In practice, however, both plans broke down in disaster. But it turned out to be an ugly way of wearing everyone down during World War I Eventually, it led to Germany's downfall. It was a plan that nearly succeeded but its success could only be measured by being 100% successful. Kluck believed it was a safe move as he knew of no significant concentrations of enemy troops near Paris. In-text: (BBC - Standard Grade Bitesize History - The Schlieffen Plan : Revision, Page 3, 2015) Your Bibliography: Bbc.co.uk. If Germany stood on the defensive, Russia could complete its mobilization while France brought her reserves to combat effectiveness. Always outnumbered by its enemies, it would have to match quantity with quality. His well-trained and organised troops had also caused France's Allies, in the form of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), to beat an ignominious retreat from continental Europe. Why did the Schlieffen Plan fail? This page has been archived and is no longer updated. The Teaching Company, LLC. Why Did the Schlieffen Plan Fail? Innovators such as Heinz Guderian and Erich von Manstein recognised that the protection given by tanks increased the ability of the German army to manoeuvre in the face of enemy artillery, and that this enhanced speed and mobility. The experience of World War One had convinced German leaders that these ideas needed to be applied not only at top operational level, but also at the tactical level - by combined-arms teams capable of independent fire and manoeuvre. The Schlieffen Plan was a strategic plan made by Count Alfred von Schlieffen, who worked for the German navy. The plan failed mainly because it was based on the assumptions which were highly unrealistic and not even under the control of German planners. If this happened then Germany assumed France would also attack them as she was a friend of Russia. What was Belgium? The events in May and June 1940 proved that this outdated vision of war could not have been further from reality. Upon discovering that they were overextended and in peril of being simply overwhelmed by the German advance, both British and French forces moved back in a fast retreat, seeking a place to make a concerted stand. After Schlieffens retirement as Chief of Staff in 1906, it was updated by his successor, Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke. units had the freedom to fight as they thought best After their defeat in 1918, German military intellectuals began reshaping the army. this doctrine created aggressive and flexible leaders. He thought that war was inevitable. The Schlieffen Plan, devised a decade before the start of World War I, outlined a strategy for Germany to avoid fighting at its eastern and western fronts simultaneously. Some of the reasons this plan failed was because. As things were then, the German army was unable to defeat its enemies decisively in the war's early battles, and reluctantly settled into trench warfare in late 1914. Regardless of the historical accuracy of those words, the failure dashed German hopes for a quick victory on the Western Front. Germanys strategy was to first deal with Russian forces in the east. Omissions? 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. What was the Schlieffen plan? 1914-1918, Profile Books, 2013.Stone, Norman. Both the original Schlieffen Plan and Moltkes rewrite were locked at the Reichsarchiv at Potsdam, and access to the documents was strictly limited. This view that the Germans used technology, namely the tank and the dive-bomber, to create a new and unique form of warfare has often dominated understanding of how the Germans fought in World War Two. This plan, named Aufmarsch I West, is what is now known as the Schlieffen Plan of WWI. What would have happened if the Schlieffen Plan had succeeded? Tell your teachers or professors about our channel and our videos. It was made for the army of the German Empire in 1905. It was a plan for Germany to avoid fighting at its eastern and western fronts at the same time. The third group would concentrate on the most-southern right wing, with eight corps, five reserve corps, and Landwehr brigades, with the help of two mobile cavalry divisions. Russia would have to stop fighting. Germany lost World War II. It was supposed to be the solution for a quick victory against arch enemy France by invading Belgium and the Netherlands to circumvent French defenses. Schlieffen's ideas were largely aimed at operational-level leaders, that is, the commanders of Germany's divisions and army corps. Soldiers complained that this kind of warfare was more strenuous than earlier mobile battles. All of these reasons combined to make the Schlieffen plan fail. There were troops around Paris, and they were about to punish him for not sticking to the plan. Even if Russia was ready, Germany would need six weeks to mobilize. France would surrender once Paris was taken, and then Germany would attack Russia. There are many ways of incorporating World War 1 and the themes of friendship, impact and reconciliation into your classes. The uniqueness of the Schlieffen Plan was that it ran counter to prevailing German military wisdom, which was principally derived from Carl von Clausewitzs seminal work On War (1832) and the strategic thought of the elder Helmuth von Moltke. First