Monument at Nanteuil-le-Hardouin commemorating the 'Epic of the Marne Taxis' on 7 September, 1914 (photo)

General Gallieni, military governor of Paris, requisitioned 600 Parisian taxis in 1914 to ferry some 5,000 French soldiers to Nanteuil-le-Hardouin, 60 kilometres away, to assist the Sixth Army who were trying to prevent the German army from occupying Paris; the "Epic of the Taxis de la Marne" became a symbol of French unity and initiative during the First World War; the battle of the Marne (Première Bataille de la Marne), fought between 5 and 12 September, resulted in an allied victory and is also called the 'Miracle of the Marne' as it forced the Germans to abandon their attack on Paris and retreat to the North east of France;