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. In addition, as the Germans marched through France, their advance slowed. Simply put, Germanys geopolitical challenge was the possibility of war on two fronts simultaneously. Regardless of the historical accuracy of those words, the failure dashed German hopes for a quick victory on the Western Front. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The Germans also downplayed the political ramifications of invading neutral Belgium. In early August, the enemies clashed. Why did the Schlieffen Plan fail? But if they had not, it might have been easier for Britain to just keep the German ships in the Baltic and defend France from naval attacks. German leaders called this plan Aufmarsch II West. PARTNER CHANNELSITS HISTORY: http://bit.ly/ITSHISTORYSHOWDER ERSTE WELTKRIEG: http://bit.ly/1wkyt WHERE CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WORLD WAR I AND WHERE ELSE CAN I FIND YOU? France couldnt win because it didnt have a plan with Russia. This assumption proved to be false, as Britain joined the war just days after the German invasion of Belgium. Of course, you can embed our videos on your website. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Keep reading to learn more Schlieffen Plan facts. Schlieffen himself must take some of the blame for this confusion. 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. Above all else, this doctrine created aggressive and flexible leaders. Some people say that the generals caused the war. Your email address will not be published. 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. Schlieffens plan was a sweeping, bold conception of how to achieve victory in a two-front war. Why Did the Schlieffen Plan Fail? 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. The primary divisions were among the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy) as well as the Triple Entente (Great Britain, France, and Russia). Klucks army sat on the far right of the German invasion force. 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. It seemed clear to him, given the Alliances, that one day Germany would be at war with both Russia and its ally France. Blitzkrieg seemed to be based around the pervasive use of new technology. Even if Russia was ready, Germany would need six weeks to mobilize. Next. They were slowing down. Alfred von Schlieffen's Military Writings by Robert T Foley (Frank Cass, 2003), The Breaking Point: Sedan and the Fall of France, 1940 by Robert A Doughty (Archon Books, 1990), The Roots of Blitzkrieg: Hans von Seeckt and German Military Reform by James S Corum (University Press of Kansas, 1992), The Path to Blitzkrieg: Doctrine and Training in the German Army, 1920-1939 by Robert M Citino (Lynne Reinner, 1999), Germany and World War Two, Vol. in Land Warfare (International Perspective) with honors and a graduate certificate in German Military Studies from the American Military University. 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. Enzyklopdie Erster Weltkrieg, Schningh Paderborn, 2004Michalka, Wolfgang. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Kluck believed it was a safe move as he knew of no significant concentrations of enemy troops near Paris. What happened as a result of the failure of the Schlieffen Plan? Germany lost World War II. He fought in wars against other countries like Austria-Prussia and France. With that plan, Schlieffen believed, Gemany could defeat France within six weeks, the campaign concluding with a decisive super Cannae in the south. But Germany said that if the Belgian government didnt let German troops go through its land, it would be an enemy. France would surrender once Paris was taken, and then Germany would attack Russia. It was thought up by a German general by the name of Alfred Von Schlieffen. It was devised by and named after German Field Marshal Count Alfred . 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. They expected that battles would develop slowly and be dominated by 'traditional' arms - those of the infantry and the artillery. Why were Pacifists opposed to the war? 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. Due to Russias abysmal performance in the Russo-Japanese war, Germany believed it could defeat France first while holding their position against the Russian army. This was shown when there was a lot of killing at the Battle of Verdun in 1916. The plan. A series of battles followed. 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. The Schlieffen Plan was a strategic plan made by Count Alfred Graf von Schlieffen (Born ; 28 February 1833 : Berlin, Brandenburg, Prussia, German Confederation-Died ; 4 January 1913 : Berlin, Brandenburg, Prussia, Germany) who worked for the German navy .It was made for the army of the German Empire in 1905. Nonetheless, Paris was to be defended. France had to be defeated - and this did not happen. How did the Schlieffen Plan support Kaiser Wilhelm's goals in the quote above? This failure had great significance as it largely impacted World War I. Germany was surrounded by her enemies on every border. Always outnumbered by its enemies, it would have to match quantity with quality. Schlieffen insisted on an immediate attack on France in 1905 as a preventive war, arguing that Russia had just been defeated by the Japanese and France was involved in a crisis in Morocco. Learn more about World War I: Destruction and Rebirth. 