I am listening to the Blueprint for Armageddon by Dan Carlin.
He talks about the Battle of Frontiers and how the German forces were penetrating France in the western front. He then goes onto explain the German Army was about 25 miles from Paris, but then they turn left. This exposes their flank to Paris and the French are able to attack. This leads to the Battle of Marne and a major victory for the Allied Forces.
I am not sure if I missed something... but why did the Germans go left and not continue on to attack Paris?
Thanks!
Carlin was describing Von Kluck's Turn, named for the general who commanded the German First Army, the unit which turned left, away from Paris, and exposed his flank to counterattack by the French Sixth Army and the remnants of the BEF. Here's a selection of past thread about it:
https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/3yjekt/could_the_germans_have_taken_paris_in_september/
As explained in detail in those threads, there were two big reasons for the turn. One was logistics: the German army had outmarched its supply lines and had very limited capacity to continue a rapid advance while still being an effective fighting force. Turning right towards Paris would have extended the First Army further from its supply bases.
The other was a misunderstanding of the strategic situation. Von Kluck and his superiors believed the First Army was around the flank of the French armies. They were half-right: the German First Army was around the flank of the French forces that had been fighting on the front lines up until that point, but the French Sixth Army was a new formation created from reserve and second-line units and elements pulled back by rail from the Lorraine front. The French Sixth Army was formed around Paris, putting it around the German flank whether Von Kluck turned to face it or not.