Battle of Le Cateau | |||||||
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Part of the Great Retreat on the Western Front of the First World War | |||||||
![]() British dead at the Battle of Le Cateau. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Units involved | |||||||
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Strength | |||||||
23 infantry battalions 18 cavalry regiments (9 at half strength) 6 divisional cavalry squadrons 162 guns (27 batteries) 84 machine-guns |
40 infantry battalions 12 cavalry regiments 2 divisional cavalry squadrons 246 guns (41 batteries) c. 80 machine-guns | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
2,900 |
7,812 (700 killed, 2,600 captured) 38 guns |
The Battle of Le Cateau was fought on the Western Front during the First World War on 26 August 1914. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and the French Fifth Army had retreated after their defeats at the Battle of Charleroi (21–23 August) and the Battle of Mons (23 August). The British II Corps fought a delaying action at Le Cateau to slow the German pursuit. Most of the BEF was able to continue its retreat to Saint-Quentin.