World War resources. And German strategists, most notably Alfred von Schlieffen, had concluded that Germany could not win a long, protracted war against such opposition. Once one ally was defeated, Germany would be able to combine its forces to defeat the other through massive troop concentration and rapid deployment. In World War I, the Schlieffen Plan was conceived by German general General Alfred von Schlieffen and involved a surprise attack on France. Negotiations also began to add Russia to this alliance. To avoid that situation, Schlieffen planned to attack France first, while Russia was still mobilizing. The retreat signaled the end of any hope of completing the Schlieffen Plan. Some people say that the generals caused the war. The plan for the war made it very difficult to find a diplomatic solution. Marshal Joseph Joffre, the French Commander in Chief, had been assembling a new army near Paris. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The Schlieffen Plan was a German war strategy theorised by Alfred von Schlieffen and enacted in 1914 by Helmuth von Moltke. After crossing the Somme west of Paris at Abbeville and Chaulnes, the main body of the Bataillon Carr would turn to engage the defenders of the French capital, with the Ersatzkorps lending support. Fighting the British and French together on the Western Front was never part of the German strategy. It was crafted by the German General Staff over a decade beyond Schleiffen's original formulation. The Failure of the Schlieffen Plan The Failure of the Schlieffen Plan In 1914, Germany believed that they would go to war with Russia. The attack in 1914 was almost successful. German troops rushed through Belgium and Luxembourg into France. [], On June 28, 1914, the heir to the Habsburg throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and his wife were both assassinated in the capital of Bosnia, Sarajevo. As 29 German divisions advanced through the Netherlands and Belgium in the north, 45 further divisions, including about 2,400 tanks in 7 divisions, burst through the Allied right flank and drove towards the English Channel. Germany would attack France first by traveling through Belgium, and take Paris in about 3 weeks. Nearly two million soldiers fought. The swift turnarounds of victory and defeat, typical of the early battles of movement, were over. The plan was designed to calculate . German Emperor William II and his chancellor, Bernhard von Blow, believed that Great Britains alliance with Japan would lead to an encirclement of Germany and were cautious of such an attack. After a year the plan was revised again (1906). However, in order to maximize German flexibility and preparedness, Schlieffen also devised an offensive strategy for a one-front war solely with France. It seemed to some that this represented the triumph of military technology over old-style fortifications, a success, for the cult of the offensive. Neither side would back down; so they 'dug in.' Click on the link below to view the chapter 1 - Trench warfare. And in 1940, influenced by this experience, the British and French leaders of World War Two were still expecting to fight a war in which the defensive would dominate. This was the opportunity the allies had been waiting for. After all, during the disastrous campaign in Belgium and France, it had seemed as if German tanks and aircraft were everywhere. Alfred von Schlieffen was born in Berlin. Gerhard Ritter, a prominent German historian, published those studies in 1956 and concluded that the Schlieffen Plan was German doctrine prior to World War I. The man who crafted it was the German general chief of staff, General Alfred von Schlieffen. A Short History, Penguin, 2008.Keegan, John. Blitzkrieg seemed to be based around the pervasive use of new technology. Required fields are marked * Comment * Name * Instead, they fought on land. From the operational ideas of Schlieffen they placed the emphasis on speed, flank attacks, encirclements and decisive battle. He also took troops away from the vast movement that was projected for the invasion of northern France; he instead drew off some of those troops to the Eastern Front and others for the defense of the territory of Lorraine to the south. The Schlieffen Plan failed due to French resistance at the First Battle of the Marne on the Western Front and the European powers participated in four years of trench warfare. When war broke out in 1914, his plan was adopted by another leader, Helmuth von Moltke. WHAT IS THE GREAT WAR PROJECT? They advanced a hundred miles in France. Next. It was hoped that Paris itself would be surroundedFrench armies and French leadershipand that this would represent a military masterpiece, a battle of annihilation. He fought in wars against other countries like Austria-Prussia and France. That northernmost force would consist of 5 cavalry divisions, 17 infantry corps, 6 Ersatzkorps (replacement corps), and a number of Landwehr (reserve) and Landsturm (men over the age of 45) brigades. This was a crucial moment: it was an admission that the Schlieffen Plan had ultimately not succeeded and was the beginning of trench warfare. Russia would then be defeated in two weeks at most and with minimal losses to German troops. Die Bchse der Pandora: Geschichte des Ersten Weltkrieges, C.H. Seeing that Kluck had extended his forces and exposed his right flank, he saw a weakness to exploit. However, a key vulnerability formed in the Germans attack. There was another element entirely outside German control their enemies. 