The Schlieffen plan made several assumptions: There would be minimal resistance from Belgium. France couldnt win because it didnt have a plan with Russia. History in Charts is a website dedicated to writing about historical topics and diving deeper into the data behind different events, time periods, places, and people. At the same time, another factor came into play that had not been expected quite so soon. Copyright 2023 History in Charts | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). n n The plan relied upon rapid movement. The Schlieffen Plan was the name of the German grand strategy for fighting a two-front war against France and Russia. To read more on what we're all about, learn more about us here. Under the direction of Hans von Seeckt, commanders fashioned the doctrine that the Wehrmacht was to employ in World War Two. Despite desperate attempts by Winston Churchill to bolster French resolve, the defeat of the British and French armies in May effectively spelled the end of French resistance. This doctrine integrated the operational-level ideas taught by Schlieffen with the tactical concepts developed during World War One. This was He is posting links, facts and backstage material on our social media channels. Germany had six weeks to defeat France before Russia attacked her. This was the opportunity the allies had been waiting for. He was in a good position to dictate such terms. Seeing that Kluck had extended his forces and exposed his right flank, he saw a weakness to exploit. The Schlieffen Plan failed for several reasons including a lack of manpower, underestimation of the speed of Russian troop deployments, and the belief that Britain would not defend neutral Belgium. Further summaries have been discovered over subsequent decades, opening new debates about Schlieffens true intentions and the implementation of his plan. Europe Goes To War, Knopf, 2013.Hirschfeld, Gerhard. Schlieffen foresaw the potential to fight a two-front war against both France and Russia, and also a one-front war against France while Russia remained neutral. Moltke implemented some changes to the plan and was the leader in charge to execute the plan at the outset of WWI. The speed, flexibility and initiative of the German Wehrmacht took the Allies completely by surprise during the blitzkrieg at the start of World War Two. It was a plan for Germany to avoid fighting at its eastern and western fronts at the same time. He was sure that if Germany were to fight a war against Russia and France at the same time, it would not be able to win. Although the French army put up token resistance for several more weeks, their spirit was broken and the German advance south from Belgium was swift and decisive. The German armies, in an alteration of the plan, did not come around Paris to encircle it but instead began their inward turn that had been projected for the Schlieffen Plan, further east. Some people say that the generals caused the war. Around 25% of the men who fought at the Marne were killed or injured. Germany faced a war on two fronts. While the Allies suffered as heavily as the Germans, they gained a strategic victory. Schlieffen himself estimated that Germany needed 48.5 corps to succeed in an offensive attack, yet Molke only deployed 34 corps, 6 of which he held back to defend Alsace and Lorraine. With this approach in mind, the French army was sent to man France's heavily fortified border with Germany, the Maginot Line, and to await a German attack. Schlieffens plan was a sweeping, bold conception of how to achieve victory in a two-front war. the German advance south from Belgium was swift and decisive. This caught French troops off-guard and they soon surrendered. They were aided in this by a heroic and legendary effort, which was celebrated ever afterward, as hundreds of taxicabs600 of them, to be precisebrought troops that had been stationed in Paris itself out to the battlefield, shuttling these men back and forth to get them to the places where they needed to be. A Short History, Penguin, 2008.Keegan, John. Belgium relied upon its concrete fortifications to hold up the Germans. To meet the possibility of Germanys facing a war against France in the west and Russia in the east, Schlieffen proposed that, instead of aiming the first strike against Russia, Germany should aim a rapid, decisive blow with a large force at Frances flank through Belgium, then sweep around and crush the French armies against a smaller German force in the south. Germany wanted to avoid this at all costs. It is little known that Alfred von Schlieffen, whom the strategy is named after, actually devised two separate plans for war. But Germany said that if the Belgian government didnt let German troops go through its land, it would be an enemy. If you enjoyed what you read and are a teacher or tutor needing resources for your students from kindergarten all the way up to high school senior (or even adults! BBC, n.d Web.). The Germans relied on trains to quickly transport their troops but many train lines were destroyed. The plan was devised and wargamed in 1905 by then-Chief of the General Staff of the German Army, Alfred von Schlieffen. If you have interesting historical questions, just post them and we will answer in our OUT OF THE TRENCHES videos. The Schlieffen Plan failed for several reasons including a lack of manpower, underestimation of the speed of Russian troop deployments, and the belief that Britain would not defend neutral Belgium. The French plan, endorsed by commander Joseph Joffre, called for an all-out attack into Germany to regain the lost territories of Alsace-Lorraine, avenging the humiliating defeat of 1871, and redeeming French honor. Enzyklopdie Erster Weltkrieg, Schningh Paderborn, 2004Michalka, Wolfgang. On August 7, the main citadel of Liege, a key strategic point that was supposed to hold up the German advance, was captured. Schlieffen Plan has been often considered as a demonstration of Field Marshal Helmuth von . n n The plan relied upon rapid movement. The Schlieffen Plans emphasized a huge concentration of force on the right wing, whereby the German movement would come plunging through northern France. Great Britain subsequently declared war on Germany for violating Belgiums neutrality. Belgian resistance was strong, and it took the German army longer than anticipated to make their way through the country. The French grand strategy, titled Plan XVII, was to attack Germany across the border at their former provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, south of Belgium and Luxembourg. They were marching east of Paris instead of going west and encircling the city. One notable exception is the Schlieffen Plan. But from time to time, Indy reads and answers comments with his personal account, too. In fact, although it is a German word, the term itself was created by an English newspaper sometime in 1939. In 1897, Schlieffen developed a tactical plan that - acknowledging the German army's limited offensive power and capacity for strategic maneuvers - basically amounted to using brute force to advance beyond the French defenses on the Franco-German border. In the first days of World War I, many Germans felt like they bonded with each other. The Schlieffen Plan was initially perceived as flawless and strategic, and its purpose was to gain victory quickly for Germany. