The new troops were not mobilized, and the French transportation system, to say the least, had not been as responsive as expected.
France paid dearly for her unpreparedness.

Her richest provinces were invaded by the Germans and are still held by the Germans in considerable part.
Caught unprepared, there was only one safe thing for General Joffre to do--let the Germans expand far from their base while the French concentrated between the German border and Paris, to strike back at the opportune moment against an extended and weakened line.
The march of the armies of Von Kluck--"General One O'clock," they called him, and said his fiercest attacks were at one o'clock--is considered a masterpiece of military precision.

The strategy of General Joffre which foiled him is praised throughout France.
The plan of the Germans was to hold the north of France with the army of Von Kluck while the Crown Prince moved from Luxemburg straight to Paris.

This was theatrical, dramatic, and Kaiserlike; but the French would not consent.

They persisted in holding Verdun and defeating the armies of the Crown Prince.
The English are the greatest fighters in the world in retreat, while the French can fight best in a forward movement.