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. He contacted Kluck and asked for help. These units had the freedom to fight as they thought best, without having to refer constantly to a higher commander. Updates? Moltke ordered a German withdrawal toward the River Aisne. Raymond Limbach is an independent historian who has an M.A. While the Allies suffered as heavily as the Germans, they gained a strategic victory. Developed long before the war itself, the German Schlieffen Plan was part of an extensive military preparation. From the Lecture Series: World War IThe Great War, December 1, 2017 History, Military History, World History. A battle in the open would generally only last for a day or so, trench battles went on for several days inflicting relentless stress and fatigue. As the German army moved through France and turned south they made it to within 20 miles of Paris, near the Marne River. The Maginot Line: the Allies expected a protracted, defensive war, The Allies believed that 'blitzkrieg' was dependent on new technology, such as tanks and dive-bombers, Schlieffen's doctrine formed the basis of 'blitzkrieg', Guderain recognised the importance of tanks. Life in the Trenches After the initial invasion of France by the Germans, the Allied troops pushed the German troops back to a stalemate position. Email or phone. Sign in. It was named after its developer, Count Alfred von Schlieffen (18331913), former chief of the German general staff. Helmut von Moltke adapted the original plan by Alfred von Schlieffen and ultimately failed when the Germans were beaten at the Battle of the Marne. On September 5, as the Germans continued their march south, Joffre struck. Germany had trouble controlling the seas and that is one reason they lost the war. This forced the Germans to close the gap, though this meant that the western most army did not go far enough west. 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. It however had a couple of weaknesses, especially due to Von Moltke's modifications which doomed it to failure. Then General Alexander von Kluck, commander of the German First Army, made a critical error. First World War resources. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. Heavy German guns were brought up to demolish other forts. A Combat History of the First World War, Oxford University Press, 2013.Hart, Peter. But it turned out to be an ugly way of wearing everyone down during World War I. France and Russia could then launch simultaneous offensives that Germany would have little chance of defeating. He was in a good position to dictate such terms. 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. What was the Schlieffen plan? The English and French troops were able to stop the Germans before they reached Paris. Shocked by their experience, the Allied military observers who had survived the fall of France attributed their defeat to the completely new form of warfare pioneered by the Wehrmacht - the blitzkrieg. Once France was defeated then troops would be sent from the west to the east to launch a subsequent counterattack on the Russians. the lack of communication between the soldiers and their leaders and, the leadership that the leader led them throughout the plan, the amount of assumptions that the Germans made . And the ideas that shaped how Hitler's army fought were influenced by the fighting methods German soldiers had used since the 1870s. Schlieffen was convinced that a modern enemy force could be defeated in the same way, and the execution of a massive flank attack became the main focus of his plan. It relied on maintaining a near-impossible momentum. But it turned out to be an ugly way of wearing everyone down during World War I Eventually, it led to Germany's downfall. In truth, as events proved, they were completely unprepared to face Hitler's Wehrmacht. Firstly, Germany did not implement the correct Schlieffen Plan. During the march south through France a hole formed between the main German forces. Belgium refused to let Germany pass through their land without fighting. Corrections? Following an order from Colonel Hentsch, German forces fell back to the Aisne River and began to dig in. After Schlieffens retirement as Chief of Staff in 1906, it was updated by his successor, Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke. P.S. But his influence continued after that day. So he only needed a small defensive force toward Russia while Germany was fighting France. 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'. 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. Neither side wanted a naval war because whoever won would control trade routes. During World War One, the armies of the two Allies had dug in for what became a long, drawn-out conflict. To avoid that situation, Schlieffen planned to attack France first, while Russia was still mobilizing. His most recent book, German Strategy and the Path to Verdun, published by Cambridge University Press in November 2004. There were heavy casualties on both sides. He made the Schlieffen Plan in 1905. Once one ally was defeated, Germany would be able to combine its forces to defeat the other through massive troop concentration and rapid deployment. Alfred von Schlieffen was the Chief of the Imperial German army between 1891 and 1906. This led to Germany sending more troops from France to Russia, which reduced the number of troops on the Western Front. Accordingly, convinced that they were facing a repeat of the German strategy of 1914, Allied commanders moved the bulk of their forces from the Franco-Belgian border into defensive positions within Belgium to await the continuation of the German attack. Indy explains the numerous reasons why the Schlieffen Plan was doomed to fail. His treatise, Cannae, was translated into English for military students to read at Fort Leavenworth. Schlieffen favored the use of a strong defense, followed by a devastating counter-offensive to defeat Germanys enemies. BBC, n.d Web.). From the operational ideas of Schlieffen they placed the emphasis on speed, flank attacks, encirclements and decisive battle. The king of Belgium was neutral. 