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Moltke believed that Russia would slowly mobilize for war, and if they defeated France in 6 weeks, Germany could then later deal with the Russian juggernaut. Germany could place their military might on one frontier, and then move it to another one. The Germans also downplayed the political ramifications of invading neutral Belgium. The Great War. Repelled by the waste and indecisiveness of trench warfare, they returned to the ideas of Schlieffen, and in 1921 the army published its new doctrine, Command and Combat with Combined Arms. The Schlieffen plan was produced to get around the problem of international diplomacy. The original Schlieffen Plan was later changed by other military leaders. From the Lecture Series: World War IThe Great War, December 1, 2017 History, Military History, World History. Germany lost World War II. Count Alfred von Schlieffen died on January 4th, 1913. This was because of how short-term it was. Russia was also better at mobilizing its army and attacked East Prussia within 10 days, not six weeks as the Germans had thought beforehand. Although the two armies had more than 3,500 tanks between them, these were largely cast in a supporting role. While the French, Belgians, and British were not doing well, they were not doing as badly as predicted in the original plan. Thus between 10 May and 21 June 1940, the Wehrmacht had accomplished what the army of Kaiser Wilhelm II had not managed to do in four years of desperate fighting in World War One. It called for the violation of Belgian and Dutch neutrality by invading both those countries to achieve surprise in a vast attack on France. The UK would not get involved. It meant sending the entire flanking force through Belgium, a greater logistical challenge. At the center of Europe, it might find itself forced to fight against both France in the west and Russia in the east. What was the Schlieffen plan? By early September, they had reached the Marne River, some 20 miles from Paris. So he only needed a small defensive force toward Russia while Germany was fighting France. Nonetheless, Paris was to be defended. In 1839, Britain made a treaty with Belgium to keep them neutral. Find out on AlternateHistoryHub: http://bit.ly/1VJ9T0UThe Schlieffen Plan was the blueprint fo. Related Article Summaries Germany summary Article Summary strategy summary Article Summary Erich Ludendorff summary Article Summary A 200-mile advance through Belgium and France, with fierce fighting along the way, had exhausted many German troops. The taxicabs and their forces were not the sole decisive element, but it gives a sense of the heroism that was involved in this mobilization to expel the invader. Since its inception, the Russians had improved militarily, and he did not want to have them invade Germany while he fought France. They were slowing down. Every day they stalled the German advance was a day in which the Schlieffen plan fell behind. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Alfred von Schlieffen was born in Berlin. currency, the tale of Schlieffen's sevenfold preponderant right wing rests on a plain mis understanding of the Schlieffen plan. Russia mobilized its troops quicker than expected. Kluck agreed. France would surrender once Paris was taken, and then Germany would attack Russia. France and Russia could then launch simultaneous offensives that Germany would have little chance of defeating. Its role was to advance deep into France and swing around Paris, surrounding the French capital and any forces based near it. This plan was to attack France (while Russia mobilized its army) and then attack Russia. The Schlieffen Plan failed for 6 key reasons: The Germans could not keep to the 6-week timetable for defeating France: the Belgian Army slowed the German advance at forts around Liege, while the BEF slowed it further at the Battle of Mons . After all, during the disastrous campaign in Belgium and France, it had seemed as if German tanks and aircraft were everywhere. Move and position individuals in accordance with their plan of care El Plan de Santa Barbara This essay was written by a fellow student. This happy feeling covered up the dangerous situation Germany was in. why so many soldiers survived the trenches, how Pack Up Your Troubles became the viral hit. The First World War, Vintage, 2000.Hastings, Max. Schlieffen thus turned a doctrinal debate (as chronicled by military historian Hans Delbruck) toward the strategies of annihilation (Vernichtungsstrategie) and attrition (Ermattungsstrategie). With these revisions and ultimately incorrect assumptions, the brilliant Schlieffen Plan was doomed to fail. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The plan used at the beginning of World War I had been modified by Helmuth von Moltke, who reduced the size of the attacking army and was blamed for Germany's failure to win a quick victory. The French advance east would make it easier for the Schlieffen Plan to envelop the French army when it hinged south after making its way through Belgium. Six weeks later, Europe found itself on the brink of the 20th centurys first world war. . What would have happened if the Schlieffen Plan had succeeded? Contrary to the beliefs of the Allied military establishment of the day, however, blitzkrieg was not a brand-new way of waging war. Why did the Schlieffen Plan fail? With Germany's defeat in 1918, the German military blamed the Schlieffen Plan as flawed and the cause of their defeat. The battle was in France, 30 miles from Paris. The German offensive and modified Schlieffen Plan had failed. The retreat signaled the end of any hope of completing the Schlieffen Plan. Check out our timeline of the history of the United States for a great place to start and navigate through American history!