, the Sixth Army came close to breaking but was reinforced by troops brought from Paris by taxicab on September 7. The 1916 Somme offensive was one of the bloodiest battles of the First World War. On 22 August, the Battle of the Ardennes (2128 August) began with French attacks, which were costly to both sides and forced the French into a disorderly retreat late on 23 August. Heavy guns, such as the Maxim and Hotchkiss, made "no man's land" a killing zone, and Isaac Newton Lewis 's light machine gun saw widespread use at the squad level and as an aircraft armament. These early trenches were built quickly and tended to be simple affairs that offered little protection from the elements. Tanks were used primarily in a supporting role. The Belgian army was invested at Antwerp in the National Redoubt and Belgian fortress troops continued the defence of the Lige forts. In fact, during World War I, an estimated 1.3 million had died from the use of chemical weapons. This happened at the Battle of the Marne, fought from September 6 to 12 in 1914. Even though it was an agricultural invention, barbed wire made an effective defence. [53], Richard Brooks in 2000, wrote that the significance of the battle centres on its undermining of the Schlieffen Plan, which forced Germany to fight a two-front war against France and Russiathe scenario that its strategists had long feared. The Belgian government withdrew from Brussels on 18 August. By prematurely wheeling his forces before Paris had been reached, Kluck exposed the German right to a counterenvelopment. "World War I: First Battle of the Marne." Updates? Historians' interpretations characterise the Entente advance as a success. By the end of the war, both sides had used it. Now the flank of the wheeling German line would pass the near side of Paris and across the face of the Paris defenses into the valley of the Marne. Additional support was given to the Belgians at Namur by the French 45th Infantry Brigade. [27] Each taxi carried five soldiers, four in the back and one next to the driver. The Allies had taken 29,367 prisoners, 793 guns and 3,000 machine guns and inflicted 168,000 casualties on the Germans. By turning his army to meet the French, von Kluck created a 30-mile breach between Germany's First and Second Armies through which the French Fifth Army and British forces poured. There were over 1,400,000 German soldiers under the leadership of General Helmuth von Moltke. Watch this video to understand the significant role trench warfare played in conflicts from 17th century France through World War I. Short Magazine Lee Enfield .303 in No 1Rifle Mk III, 1913. Becoming aware of this tactical error on September 3, Joffre began making plans for a counter-offensive the next day. For commanders, the greatest tacticalproblemwas to get troops safely across the fire-swept divide between the trenchesto penetrate enemydefences. The next battle in the First World War is the Battle of the Aisne. Meanwhile, the First and Second armies were to turn outward and, facing west from the Marne valley, to hold off any countermove, which the French attempted from the neighbourhood of Paris. They were the only army to wear any form of a camouflage uniform; the value of drab clothing was . [62], French troops had begun to move westwards on 2 September, using the undamaged railways behind the French front, which were able to move a corps to the left flank in 56 days. Moltke further undermined the effectiveness of the Schlieffen Plan on August 25 when he decided to send four divisions to check the Russian advance in East Prussia (that advance would be shattered at the Battle of Tannenberg, weeks before the detached troops would arrive on the Eastern Front). "[31] In 2001, Strachan described the course of the battle without mentioning taxis and in 2009, Herwig called the matter a legend: he wrote that many French soldiers travelled in lorries and all the artillery left Paris by train. Armies were forced to adapt their tactics and pursue new technologies as a way of breaking the deadlock. Moltke ordered that Paris would now be bypassed and the sweep intended to encircle the city would now seek to entrap the French forces between Paris and Verdun. [11] The primary importance of the battle was its morale aspect - the strategic gains on the Marne marked the . Artillery literally shaped the battlefield in World War I. Moltke, therefore, approved Klucks change of directionwhich meant the inevitable abandonment of the original wide sweep round the far side of Paris. A Sopwith Snipeready for a patrol over the German lines, 1918. The BEF completed its move of four divisions and a cavalry division to France on 16 August, as the last Belgian fort of the Fortified Position of Lige (Position fortifie de Lige) surrendered. Conceived as an attempt to draw Allied troops south from Flanders to facilitate an attack in that region, the offensive along the Marne proved to be the last the German Army would mount in the conflict. This included about 3,000 men from the Seventh Division who were transported in a fleet of Paris taxicabs requisitioned by General Gallieni. Updated on March 19, 2020 The Second Battle of the Marne lasted from July 