Although bound by no formal agreements with Britain, France entered the war six days after the invasion, attacking into the Saar basin with what troops it had immediately available and then planning a larger attack for the spring of 1904 on Alsace and Lorraine. Ten days after the battle of Dorking, the French began to withdraw from Germany, feeling threatened now that the German reinforcements slated to ship to the British Isles were available at the border with France.
Russia meanwhile did not join the war, as it did not feel bound by its 1891-’94 commitments to France since France had been the aggressor with regard to its war with Germany. Britain's sole formal ally, Japan, sent no troops to Europe but did attack German colonies in the Pacific and concessions in China. The Japanese Navy also reinforced the Royal Navy's Asiatic squadrons, freeing up British ships to make good the losses of the home fleet.