1 1 6 The Great War At that time the world was convinced of three things; first, that Namur was certain to make a determined resistance, to surpass the achievement of Liege, an achievement which had fired the imagination of Al- lied capitals, still confident that the great forts, now long silent, were still holding out. Second, that a French army, fully concentrated and at least equal in number to the German, was on the Sambre, already entrenched: Third: That the British expeditionary army v/as all up and having made contact with the French line was also in posi- tion to bar the German advance. The key to what happened immediately after August 20 is found in the fact that on all three points, public conjecture was mistaken. Namur did not make a serious resistance, falling abruptly on Au- gust 22, its Belgian garrison, without French help until the terrible bombardment had opened and then strengthened by a single French regiment which had to retire almost immediately, lost courage, despaired and surrendered. No considerable French army, measured by the enormous German concentration, was on the Sambre. The English had not as yet concentrated their entire force, were barely taking position on their appointed ground when the storm burst upon them. Finally, owing to some blunder on the part of a French general officer, which will hardly be explicable until the close of the war, the troops assigned to the duty of protecting the left flank of the British had not come up, did not come