Shortcomings of the plan: Why didn't the Schlieffen Plan work? Andrew Knighton is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Related Article Summaries Germany summary Article Summary strategy summary Article Summary Erich Ludendorff summary Article Summary He served as chief of staff from 1891 to 1905 and excelled precisely at careful preparation and thinking in abstract terms about the military challenge that Germanys geopolitical position represented. The UK would not get involved. That would lead to a war on two fronts, dividing Germanys military resources. They were slowing down. The German Schlieffen Plan had prepared the nation for this exact moment and now was the time to implement it. This was a crucial moment: it was an admission that the Schlieffen Plan had ultimately not succeeded and was the beginning of trench warfare. Von Moltke changed certain aspects of the plan. Germany and Austria would beat Russian forces. The so-called blitzkrieg of 1940 was really the German doctrine of 1914 with technology bolted on. 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. Schlieffen Plan has been often considered as a demonstration of Field Marshal Helmuth von . Not your computer? The events in May and June 1940 proved that this outdated vision of war could not have been further from reality. Schlieffen had great respect for the powers of France and Russia and knew Germany stood little chance in an all-out simultaneous two front war against both. The Russian blow would first fall upon the very weak Hapsburgs with the French standing mobilized on the German border. Plan XVII, which was launched on August 14, 1914, broke against German defenses in Lorraine and suffered enormous losses. The battles are remembered but not the schemes that led to them. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Europe Goes To War, Knopf, 2013.Hirschfeld, Gerhard. The plan was to invade France and capture Paris before the Russians could mobilize. 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? The original Schlieffen Plan was later changed by other military leaders. 1914-1918, Profile Books, 2013.Stone, Norman. All of these reasons combined to make the Schlieffen plan fail. Germany wanted to avoid this at all costs. France did just that at the Marne River, east of Paris. 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. The resistance of the Belgians and the BEF prevented this. []. To accomplish this, he advocated the use of the. It seemed clear to him, given the Alliances, that one day Germany would be at war with both Russia and its ally France. The objective of the alliance was to encourage co-operation against the perceived threat of Germany. and in the process, capturing Paris. After all, during the disastrous campaign in Belgium and France, it had seemed as if German tanks and aircraft were everywhere. If Germany stood on the defensive, Russia could complete its mobilization while France brought her reserves to combat effectiveness. 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. Instead, they ended up east of the city, exposing their right flank to the Parisian defenders themselves. He made the Schlieffen Plan in 1905. In fact, it continued until the end of World War 1 in 1918. German troops rushed through Belgium and Luxembourg into France. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Alfred von Schlieffen was born in Berlin. The Schlieffen Plan was put into action by Von Moltke on August 2, 1914. He died in 1913, before WWI. 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. It was a plan for Germany to avoid fighting at its eastern and western fronts at the same time. Moltke implemented some changes to the plan and was the leader in charge to execute the plan at the outset of WWI. His adjustment left more German forces in the east. Without checking with his superiors, Kluck swung his forces southeast. He did not solve the political problem of violating neutrality, but he lessened it by declining to invade Holland. It was an ambitious plan designed to avoid Germany having to fight a two-front war against France and Russia. Kluck agreed. 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. War never goes perfectly, and so the plan failed. This happy feeling covered up the dangerous situation Germany was in. To accomplish this, he advocated the use of the flexible command system pioneered by Helmuth von Moltke the Elder. His plan called for four army groups, called the Bataillon Carr, to mass on the extreme German right. The BEF was sent to join the line of French troops defending the border with Belgium. As German armies approached Paris, the French government packed up and fled to Bordeaux. blitzkrieg was not a brand-new way of waging war. There were heavy casualties on both sides. the German advance south from Belgium was swift and decisive. A classic description of Europe at the time was of a powder keg just waiting to explode. Further summaries have been discovered over subsequent decades, opening new debates about Schlieffens true intentions and the implementation of his plan. Forgot email? Across the English Channel, a stunned British military establishment struggled to determine how it was that events had so quickly gone so horribly wrong. 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. 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. By Robert T Foley Schlieffen later rewrote his plan, including an offensive against the neutral Dutch and restructuring the ratio of artillery and infantry. But from time to time, Indy reads and answers comments with his personal account, too. A Combat History of the First World War, Oxford University Press, 2013.Hart, Peter. The boldness necessary for it to succeed had been watered down. With that plan, Schlieffen believed, Gemany could defeat France within six weeks, the campaign concluding with a decisive super Cannae in the south. 