It was the German tactics of machine vs. men,
a direful and cruel battle plan to the opposing forces.
Upon the day that the advance of the British definitely stopped,
or, in other words, when General Joffre and Sir John French realized
that further effort against the defenses of the Germans on the
ridge beyond the Aisne would only mean loss of life to no gainful
purpose, the bombardment of Rheims began. The old city had suffered
severely during the German advance upon the Marne. Still, it had
not been pillaged, and when the Germans retreated across the Aisne
the old city held much of its glory unimpaired. Still the flawless
beauty of Rheims Cathedral stood guard over the ancient city.
Then on September 18, 1914, the shelling of the city began and
a bombardment of the most terrific character continued for ten
days. Rheims Cathedral, which the French declared was outside the
zone of direct fire and was used as a hospital with the Red Cross
flag flying, and which the Germans asserted to have been used for
a signal station and to have been surrounded by gun stations, was
said to have been demolished by the German guns. This act created
a sensation throughout the world, for Rheims Cathedral was like
a gem from Paradise, regarded by most art lovers as one of the
most beautiful buildings in the world. Every civilized country was
shaken with grief when the news of the disaster to Rheims Cathedral
was published.
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