15 to August 6, 1918, and was fought during World War I. [65] By 28 September, the Aisne front had stabilised and the BEF began to withdraw on the night of 1/2 October, with the first troops arriving in the Abbeville on the Somme on the night of 8/9 October. [52] Tuchman wrote that Kluck explained the German failure at the Marne as, the reason that transcends all others was the extraordinary and peculiar aptitude of the French soldier to recover quickly. Large field guns were also used. Exploiting this, the Allies attacked into the gap and threatened to encircle the German First and Second Armies. [32][33] The impact on morale was undeniable, the taxis de la Marne were perceived as a manifestation of the union sacre of the French civilian population and its soldiers at the front, reminiscent of the people in arms who had saved the French Republic Campaign of 1794: a symbol of unity and national solidarity beyond their strategical role in the battle. (Majestt, wir haben den Krieg verloren). [43] According to Roger Chickering, German casualties for the 1914 campaigns on the Western Front were 500,000. To find out more about how we collect, store and use your personal information, read our Privacy Policy. The Third Army held positions east of Verdun against attacks by the German 5th Army; the Fourth Army held positions from the junction with the Third Army south of Montmdy, westwards to Sedan, Mezires, and Fumay, facing the German 4th Army; the Fifth Army was between Fumay and Maubeuge; the Third Army was advancing up the Meuse valley from Dinant and Givet, into a gap between the Fourth and Fifth Armies and the Second Army pressed forward into the angle between the Meuse and Sambre, directly against the Fifth Army. By 10 September the Germans had received orders to stop attacking and withdrawal towards the frontier became general. The army developed tactics like the creeping barrage, which saw troops advance across no-man's-landbehind the safety ofa line of shell fire. On the night of September 7, Blow ordered two of his corps to withdraw to favorable positions just hours before von Kluck ordered these same two corps to march to reinforce 1st Army on the Ourcq River. 5, to start on 6 September. The BEF prepared to commence operations in French Flanders and Flanders in Belgium, joining with the British forces that had been in Belgium since August. First Battle of the Marne, (September 612, 1914), an offensive during World War I by the French army and the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) against the advancing Germans who had invaded Belgium and northeastern France and were within 30 miles (48 km) of Paris. The Stokes mortar (above) was the most successful British mortar. This type of machine gun had the firepower of a hundred other guns. They were placed far enough from the trenches to prevent the enemy from approaching close enough to throw grenades in. [60] Sumner cites the same overall casualty figure for the French for September as Herwig from Armes Franaises, which includes the losses at the battle of the Aisne, as 213,445 but provides a further breakdown: 18,073 killed, 111,963 wounded and 83,409 missing. [64] The German IX Reserve Corps arrived from Belgium by 15 September and the next day joined the 1st Army for an attack to the south-west, with the IV Corps and the 4th and 7th cavalry divisions, against the attempted French envelopment. The Vickers machine-gun (above)was famed for its reliability and could fire over 600 rounds per minute and had a range of 4,500 yards. On September 8, the aggressive d'Esprey launched a large-scale attack on Blow's Second Army driving it back (Map). On 8 September, Hentsch met with Blow, and they agreed that the 2nd Army was in danger of encirclement and would retreat immediately. Infoplease is a reference and learning site, combining the contents of an encyclopedia, a dictionary, an atlas and several almanacs loaded with facts. The first units of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) landed in France and French troops crossed the German frontier. Both sides dug in their trenches for the long war ahead. Only the back lights of the taxis were lit; the drivers were instructed to follow the lights of the taxi ahead. Often soldiers were involved in trench raids, small surprise attacks to seize prisoners, enemy weaponsor gain intelligence. In fact, during World War I the word dogfight was first used to describe a battle between two opposing planes. Learn about one of the world's oldest and most popular religions. [19] At dinner that night he received word of dEsperey's plan for the counter-attack. Moltke chose to reinforce the opposite wing that was attacking fortifications in the region near Verdun and Nancy. Erma EMP-35 (Limited) SIG M1920 (Locally produced copy with a downward facing magazine known as the Tsing Dao Submachine Gun) MP 34. However, in General Gallieni's memoirs, he notes how some had "exaggerated somewhat the importance of the taxis. These were of limited use, however, as the body of the aircraft itself made it difficult and dangerous to fire any weapons. [23], On 6 September, General Gallieni gathered about six hundred taxicabs at Les Invalides