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. Schlieffen set about creating a doctrine that would allow the outnumbered German army to outfight its opponents. Germany was surrounded by her enemies on every border. Fighting in late August caused General Karl von Blow, commander of the Second Army, serious problems. After a year the plan was revised again (1906). The battle was in France, 30 miles from 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. The Schlieffen Plan seemed to be working. Please leave a comment below Cancel reply. French forces were in full retreat. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Despite this, Germany fought off the British and advanced into French territory by the end of August. It is thus that he devised several different strategies in 1905 for various potential future conflicts. How Long did the Roman Republic and Empire Last? Watch it now, on Wondrium. 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. In-text: (BBC - Standard Grade Bitesize History - The Schlieffen Plan : Revision, Page 3, 2015) Your Bibliography: Bbc.co.uk. Because of that, the French had fortified this road with new forts. Q: What was the purpose of the Schlieffen Plan? France would surrender once Paris was taken, and then Germany would attack Russia. Its role was to advance deep into France and swing around Paris, surrounding the French capital and any forces based near it. The biggest problems in World War One, however, were at the lower, tactical level. The Teaching Company, LLC. Alfred von Schlieffen was the Chief of the Imperial German army between 1891 and 1906. 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 victorious Allies looked upon the Schlieffen Plan as the source of German aggression against neutral countries, and it became the basis of war guilt and reparations. His plan was revised at the outbreak of World War I. Corrections? That began a political firestorm within the German Confederation, causing later ministers of war to be more cautious about manpower proposals. 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. Once in French territory, the German attackers would then pivot south in a hinge-like movement, enveloping the French army. 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. Had the German army been mechanised at the outbreak of World War One, it is likely that the outcome of the war would have been very different. By 21 May, this thrust had reached the Channel and encircled 35 Allied divisions, including the BEF. Von Moltke made changes to the plan. Tanks, motor vehicles and aircraft merely enabled the Wehrmacht to apply these principles more efficiently. It was a plan for Germany to avoid fighting at its eastern and western fronts at the same time. The Germans also downplayed the political ramifications of invading neutral Belgium. Germany had trouble controlling the seas and that is one reason they lost the war. He thought that the war in the West would be quick, and he also thought that Russia would take a long time to mobilize. The central groupconsisting of six infantry corps, Landwehr brigades, and a cavalry divisionwas to attack the French at La Fer and Paris, eventually encircling the capital on the north and east. The decision to mobilize was made by the government, not by the generals. Free essay example: "The Schlieffen Plan failed because the German high command made too many mistakes in August and September 1914". Their weapons and strategies had moved on in 25 years, and they did not fall as easily as Schlieffen had anticipated. For the full article, see, https://www.britannica.com/summary/Schlieffen-Plan. Schlieffen's ideas were largely aimed at operational-level leaders, that is, the commanders of Germany's divisions and army corps. 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.. In a general European war, Germany would face France in the west and Russia in the east, and would need to defeat France within six weeks before Russia mobilised her troops. Required fields are marked *. 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. But it turned out to be an ugly way of wearing everyone down during World War I. Their solution was to fight Russia and France at the same time. 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. This meant that German would be attacked on both sides of her country. Germany faced a war on two fronts. Conclusion This caused the plan to fail because the army was now stuck in a battle of trench warfare and this bogged down their advance and meant that other countries including Rusia had more time to prepare. 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. This led to Germany sending more troops from France to Russia, which reduced the number of troops on the Western Front. This time, though, rather than invading France by way of North Belgium, Germany defied Frances expectations by invading instead from South Belgium. However, a key vulnerability formed in the Germans attack. Schlieffen anticipated fierce French resistance, and thus knew that success depended on the deployment of the entire Germany army against France. Schlieffen realized that it would be hard to break through the heavily defended Burgundian Gate. Subscribe to our channel and dont miss our new episodes every Thursday. In fact, although it is a German word, the term itself was created by an English newspaper sometime in 1939. In the Battle of Jutland, both sides claimed victory. The attack in 1914 was almost successful. Should one nation go to war, it could drag virtually the entire continent along