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. A huge German force would come swinging through northern France after invading Belgium and Holland, arcing around Paris to achieve decisive victory within a timetable of about six weeks. 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. The fate of the Schlieffen Plan proceeded a little more positively at first and seemed to be succeeding, but then it broke down in what afterward was called the Miracle of the Marne by French patriots, a truly remarkable moment of salvation and national mobilization to expel the German invader. Soon this resistance was quelled. BBC, n.d Web.). First, they underestimated how quickly the Russians could deploy their troops. By early September, they had reached the Marne River, some 20 miles from Paris. Read more. This doctrine stressed speed of manoeuvre and attacking the enemy where he was weakest, and usually this meant attacking the flanks. By Robert T Foley You can find a selection of answers to the most frequently asked questions here: http://bit.ly/OOtrenches CAN I SHOW YOUR VIDEOS IN CLASS? This was Every day they stalled the German advance was a day in which the Schlieffen plan fell behind. In 1906, General Schlieffen retired from the army. And as military technology, including that of tanks, motor vehicles, aircraft and radios, was developed during the 1920s and 30s, so it was grafted onto this doctrinal framework. It would be easy to say that even if it had been successful that Germany would have won in a quick conflict. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The decision to mobilize was made by the government, not by the generals. The UK would not get involved. They had promised to protect Belgium from enemies back in 1839. The Schlieffen plan was made before World War I. Russia also supported the Balkan region, including Serbia. The Belgium people fought against the Germans, slowing them down. The Schlieffen plan could only have worked if events had gone perfectly. Germany began its execution of the modified Schlieffen Plan on August 4, 1914 with the invasion of neutral Belgium. Schlieffen and his successor, Helmuth von Moltke the Younger, trained the German army well in what they termed Bewegungskrieg, or 'war of manoeuvre'. Watch it now, on Wondrium. With these revisions and ultimately incorrect assumptions, the brilliant Schlieffen Plan was doomed to fail. 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. In reality, the way in which the Wehrmacht fought, their 'doctrine' in today's parlance, was based more upon ideas than technology. From the Lecture Series: World War IThe Great War, December 1, 2017 History, Military History, World History. BBC 2014 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Interested in reaching out? It also assumed that Germany would defeat France in less than six weeks. The Schlieffen Plan was designed by Germany's Field Marshal Alfred von Schlieffen in 1905-06 as a deployment plan against the alliance that surrounded it. The bridges of Paris were mined in preparation for blowing them up in case the German troops reached the capital. 1. Plan XVII, which was launched on August 14, 1914, broke against German defenses in Lorraine and suffered enormous losses. Schlieffen thus turned a doctrinal debate (as chronicled by military historian Hans Delbruck) toward the strategies of annihilation (Vernichtungsstrategie) and attrition (Ermattungsstrategie). European leaders largely credited the dominant German victory in the war due to their wargaming plans and other nations adopted the practice so as to keep pace in the arms race. They were marching east of Paris instead of going west and encircling the city. Ironically, this is exactly what Germany was anticipating. They were to buy time for the Belgians, so they could receive support from the French and British, who despite Moltkes hopes joined in the war. Moltke talked to Kaiser Wilhelm II after German forces were defeated. Once in French territory, the German attackers would then pivot south in a hinge-like movement, enveloping the French army. The Germans had to send troops to the east. The Russians reached the border much sooner and in a greater army than expected, forcing Moltke to send more troops to the Russian Front than planned. He contacted Kluck and asked for help. In the process of the German advance, as the Schlieffen Plan continued to move through the stages of its prospective sections, it was discovered that a gap had opened up between the advancing German armies, between the First Army under General von Kluck and the Second Army under General von Blow. We are happy if you show our channel to your friends, fellow students, classmates, professors, teachers or neighbours. BBC, n.d Web.). The failure of the Schlieffen Plan ultimately forced Germany to fight a two-front war from which they could not overcome and did not have the colonies to support the war . Q: What was the purpose of the Schlieffen Plan? Because of that, the French had fortified this road with new forts. This plan would make use of the extensive German rail network to