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This allowed Joffre to implement a new plan for a counterattack. This was to be carried out along a large section of the front, with the aim of cutting off the right wing of the German armies. The allied counterattack came as a total surprise to the Germans. On 5 September, the French sixth army started their attack, but Kluck still didn't realise what was happening, and kept moving south over the Marne against the BEF. Only on 7 September did he realise the danger his army was in from the French flank attack, and had to move his troops back across the Marne, where they launched a vicious counter attack against the French, who were in part saved by reinforcements famously ferried by taxi from Paris by General Gallieni. Meanwhile, the rest of the battle started to turn against the Germans. Kluck's movement north left him vulnerable to the BEF, and also created a gap between his and Bulow's army, still moving south. This allowed Franchet d'Esperey, commanding the French Fifth Army, to turn Bulow's right flank. On 9 September, both Bulow and Kluck decided to retreat, moving back to the line of the River Aisne. At the height of the battle, German troops had reached within 23 miles of Paris, although they never reached the formidable fortifications of the city. The Battle of the Marne ended any chance of a quick German victory; gained Joffre a reputation as the saviour of France, and saw Moltke replaced by Falkenhayn as chief of the German General Staff.