with it. Within 10 days the Russians had invaded Germany, which meant that the Germans had to switch troops away from western Europe to hold up the Russian invasion. The Schlieffen Plan changed a little as the European tension increased. He was younger and his plan was different than Schlieffens. Schlieffen himself must take some of the blame for this confusion. There are many ways of incorporating World War 1 and the themes of friendship, impact and reconciliation into your classes. Tell your teachers or professors about our channel and our videos. Then General Alexander von Kluck, commander of the German First Army, made a critical error. The plan failed because it wasn't realistic, requiring a flawless unfolding of events which never occurs in wartime. why so many soldiers survived the trenches, how Pack Up Your Troubles became the viral hit. The British lost more ships but the Germans were left with nothing. This is not true. It took little account of Allied counter-moves. A Complete History, Holt Paperbacks, 2004.Hart, Peter. 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. Why did the Schlieffen Plan fail? The plan. To read more on what we're all about, learn more about us here. He said, We lost the war. Four years later, Moltkes prediction would be true. It was a plan that nearly succeeded but its success could only be measured by being 100% successful. All of these reasons combined to make the Schlieffen plan fail. Six weeks later, Europe found itself on the brink of the 20th centurys first world war. 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. 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. He was born on February 28th, 1833. Interested in reaching out? It was only defeated by the Battle of the Marne. Catastrophe 1914. The Schlieffen Plan was the name of the German grand strategy for fighting a two-front war against France and Russia. The Schlieffen Plan The most influential plan was that of Germany - the Schlieffen Plan - drawn up in 1905 by General Alfred von Schlieffen. They advanced a hundred miles in France. Germany went on the offensive against France, but with only 80% of their forces as the Russians tied up the other 20% on the eastern border. Updates? Before that, they had hold in the west and attack in the east.. The German general Schlieffen counted on two things. 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. 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. 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? The British Navy was also checking on ships to see if there was food for Germany. Moltke watered down the plan. The French followed their own strategy, Plan XVII, with support from the British. Most of the comments are written by our social media manager Florian. This was the opportunity the allies had been waiting for. The result strategically was that the German armies had left their flanks exposed to Paris itself, not expecting that Paris would be the site of considerable resistance or military peril. Copyright 2023 History in Charts | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme. 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. He was in a good position to dictate such terms. The Schlieffen Plan disregarded the political implications of what was regarded as essentially a technical solution to a military problem. n n The plan relied upon rapid movement. Neither side would back down; so they 'dug in.' Click on the link below to view the chapter 1 - Trench warfare. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. However, the modern technology was merely used to enhance the capabilities that had already been provided, thanks to the army's strategic doctrine. Check out our timeline of the history of the United States for a great place to start and navigate through American history! At the start of the 20th century, Germany had a strategy for fighting a war in Europe. It likely means that France would have invaded Germany, but at least they were busy with taking back their land. n n The plan relied upon rapid movement. A 200-mile advance through Belgium and France, with fierce fighting along the way, had exhausted many German troops. Blitzkrieg seemed to be based around the pervasive use of new technology. They were destroyed on April 14, 1945, during a British bomber attack, and only studies of the two plans survived. His treatise, Cannae, was translated into English for military students to read at Fort Leavenworth. The Schlieffen plan failed mainly because the Belgians put up a fight, the Russians mobilised quicker than expected, and the plan was changed. Answer (1 of 8): Broadly speaking, the plan was too ambitious. This was not the first time Germans had tried to fight in a war on two fronts. Learn more. It was named after its developer, Count Alfred von Schlieffen (18331913), former chief of the German general staff. P.S. During World War One, the armies of the two Allies had dug in for what became a long, drawn-out conflict. Seeing that Kluck had extended his forces and exposed his right flank, he saw a weakness to exploit. The Schlieffen Plan - Why Britain Joined WW1 - GCSE HistoryThe Schlieffen Plan was the whole reason why Britain joined WW1. Once again, Germany planned a surprise attack on France. Both the original Schlieffen Plan and Moltkes rewrite were locked at the Reichsarchiv at Potsdam, and access to the documents was strictly limited. That army should have landed on the western side of Paris so as to encircle the city. What was the Schlieffen Plan BBC - History - The Western Front, 1914 - 1918 Animation n n n Count Alfred von Schlieffen drew up the Schlieffen Plan in 1905 when he was German Chief of Staff. The Schlieffen Plan was initially perceived as flawless