I really enjoy passing on anecdotes, but one of the pitfalls is finding out fond anecdotes are not completely true or even completely false. The story of the taxis that were used to rush reinforcements to the Marne battlefield is one of the most famous stories from the start of WWI on the Western Front. It is not just told in French classrooms. I have told it in my American History classes. I’ll admit I did not dive deep into it, until yesterday when I noted that the anniversary was today. It seemed like an obvious addition to my History Anecdotes for Teachers website. I almost wish I had not researched it, but the truth is more important than a good story. So here goes.
One of the most famous incidents in WWI was the use of Parisian taxis to rush soldiers to the front to help the French army win the Battle of the Marne, which saved Paris. It turns out the story is more of a legend than a factual event. The start of the war for France had not gone well. By September 5, 1914, the German army was only 30 miles from Paris. Had the Germans captured the capital, it might have won the war. Desperate measures were necessary. Gen. Joseph Gallieni, the commander of Paris, needed to get reinforcements to the front as soon as possible. He decided that taxis could be used to do this. He had French policemen round up all the taxis and have them go to Les Invalides, the famous military hospital. On the night of Sept. 6, the first group of taxis left the city. But they were empty other than the drivers. The convoy puttered along at 20-25 MPH to get to the railway station where the reinforcements were arriving. About 5,000 soldiers were ferried to the battlefield. 5,000 was a drop in the bucket when you realize that the battle involved hundreds of thousands of soldiers. And most of the 5,000 were held in reserve and did not fight in the battle. Still the story of the taxis became inflated into the story of reinforcements that saved Paris. Although the role of the taxis was greatly exaggerated, it did boost French morale. It’s not quite a myth, but the story still told in history classes is closer to propaganda than fact. By the way, the taxi company billed the army based on the meter readings.
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