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'. 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. The man who crafted it was the German general chief of staff, General Alfred von Schlieffen. Since its inception, the Russians had improved militarily, and he did not want to have them invade Germany while he fought France. The plans weaknesseswere already beginning to show, although the German commanders chose not to see them. Featuring: The unique archive material of British Path. It was only defeated by the Battle of the Marne. With these revisions and ultimately incorrect assumptions, the brilliant Schlieffen Plan was doomed to fail. 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. He is posting links, facts and backstage material on our social media channels. To accomplish this, he advocated the use of the flexible command system pioneered by Helmuth von Moltke the Elder. 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. 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. II: Germany's Initial Conquests in Europe by German Research Institute for Military History (Clarendon Press, 1991), Storm of Steel: The Development of Armor Doctrine in Germany and the Soviet Union, 1919- 1939 by Mary B Habeck (Cornell University Press, 2003). Then Russia was quicker to respond than the Germans thought. In one of history's great ironies, Hitler insisted that the armistice be signed in the very railway car in which Germany had been compelled to admit defeat at the end of World War One. Your email address will not be published. Related Article Summaries Germany summary Article Summary strategy summary Article Summary Erich Ludendorff summary Article Summary the lack of communication between This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Europe Goes To War, Knopf, 2013.Hirschfeld, Gerhard. The First World War. In fact, it continued until the end of World War 1 in 1918. English. In World War I, the Schlieffen Plan was conceived by German general General Alfred von Schlieffen and involved a surprise attack on France. What would have happened if the Schlieffen Plan had succeeded? The plan failed mainly because it was based on the assumptions which were highly unrealistic and not even under the control of German planners. The Schlieffen Plan What is a Schlieffen Plan. units had the freedom to fight as they thought best After their defeat in 1918, German military intellectuals began reshaping the army. It was a plan that nearly succeeded but its success could only be measured by being 100% successful. There are so many what ifs that it is hard to know how the outcome of the war would have been different if Germany had not made their plan. There were troops around Paris, and they were about to punish him for not sticking to the plan. He was born on February 28th, 1833. If Germany stood on the defensive, Russia could complete its mobilization while France brought her reserves to combat effectiveness. 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. . Please feel free to fill out our Contact Form. Thus, in order to win, Schlieffen knew the German army would have to defeat its opponents quickly and decisively. 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. why did the schlieffen plan fail bbc bitesize; why did the schlieffen plan fail bbc bitesize . The Schlieffen Plan - Why Britain Joined WW1 - GCSE HistoryThe Schlieffen Plan was the whole reason why Britain joined WW1. 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. Its role was to advance deep into France and swing around Paris, surrounding the French capital and any forces based near it. It took little account of Allied counter-moves. The Schlieffen Plan was a strategic plan made by Count Alfred von Schlieffen, who worked for the German navy. Alfred von Schlieffen was born in Berlin. They had promised to protect Belgium from enemies back in 1839. https://www.military.com/history/world-war-i-schlieffen-plan.html, https://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-one/causes-of-world-war-one/the-schlieffen-plan/, https://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/history/world-history/the-schlieffen-plan. Not your computer? Germany began its execution of the modified Schlieffen Plan on August 4, 1914 with the invasion of neutral Belgium. Although the two armies had more than 3,500 tanks between them, these were largely cast in a supporting role. The British Navy was also checking on ships to see if there was food for Germany. While the Allies relied upon tanks to break through the stalemate of the trenches in 1918, the Germans used a largely infantry force empowered by a sound tactical doctrine. 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. AND WHO IS BEHIND THIS PROJECT? Russia mobilized its troops quicker than expected. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. If this happened then Germany assumed France would also attack them as she was a friend of Russia. Importantly, despite the obviousness of a two-front war against both Russia and France, Molke decided to implement both Aufmarsch I West and Aufmarsch II West. In pursuing that goal of total annihilation, Schlieffen also broke with Moltke, whose strategy sought to neutralize ones opponent. Germany had six weeks to defeat France before Russia attacked her. This was because of how short-term it was. In short, the offensive strategy now known as the Schlieffen Plan was only meant for a one front war, with Russia remaining neutral. Below is the article summary. Essentially, speed would be of the essence: first, by very quickly destroying France, and then turning on the Russian great power, a country that was expected to be slower to mobilize and more ponderous in its preparations for war. Answer (1 of 8): Broadly speaking, the plan was too ambitious. This became a concern, the result of which was that the German armies moved closer together. The Schlieffen Plan was initially perceived as flawless and strategic, and its purpose was to gain victory quickly for Germany. 