How the Battle of the Aisne Began 199 the various portions of the two armies seemed to remove most of the possibilities which had been grasped by all the successful generals of modern history. At the start of the Battle of the Aisne, however, this change was hardly realized by a world, still waiting for Sedans or Waterloos. The first problem for the Allies was to determine whether the Germans were making a stand merely to cover a further withdrawal, when their trains and heavy artillery, mired in the muddy roads, a week, of frightful weather had made almost impass- able, could be moved or whether they were, as Ber- lin insisted, rallying to resume the offensive, when they had been reenforced and rested, after their tremendous exertions. It was at this period that the conflict centred between Rheims and Soissons, when it still deserved the title of the Battle of the Aisne. By the end of the first week it was plain that the German position about Soissons could not be forced, not only had the Germans repulsed all assaults by the French and British on this front, but they were now beginning to strike out again, them- selves, to make desperate efforts to resume the of- fensive. Meantime the battle line had developed far to the east, where the armies of von Buelow, von Mausen, now succeeded by von Einem, of the Grand Duke Albrecht had been obliged to take new positions conforming to that of von Kluck. It is, then, neces- sary to indicate the position of the several German