Through swift action, the Germans would outflank their enemies through the Low Countries, force France to surrender, and then turn to fight Russia. With Austria defeated, Germany would have no choice but to come to terms, Both plans assumed that Italy would be allied. Schlieffen also stressed the need to keep the enemy reacting to German moves. This plan, named Aufmarsch I West, is what is now known as the Schlieffen Plan of WWI. It however had a couple of weaknesses, especially due to Von Moltke's modifications which doomed it to failure. 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. He was born on February 28th, 1833. 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. It is thus that he devised several different strategies in 1905 for various potential future conflicts. 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. Germany faced a war on two fronts. From the operational ideas of Schlieffen they placed the emphasis on speed, flank attacks, encirclements and decisive battle. The so-called blitzkrieg of 1940 was really the German doctrine of 1914 with technology bolted on. why did the schlieffen plan fail bbc bitesize; why did the schlieffen plan fail bbc bitesize . If you are a teacher and have questions about our show, you can get in contact with us on one of our social media presences. Stressing the cult of the offensive, Plan XVII tended to underestimate German reserves that could be deployed in the defense of these territories and, in a very real sense, played into the expectations of the Schlieffen Plan. Under the direction of Hans von Seeckt, commanders fashioned the doctrine that the Wehrmacht was to employ in World War Two. In addition, as the Germans marched through France, their advance slowed. They did not believe the British would stand firm on their commitment to defend Belgium and they would not become bogged down in a continental European war. The German advance, however, had been slowed, with the Schlieffen Plan running behind schedule at crucial moments. It was hoped that Paris itself would be surroundedFrench armies and French leadershipand that this would represent a military masterpiece, a battle of annihilation. Nonetheless, there were remarkable and celebrated successes that gave a sense of optimism about enacting the Schlieffen Plan. This meant that German would be attacked on both sides of her country. Corrections? The combination of the execution of the wrong strategy and a series of key incorrect assumptions is why the Schlieffen Plan failed. A Complete History, Holt Paperbacks, 2004.Hart, Peter. 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. 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. In March 1918, they found such a means. But Germany said that if the Belgian government didnt let German troops go through its land, it would be an enemy. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. They were destroyed on April 14, 1945, during a British bomber attack, and only studies of the two plans survived. One whole army that is usually counted as a part of the right-wing attack through Belgium operates in fact as a part of the left wing in Alsace-Lorraine. AND WHO IS BEHIND THIS PROJECT? In reality, the way in which the Wehrmacht fought, their 'doctrine' in today's parlance, was based more upon ideas than technology. One day later, Germany invaded Belgium because of the Schlieffen Plan. It imposed severe restrictions on the possibility of finding a diplomatic solution to the July Crisis, because of its narrow time-frame for the initial deployment of troops. Why did the Schlieffen Plan fail? On August 4, 1914, German troops invaded Belgium. At the start of the 20th century, Germany had a strategy for fighting a war in Europe. First, they underestimated how quickly the Russians could deploy their troops. At the outbreak of war in 1914, Schlieffens plan would be altered by Moltke, but it would never be fully implemented as he envisioned. Moltke implemented some changes to the plan and was the leader in charge to execute the plan at the outset of WWI. BBC - Standard Grade Bitesize History - The Schlieffen Plan : Revision, Page 3 . With these revisions and ultimately incorrect assumptions, the brilliant Schlieffen Plan was doomed to fail. Schlieffens plan was a sweeping, bold conception of how to achieve victory in a two-front war. It was made for the army of the German Empire in 1905. The Schlieffen plan was also the only Germany's plan for war ("GCSE Bitesize: Extra Facts." BBC. English. Despite a vicious attack, the French retreated lest they risk encirclement by the Germans advancing through Belgium. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF), mobilized quickly and was thrown into battle in northern France. 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. Of course! It would be easy to say that even if it had been successful that Germany would have won in a quick conflict. 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. The objective of the alliance was to encourage co-operation against the perceived threat of Germany. This plan was designed by General Count Alfred von Schlieffen in December, 1905, with the aim of defeating France and Russia. In 1906, General Schlieffen retired from the army. The plan failed because it wasn't realistic, requiring a flawless unfolding of events which never occurs in wartime. This is not true. With Germany's defeat in 1918, the German military blamed the Schlieffen Plan as flawed and the cause of their defeat. However, in order to maximize German flexibility and preparedness, Schlieffen also devised an offensive strategy for a one-front war solely with France. 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. Russia was also better at mobilizing its army and attacked East Prussia within 10 days, not six weeks as the Germans had thought beforehand. The Schlieffen Plan What is a Schlieffen Plan. The BEF had sailed for France believing that they and their French ally were well equipped and well trained to fight a modern war. Count Alfred von Schlieffen died on January 4th, 1913. Once again, Germany planned a surprise attack on France. Die Bchse der Pandora: Geschichte des Ersten Weltkrieges, C.H. One element that was lacking from the German army in 1914 was the ability to move long distances quickly. But it turned out to be an ugly way of wearing everyone down during World War I Eventually, it led to Germany's downfall. 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. This failure had great significance as it largely impacted World War I. Even if Russia was ready, Germany would need six weeks to mobilize. Your email address will not be published. However, German and Austro-Hungarian superguns swiftly smashed the forts around Namur and Lige. 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 plan for the war made it very difficult to find a diplomatic solution. The events in May and June 1940 proved that this outdated vision of war could not have been further from reality. Instead, Germany went on the offensive on the Western Front, despite not having the manpower. Failure forced Germany to settle into a brutal war of attrition that dramatically lowered their probability of victory in World War I. His adjustment left more German forces in the east. Once in French territory, the German attackers would then pivot south in a hinge-like movement, enveloping the French army. 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 English and French troops were able to stop the Germans before they reached Paris. This is a transcript from the video series World War I: The Great War. 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. Timeline of the History of the United States. 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. This time, unlike the Allies, the Germans intended to fight the war offensively, and win quickly. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The Schlieffen plan made several assumptions: There would be minimal resistance from Belgium. Aufmarsch II was an impractical plan. A classic description of Europe at the time was of a powder keg just waiting to explode. The slowing advance allowed France time to regroup and organize a defensive stand. The primary divisions were among the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy) as well as the Triple Entente (Great Britain, France, and Russia). A Short History, Penguin, 2008.Keegan, John. 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. It also assumed that Germany would defeat France in less than six weeks. On September 5, as the Germans continued their march south, Joffre struck. Enzyklopdie Erster Weltkrieg, Schningh Paderborn, 2004Michalka, Wolfgang. In 1914, the war began. 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. With this doctrine, despite being outnumbered in tanks and combat aircraft, they were able to outfight the Allies at every turn in 1940, and cause the rapid and total collapse of Allied resistance. Schlieffen set about creating a doctrine that would allow the outnumbered German army to outfight its opponents.