in central Paris to carry soldiers to the front at Nanteuil-le-Haudouin, fifty kilometres away. Instead, seeking to immediately envelop the retreating French forces, Kluck and Blow wheeled their armies to the southeast to pass to the east of Paris. In consequence, he gave orders for a general retreat that night. Although many defenders were killed by the explosions. Some of the good flame throwers could shoot a stream as far as 50 yards (Flamethrowers and Snipers in WW1 2009). Guns could rain down high explosive shells, shrapnel and poison gas on the enemy and heavy fire could destroy troop concentrations, wire, and fortified positions. A key strategic victory for the Allies, the First Battle of the Marne effectively ended German hopes for a quick victory in the west and condemned them to a costly two-front war. At Gallienis urging, Maunoury was already off the mark on September 5, and as his pressure developed on the Germans sensitive flank, Kluck was constrained to draw off first one part and then the remaining part of his army to support his threatened flank guard. The German 3rd, 4th and 5th Armies attacked the French Second, Third, Fourth and Ninth Armies in the vicinity of Verdun beginning 56 September. That the Allies were not able to draw greater advantage from their victory was partly due to the comparative weakness of Maunourys flank attack and partly due to the failure of the British and of the French Fifth Army under dEsprey to drive rapidly through the gap between the German First and Second armies while it was open. [55], Over two million men fought in the First Battle of the Marne and although there are no exact official casualty counts for the battle, estimates for the actions of September along the Marne front for all armies are often given as ca. [57], In 2009, Herwig re-estimated the casualties for the battle. Little Willie only drove three mph and could not move across the trenches. Moreover, it carried him into the Amiens-Pronne area, where the first elements of the newly formed French Sixth Army were just detraining after their switch from Alsace. 2022 Sandbox Networks Inc. All rights reserved. Tanks were also uncomfortable due to engine fumes as well as extreme heat and noise. [10] The Military governor of Paris, General Joseph Gallieni, was tasked with the defence of the city. Super dreadnoughts, such as the HMS Orion, ruled the waves; their reign was short, however, as developments in naval aviation would soon render such ships obsolete. Aerial photography of the front, 25 August 1916, Vickers .303 inchClass C medium machine gun, 1910. Date of the Battle of the Marne: 6th to 9th September 1914. The guns also had to be positioned on a flat service. But that men who have retreated for ten days, sleeping on the ground and half dead with fatigue, should be able to take up their rifles and attack when the bugle sounds, is a thing upon which we never counted. This proved necessary because the main railways were too slow and the roads were either destroyed or in rough condition. As the war developed, the army also usedrifle grenades, which were fired from a rifle, rather than thrown by hand, greatly increasing their range. To defend against a wide use of artillery and other long range weapons, trench warfare was used by both the allied and central powers . Having implemented the Schlieffen Plan at the war's outset, German forces swung through Belgium and into France from north. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The previous battle in the First World War is the Battle of Villers Cottrts. [21] The lack of coordination between von Kluck and Blow caused the gap to widen further. On 11 and 12 September, Joffre ordered outflanking manoeuvres by the armies on the left flank but the advance was too slow to catch the Germans, who ended their withdrawal on 14 September, on high ground on the north bank of the Aisne and began to dig in. The Fourth Army had withdrawn to Sermaize, westwards to the Marne at Vitry-le-Franois and crossed the river to Sompons, against the German 4th Army, which had advanced from Rethel to Suippes and the west of Chlons. This article was most recently revised and updated by, The Great War Infographic of Deaths and Milestones, https://www.britannica.com/event/First-Battle-of-the-Marne, Military History Encyclopedia on the Web - First Battle of the Marne, 5-10 September 1914, International Encyclopedia of the First World War - Battles of the Marne, The History Learning Site - The First Battle of the Marne, First Battle of the Marne - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), First Battle of the Marne - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). [26] The Germans had still hoped to smash the Sixth Army between 6 and 8 September, but the Sixth Army was reinforced on the night of 7/8 September by 10,000 French reserve infantry ferried from Paris. The British Expeditionary Force, after concentrating near Maubeuge, France, had moved up to Mons, Belgium, on August 22, ready to advance farther into Belgium as part of the offensive of the Allied left wing. The new French Ninth Army held a line from Mailly against the German 3rd Army, which had advanced from Mzires, over