quickly move troops between fronts and defeat each nation one at a time. n n The plan relied upon rapid movement. France couldnt win because it didnt have a plan with Russia. It was essential for Germany to strike quickly . The biggest problems in World War One, however, were at the lower, tactical level. The resistance of the Belgians and the BEF prevented this. Schlieffen envisioned the attack would take no more than 6 weeks, as the capture of Paris and encirclement of the French army would lead France to seek peace. It is said that German advance troops could see the Eiffel Tower in the distance. With that plan, Schlieffen believed, Gemany could defeat France within six weeks, the campaign concluding with a decisive super Cannae in the south. The Allied armies, completely unprepared for the rapid, mobile operations of the Germans, had simply been out-fought at every turn. Select three reasons for this. What would have happened if the Schlieffen Plan had succeeded? While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Featuring: The unique archive material of British Path. This failure had great significance as it largely impacted World War I. The Schlieffen plan was produced to get around the problem of international diplomacy. After von Schlieffen died, this plan was further worked on and altered by Helmuth von Moltke, his successor. Across the English Channel, a stunned British military establishment struggled to determine how it was that events had so quickly gone so horribly wrong. WHO IS REPLYING TO MY COMMENTS? 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. One notable exception is the Schlieffen Plan. By 21 May, this thrust had reached the Channel and encircled 35 Allied divisions, including the BEF. Contrary to the beliefs of the Allied military establishment of the day, however, blitzkrieg was not a brand-new way of waging war. A Complete History, Holt Paperbacks, 2004.Hart, Peter. 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. 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 Germanys failure to win a quick victory. It didnt work because Russian troops attacked Germany while German troops were busy invading France. But Germany said that if the Belgian government didnt let German troops go through its land, it would be an enemy. Schlieffen himself must take some of the blame for this confusion. Heavy German guns were brought up to demolish other forts. Schlieffen also stressed the need to keep the enemy reacting to German moves. If needed, Germany would also take part in a holding operation on the Russian/German border. At Cannae the Carthaginian general Hannibal defeated a much larger Roman force with a successful double envelopment, turning the Roman armys flanks and destroying it. Read more. We are also happy to get your feedback, criticism or ideas in the comments. The Schlieffen plan was a plan of attack for Germany, mobilization and war were the same thing. The Schlieffen Plan called for Germany to take the offensive and attack France. Updates? In the first days of World War I, many Germans felt like they bonded with each other. Thus, by decentralising command and by increasing the firepower of the infantry, they created a large number of platoon-sized units capable of independent action on the battlefield. Despite having fewer troops than in the original plan and less space through which to advance, the Germans at first seemed to be succeeding in their plan. The original Schlieffen Plan was later changed by other military leaders. Schlieffen was an ardent student of military history, and his strategic plan was inspired by the Battle of Cannae (216 bce), a pivotal engagement during the Second Punic War. Schlieffen Plan, battle plan first proposed in 1905 by Alfred, Graf (count) von Schlieffen, chief of the German general staff, that was designed to allow Germany to wage a successful two-front war. The Germans did not believe that Britain would go to war over their 1839 treaty with Belgium, which they described as a 'scrap of paper'. Schlieffen's speedy attack and expected defeat of France never occurred - it's failure did usher in the era of trench warfare that is so much linked to World War One. Use a private browsing window to sign in. The plan was to invade France and capture Paris before the Russians could mobilize. This plan was to attack France (while Russia mobilized its army) and then attack Russia. This happy feeling covered up the dangerous situation Germany was in. As most of the French army was stationed on the border with Germany, the Schlieffen Plan aimed for the quick defeat of France by invading it through neutral Belgium and moving rapidly on to capture Paris. 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. Moltke estimated six weeks for deployment, leading Germany to believe France could be defeated before the Russians fully mobilized. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Robert T Foley is a specialist on the development of German strategy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and lecturer in Defence Studies at King's College London and the Joint Services Command and Staff College. The execution of this plan compelled Britain to declare war on Germany in 1914. The English and French troops were able to stop the Germans before they reached Paris. Multiple mysteries in the disappearance of pilot Amelia Earhart and finally a possible answer. He died in 1913, before WWI. Should one nation go to war, it could drag virtually the entire continent along with it. It is little known that Alfred von Schlieffen, whom the strategy is named after, actually devised two separate plans for war. 