The Skirmish at Joncherey () was a clash in the

Territoire de Belfort The Territoire de Belfort (; "Territory of Belfort") is a department in the northeastern French region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. In 2020 it had a population of 140,120.France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, and was the first military action of the Western Front of World War I. It occurred in the village of Joncherey near the French–German border in Alsace-Lorraine. The skirmish took place a day before the German declaration of war against France on 3 August 1914.

Skirmish

At around on 2 August 1914, ''Leutnant'' Albert Mayer and his small cavalry patrol illegally crossed the French border. They did not meet resistance, as the French had moved their troops back from the border, to avoid provoking the Germans and to show good faith in their attempts to avoid war. Twice that morning as the German party advanced further into France, they exchanged fire with small groups of French infantry. At Mayer slashed with his sabre at (but did not injure) a French sentry, who was on lookout at the entrance to Joncherey. French Corporal Jules Andre Peugeot and four other soldiers were at their

billet In European militaries, a billet is a living-quarters to which a soldier is assigned to sleep. In American usage, it refers to a specific personnel position, assignment, or duty station to which a soldier can be assigned. Historically, a billet w ...

, owned by a certain Louis Doucourt, eating breakfast at the time. Doucourt's daughter, Adrienne, came back inside from fetching water and reportedly said "The Prussians! The Prussians are coming!" Around Peugeot and his four comrades went to arrest the Germans. Upon meeting, Mayer fired three shots at Peugeot. One hit his shoulder, and Peugeot fired back as he was falling. Peugeot's comrades fired at the patrol with pistols. Mayer was shot in the stomach and seconds later was killed by a shot to the head. Peugeot stumbled back to the billet house where he died at Three more German soldiers were injured; one fled to the woods, where he hid for a few days before being captured; one went missing; and two made their way back to Germany.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joncherey, Skirmish at Conflicts in 1914 1914 in France Battles of World War I involving France Battles of the Western Front (World War I) Battles of World War I involving Germany July Crisis August 1914 in Europe France–Germany military relations