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. The Germans had to send troops to the east. Germany went to war with the plan of Helmuth von Moltke. This doctrine stressed speed of manoeuvre and attacking the enemy where he was weakest, and usually this meant attacking the flanks. 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. German politicians expected that, in the event of war, France and Russia would support each other against Germany. Because Europe was dividing into two fronts, he thought that Russia and France were serious enemies. Nearly every country nowadays will plan for future conflicts. 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. Failure forced Germany to settle into a brutal war of attrition that dramatically lowered their probability of victory in World War I. Germanys rise as a Great Power during the turn of the century is a story complete with revolution, political upheaval, unstable leaders, and generals dancing in tutus. Indy Neidell takes you on a journey into the past to show you what really happened and how it all could spiral into more than four years of dire war. The Belgium people fought against the Germans, slowing them down. But it was still the same idea: General Schlieffen decided that, even if the French attacked somewhere else in France, he would focus on the right-wing of the German army. Germany and Austria would beat Russian forces. They were destroyed on April 14, 1945, during a British bomber attack, and only studies of the two plans survived. Catastrophe 1914. Each plan called for a different overall strategy, including allocation of manpower and tactics. BBC - Standard Grade Bitesize History - The Schlieffen Plan : Revision, Page 3 . why so many soldiers survived the trenches, how Pack Up Your Troubles became the viral hit. The rest of the German forces had to fall back to keep in line with them. this doctrine created aggressive and flexible leaders. According to PBS, there were two main causes of the stalemate during WWI: the failed military tactics of The Schlieffen Plan, and the new war tactics required for trench warfare. 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. The last group consisted of three cavalry divisions, three infantry corps, two Ersatzkorps, and a reserve corps on the left wing. The British forces moved forward and reached Mons. They all came together and supported WWI. Strategist and German corps commander Gen. Friedrich Adolf von Bernhardi was strongly critical of Schlieffen, arguing that the need for manpower and the creation of new units would weaken the regular army. He thought that the war in the West would be quick, and he also thought that Russia would take a long time to mobilize. It is little known that Alfred von Schlieffen, whom the strategy is named after, actually devised two separate plans for war. It was made for the army of the German Empire in 1905. Omissions? This is due to the fact that the failure prolonged the . This happy feeling covered up the dangerous situation Germany was in. 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. Unlike a generation later when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi high command actively sought to create a two-front war, Imperial Germany knew that a war with either Russia or France meant a war with both.. The Schlieffen plan made several assumptions: There would be minimal resistance from Belgium. Six days of battles followed, known collectively as the Battle of the Marne. What was Belgium? Germany also had better-trained troops. 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. At dawn on 10 May, the Germans began an invasion of Belgium and the Netherlands. The events in May and June 1940 proved that this outdated vision of war could not have been further from reality. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. The second reason is the Russian army getting mobilized quickly. Why was it that Britain and France were outfought at every turn? Fighting in late August caused General Karl von Blow, commander of the Second Army, serious problems. Russia would have to stop fighting. The attack in 1914 was almost successful. However, in order to maximize German flexibility and preparedness, Schlieffen also devised an offensive strategy for a one-front war solely with France. Ironically, this is exactly what Germany was anticipating. The plan was to invade France and capture Paris before the Russians could mobilize. the German advance south from Belgium was swift and decisive. Use a private browsing window to sign in. Russia would take six weeks to mobilise their army. Free essay example: "The Schlieffen Plan failed because the German high command made too many mistakes in August and September 1914". By early September, they had reached the Marne River, some 20 miles from Paris. He said, We lost the war. Four years later, Moltkes prediction would be true. Germany faced a war on two fronts. and in the process, capturing Paris. The Failure of the Schlieffen Plan The Failure of the Schlieffen Plan In 1914, Germany believed that they would go to war with Russia.
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