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. The Importance of the Battle of Bunker Hill, The Death Toll During the Plague of Justinian, A Lasting Legacy: The Ships of the Great White Fleet, timeline of the history of the United States. But his influence continued after that day. Russia mobilized its troops quicker than expected. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. Thus, unlike the Allied armies, the German army in 1940 had an offensive doctrine that emphasised speed of decision-making, speed of manoeuvre and decentralised action. Check out these resources that help develop your pupils' understanding of what happened during the Great War and the impact it had. Schlieffen's doctrine formed the basis of 'blitzkrieg' 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. Rebuffed, Schlieffen responded with belligerence, and he was dismissed. 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. This time, unlike the Allies, the Germans intended to fight the war offensively, and win quickly. Russia would take six weeks to mobilise their army. The Schlieffen Plan was the name of the German grand strategy for fighting a two-front war against France and Russia. Even if Britain did defend Belgium, the Kaiser believed that there was no need to fear the British Expeditionary Force, which he called a 'contemptible little army'. The Schlieffen Plan and Germany's Defeat on the Western Front The Schlieffen plan can and will never be dismissed from the reasons behind the German defeat, not only for the loss on the Western front but the war itself. Why were Pacifists opposed to the war? The action of Russia determined when Germany had to start her attack on France. Germany invaded neutral countries to the west, which made things much worse and unleashed the war with them. Further summaries have been discovered over subsequent decades, opening new debates about Schlieffens true intentions and the implementation of his plan. German general General Alfred von Schlieffen, The plan failed because it wasnt realistic, both Russia and France wanted to battle Germany, they employed a similar (though not identical) version in WWII, The Impact of World War INew World Disorder, The Great Powers of World War IGermanys Revolution, War, Nutritionism, and the Great Depression, The Great Powers of World War I Germanys Revolution, The Assassination ofArchduke Franz Ferdinand: Europe on the Brink of World War I. Der Erste Weltkrieg. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). https://www.history.com/news/was-germany-doomed-in-world-war-i-by-the-schlieffen-plan. The Russian blow would first fall upon the very weak Hapsburgs with the French standing mobilized on the German border. Learn more about World War I: Destruction and Rebirth. and in the process, capturing Paris. Their solution was to fight Russia and France at the same time. His treatise, Cannae, was translated into English for military students to read at Fort Leavenworth. Why did the Schlieffen Plan fail? His most recent book, German Strategy and the Path to Verdun, published by Cambridge University Press in November 2004. 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. Russia mobilized its troops quicker than expected. Without checking with his superiors, Kluck swung his forces southeast. At the subsequent Battle of the Marne a heroic effort by the French defenders repulsed the Germans and sent them retreating back. The First World War. Nearly every country nowadays will plan for future conflicts. Germany and Austria would beat Russian forces. The strategy had originally been developed in the 1890s by Count Alfred von Schlieffen. Find out on AlternateHistoryHub: http://bit.ly/1VJ9T0UThe Schlieffen Plan was the blueprint for Germany's army to avoid a two-front war with Russia and France. At the outbreak of war in 1914, Schlieffens plan would be altered by Moltke, but it would never be fully implemented as he envisioned. Then Russia was quicker to respond than the Germans thought. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Germany went to war with the plan of Helmuth von Moltke. He thought that the war in the West would be quick, and he also thought that Russia would take a long time to mobilize. Despite the difficulties the Schlieffen Plan actually looked as if it might succeed. He is posting links, facts and backstage material on our social media channels. Beck, 2014If you want to buy some of the books we use or recommend during our show, check out our Amazon Store: http://bit.ly/TGWAmazonNOTE: This store uses affiliate links which grant us a commission if you buy a product there. Those forces were to wheel south and east after passing through neutral Belgium, turning into the flanks and rear of the hardened French defenses along the German border. Aufmarsch II West was intended to be the main German strategy in a two front war with France and 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 .
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