Hello all! I'm trying to find information on early Grande Guerre battles fought between the French and the Germans in Upper Alsace. According to The Guns of August, General Bonneau's VII Corps crossed the frontier on August 7, 1914, and captured the town of Altkirch. The next day, the French entered Mulhouse, only to be attacked by the Germans at Thann and Cernay on August 9th. By the next day, the French were in full retreat to the frontier, and General Bonneau was 'retired' to Limoges by order of Marshal Joffre. Apparently, the French Army of Alsace under General Pau recaptured Mulhouse on August 19, but had to withdraw back to Belfort because of the deteriorating situation in Picardy and Champagne. I do not know if the French ever came back to Upper Alsace again until November, 1918. Does that seem correct to anybody?
What I'm trying to find is more detailed histories of these early battles, such as the tactical situations, the units that participated, and maps of the region where they took place. Does anything like this exist, or is it only left in very old and rare books of the war? I thought that I would try to construct a small scenario or two about Altkirch, Cernay, and Thann. I believe that they would be mostly infantry scenarios, with small amounts of cavalry and artillery involved. Is anything like this possible?
I know that my working knowledge of French is limited, and I know it would be difficult to translate some of the records. Am I being too ambitious for this project, however minor it may seem? I would honestly appreciate your feedback. Thank you.
--Dave