and strategic, and its purpose was to gain victory quickly for Germany. After von Schlieffen died, this plan was further worked on and altered by Helmuth von Moltke, his successor. While the French, Belgians, and British were not doing well, they were not doing as badly as predicted in the original plan. It was crafted by the German General Staff over a decade beyond Schleiffen's original formulation. Check out these resources that help develop your pupils' understanding of what happened during the Great War and the impact it had. Schlieffen and his successor, Helmuth von Moltke the Younger, trained the German army well in what they termed Bewegungskrieg, or 'war of manoeuvre'. With these revisions and ultimately incorrect assumptions, the brilliant Schlieffen Plan was doomed to fail. Russia would have to stop fighting. This doctrine stressed speed of manoeuvre and attacking the enemy where he was weakest, and usually this meant attacking the flanks. Made by von Schlieffen, Germany b. The last group consisted of three cavalry divisions, three infantry corps, two Ersatzkorps, and a reserve corps on the left wing. When war broke out in 1914, his plan was adopted by another leader, Helmuth von Moltke. They were marching east of Paris instead of going west and encircling the city. Timeline. At the center of Europe, it might find itself forced to fight against both France in the west and Russia in the east. Six days of battles followed, known collectively as the Battle of the Marne. In World War I, the Schlieffen Plan was conceived by German general General Alfred von Schlieffen and involved a surprise attack on France. Germany went to war with Russia on August 1st, 1914. In reality, the Russians first attacked in less than half that time, forcing Moltke to further weaken the German offensive on the Western Front by sending additional troops east. First, they underestimated how quickly the Russians could deploy their troops. Your email address will not be published. We are also happy to get your feedback, criticism or ideas in the comments. The second reason is the Russian army getting mobilized quickly. Belgium relied upon its concrete fortifications to hold up the Germans. Schlieffen thus turned a doctrinal debate (as chronicled by military historian Hans Delbruck) toward the strategies of annihilation (Vernichtungsstrategie) and attrition (Ermattungsstrategie). An attack of the south would ensure what the German planners hoped for: that their sweeping movement would capture even more French troops. With Germanys defeat in 1918, the German military blamed the Schlieffen Plan as flawed and the cause of their defeat. The king of Belgium was neutral. why did the schlieffen plan fail bbc bitesizeliver shih tzu puppies 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. His most recent book, German Strategy and the Path to Verdun, published by Cambridge University Press in November 2004. 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. Wirkung, Wahrnehmung, Analyse, Seehamer Verlag GmbH, 2000Leonhard, Jrn. In pursuing that goal of total annihilation, Schlieffen also broke with Moltke, whose strategy sought to neutralize ones opponent. France and Russia could then launch simultaneous offensives that Germany would have little chance of defeating. Or just share our videos on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit etc. There were troops around Paris, and they were about to punish him for not sticking to the plan. The typical invasion route into France was through the Burgundian Gate. Keep reading to learn more Schlieffen Plan facts. The poor communication that frontline commanders and army headquarters had in Berlin was not helping Moltke to control his campaign. They moved through Belgium, then plunged into France. to continue to Slides. He fought in wars against other countries like Austria-Prussia and France. This was because of how short-term it was. The plan for this strategy, which Schlieffen, the German General Staff created, had an important effect on the war. Next. This forced the Germans to close the gap, though this meant that the western most army did not go far enough west. The First World War, Vintage, 2000.Hastings, Max. 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 plans call for speed was all very well, but outside their own borders, the Germans could not rely on control of a railway system to advance their forces. When Austria-Hungary opened the conflict with an attack on the Serbian capital of Belgrade, the first domino fell, and Europe went to war. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Schlieffens plan was a sweeping, bold conception of how to achieve victory in a two-front 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. In the lead up to World War I, Europe increasingly became caught up in a series of entangling alliances. The action of Russia determined when Germany had to start her attack on France. What happened as a result of the failure of the Schlieffen Plan? It is said that German advance troops could see the Eiffel Tower in the distance. How did the Schlieffen Plan support Kaiser Wilhelm's goals in the quote above? Germany and their allies would invade France through Belgium, instead of directly attacking. The Great War. BBC 2014 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. It had taken only a few short weeks for the Wehrmacht (the German army), under his control, to crush the army of the French Third Republic . Germany planned to attack France through Belgium as soon as Russia had announced she was mobilizing. In other words, he foresaw the need to maintain the initiative. France couldnt win because it didnt have a plan with Russia. The Schlieffen Plan What is a Schlieffen Plan.