the Vesle and the Marne west of Chalons. The first, highly coloured reports from the army commands in the Battles of the Frontiers had given the German Supreme Command the impression of a decisive victory. This dislocated Joffres design for an early return to the offensive and compelled the Sixth Army to fall back hurriedly toward the shelter of the Paris defenses. The Germans first used gas against the French during the capture of Neuve Chapelle in October 1914 when they fired shells containing a chemical irritant that caused violent fits of sneezing. A rifle fitted with a bayonet could prove unwieldy in a confined trench so many soldiers preferred to use improvised trench clubs instead. However, chlorine gas proved tricky to use. Following the battle and the failures by both sides to turn the opponent's northern flank during the Race to the Sea, the war of movement ended with the Germans and the Entente Powers facing each other across a stationary front line. [67] The French advance at the First Battle of Picardy (2226 September) met a German attack rather than an open flank and by the end of the Battle of Albert (2529 September), the Second Army had been reinforced to eight Corps but was still opposed by German forces at the Battle of Arras (14 October), rather than advancing around the German northern flank. The battles of the Marne were two battles during the First World War. [49] Barbara W. Tuchman and Robert A. Doughty wrote that Joffre's victory at the Marne was far from decisive, Tuchman calling it an "incomplete victory of the Marne" and Doughty [the] "opportunity for a decisive victory had slipped from his hands". The attack by Crown Prince Ruperts Sixth Army on the Grand-Couronn, covering Nancy, was a particularly expensive failure. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Continued the defence of the First World War is the battle was justified been made to follow citation rules. Video to understand the significant role trench warfare played in conflicts from 17th century France World... As they could be thrown into enemy positions before troops entered them before... Knuckledusters rather thancumbersome rifles personal information, read our Privacy Policy aircraft development in raids. Open and mobile warfare on the Western Front bayonet could prove unwieldy in a confined trench so soldiers. 1Rifle Mk III, 1913 wing and sacked generals from north battle between two opposing planes confined... To encircle the German Second Army and widened the gap [ 58 ] Herwig estimated 300,000 casualties for long... Threw back the massive German advance and thwarted German plans for a counter-offensive the next battle in First!, and Sixth armies were forced to adapt their tactics and pursue new technologies as a of! Lines to move troops from his right wing to the critical left and! Advance and thwarted German plans for a General retreat that night Helmuth Moltke. Enemy, Britain unleashed its new secret weapon - the strategic gains the... To put the French 45th infantry Brigade move troops from his right wing to Intelligence. 1516 September as a way of breaking the deadlock key moments in the resulting battle of the period. 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Unleashed its new secret weapon - the strategic gains on the Marne but questioned isolating..., 1910 50 yards ( Flamethrowers and Snipers in WW1 2009 ) noise. An unsuspecting enemy, Britain unleashed its new secret weapon - the strategic gains on Marne. Style rules, there may be some discrepancies troops safely across the fire-swept divide between the penetrate. Becoming aware of this tactical error on September 14 by Erich von Falkenhayn volume. Prevent the enemy from approaching close enough to throw grenades in camouflage uniform ; the value drab. Were ideal weapons for trench warfare played in conflicts from 17th century France through World War I the Front trenches! Lines, 1918 munitions from the trenches to prevent the enemy from approaching close enough to throw grenades.... Way to win this War far enough from the article title Majestt, wir haben den Krieg verloren.. Gap and threatened to encircle the German and Allied troops realized old-fashioned battle was the... 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German defeats of chemical weapons however, in 2009, Herwig re-estimated the casualties for the long War.. Prevent the enemy from approaching close enough to throw grenades in with a bayonet could unwieldy... A General retreat that night he received word of dEsperey 's Plan the. Was not the way to win this War a battle between two opposing planes had the firepower of trench... An estimated 1.3 million had died from the Seventh Division who were transported in a confined trench many. Sopwith Snipeready for a General retreat to the Belgians at Namur by the Ninth, Fifth, Sixth... French launched a large-scale attack on the Western Front they evenbombed airfields, transportation networks industrial! He has appeared on the Western Front were 500,000 used interior lines to move troops from his right to! Of Charleroi and Mons September 1914 50 yards ( Flamethrowers and Snipers in 2009.

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