THE FAILURE OF THE SCHLIEFFEN PLAN
Read the chapter on the Schlieffen Plan and answer the following questions:
- How did Von Schlieffen plan to defeat France?
- According to Schlieffen, why was it necessary for Germany to attack France first, in the event of a war with Russia?
- What proportion of the German Army did Schlieffen insist be placed on the Western front (facing France)? Why?
- How many German divisions were to be place on the right flank of the Western Front (north of Metz), ready in invade France? How many were to be place on the left flank, to the south? What was the purpose of this?
- How long did Schlieffen expect it would take Germany to defeat France?
- Why was it important for the German Army to capture the ports on the English Channel?
- What changes were made to the Schlieffen Plan before its implementation? How did these changes contribute to its failure in 1914?
- In the decade leading up to the war, France made substantial loans to Russia, its ally in the Triple Entente. What was this money was used for, and why did this stratagem force the Germans to make changes to the Schlieffen Plan?
- How did events on the Western Front in the opening weeks of the war affect the operation of the Schlieffen Plan?
- How did events on the Eastern Front in August 1914 change the implementation of the Schlieffen Plan? What impact did they have?
- What tactical error did the Germans make in September 1914? Why did they do this?
- How did the French take advantage of the German error?
THE FAILURE OF THE SCHLIEFFEN PLAN
1. How did Von Schlieffen plan to defeat France?
He planned to defeat France in an enormous flanking movement, encircling Paris and cutting the country in two. The French army would be driven eastward, to the border of Alsace-Lorraine, where it would be cut to pieces by German artillery.
2. According to Schlieffen, why was it necessary for Germany to attack France first, in the event of a war with Russia?
This was necessary in order to prevent a war on two fronts. If Germany attacked Russia first, France could attack Germany from behind, resulting in a likely German defeat. The French would then regain Alsace-Lorraine, and perhaps other German territories.
3. What proportion of the German Army did Schlieffen insist be placed on the Western front (facing France)? Why?
Schlieffen wanted seven eighths of the German Army to be placed on the Western front, for use against France. This was to ensure that the French Army would be defeated easily. It could then be sent east to fight the advancing Russian Army.
4. How many German divisions were to be placed on the right flank of the Western Front (north of Metz), ready in invade France? How many were to be place on the left flank, to the south? What was the purpose of this?
39 divisions were to be placed on the right, and 9 on the left. The idea was to give the right wing sufficient strength to encircle Paris and capture it, thereby forcing the French to accept surrender.
5. How long did Schlieffen expect it would take Germany to defeat France?
He expected it would take six weeks.
6. Why was it important for the German Army to capture the ports on the English Channel?
This was vital in order to prevent the British from landing reinforcements.
7. What changes were made to the Schlieffen Plan before its implementation? How did these changes contribute to its failure in 1914?
Schlieffen’s successor, Count Von Moltke, moved troops from the French front to the Russian front, in order to counter the threat posed by the modernised Russian Army.
Moltke also moved forces from the Belgian sector (the so-called ‘right wing’) to the south, to defend Alsace-Lorraine. This reduced the ratio of forces (between the Belgian and French fronts) from 5:1 (as recommended by Schlieffen) to only 2.5:1.
These changes weakened the German forces which attacked France in 1914, reducing the likelihood that the Schlieffen Plan would succeed.
8. In the decade leading up to the war, France made substantial loans to Russia, its ally in the Triple Entente. What was this money was used for, and why did this stratagem force the Germans to make changes to the Schlieffen Plan?
The funds were used to modernise the Russian Army and to build new railway lines to the German frontier. This allowed the Russian Army to reach the German frontier much faster than Schlieffen had assumed. Germany therefore faced a greater threat from Russia than before.
9. How did events on the Western Front in the opening weeks of the war affect the operation of the Schlieffen Plan?
In the first place, the Autumn rains turned the narrow, rural roads of Belgium into bogs, slowing the German advance.
Secondly, the German reservists (who made up the bulk of the army) were unable to march at the same speed as professional soldiers. Both these factors prevented the Army from keeping to the timetable of the Schlieffen Plan.
Thirdly, the Belgians held the Germans up for almost three weeks, weakening their forces and slowing their advance. The Germans made the mistake of besieging the Belgian fortifications, instead of by-passing them and finishing them off at a later time.
Fourthly, by invading neutral Belgium, the Germans brought England into the war. The rapid mobilisation of the British Expeditionary Force provided great backup for the French and Belgian armies.
Finally, the French Army fought very well, particularly its officers.
10. How did events on the Eastern Front in August 1914 change the implementation of the Schlieffen Plan? What impact did they have?
Because the Russian Army was able to move so swiftly to the German border, the Germans were obliged to reinforce their positions with troops from the Western front.
The strategy was successful in the east (leading to the defeat of the Russian Army at the Battles of Tannenberg and the Masurian Lakes), but it weakened the war effort against France.
11. What tactical error did the Germans make in September 1914? Why did they do this?
They by-passed Paris, in the hope of encircling the French Fifth Army. The German Chief of Staff, General Von Falkenhayne, also believed that his troops were too exhausted to take Paris.
12. How did the French take advantage of the German error?
General Joffre organised a counter-attack at the Marne River, which pushed the Germans back to the river Aisne. By this time, the Germans were aware that the Schlieffen Plan had failed.