WHY WAS THE WAR NOT OVER BY DECEMBER 1914?

1. General Schlieffen’s plan failed.• Schlieffen’s plan was devised in 1905.

• In 1914, Germany believed war with Russia was extremely likely.

• If war broke out, Germany assumed France would also attack as she was both an ally of Russia and keen for revenge for her defeat in the Franco-Prussian war.

• If this happened, Germany would face a war on two fronts. Germany wanted to avoid this at all costs.

• Germany planned to defeat France rapidly and then turn to the eastern front for a major offensive on Russia. This was the basis for the Schlieffen Plan.

The Schlieffen Plan in motion.

The plan changed………..• The Germany Army

Chief of Staff, Alfred von Schlieffen was asked to plan a way of preventing a war on two fronts. His initial plan was produced late in 1905. He believed that it was a priority to defeat France quickly, forcing them to surrender before Russia had a chance to mobilize her armed forces.

• Von Molkte replaced Von Schlieffen in 1906, and made some alterations to the plan. His version avoided invading Holland, instead concentrating attack through Belgium. According to Von Molke, the Belgium army would be unable to resist a powerful German military, and German forces would rapidly enter France.

In full knowledge of French defences, Schlieffen proposed attacking France through Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg – the Benelux countries. Schlieffen planned to use 90% of German military forces to deliver a knock out blow to France. The remaining 10% would defend the eastern border of Germany against Russian attack.

However this plan was built on several assumptions…….

• There would be no Belgian resistance and the German army would march through unopposed.

• The British would not interfere and even if they did, it would be too late.

• The Russian’s would be slow to mobilise, (taking at least 6 weeks) therefore only a small army was required in the east.

• The German army would take Paris before the French army arrived from the fortress towns bordering Alsace-Lorraine.

• The French army was going to collapse in at least 6 weeks in the face of German advance.

On 2nd August 1914, the German army invaded Luxembourg and Belgium according to the Schlieffen Plan.

The Germans were held up by the Belgium army, backed up by the BEF (British Expeditionary Force) which arrived extremely quickly. (The BEF led by sir John French, landed in France and met the advancing Germans at Mons on 23rd August. This small army of 100,000 well trained soldiers gave Germans a nasty shock, coupled with their action rifles which could fire quickly and accurately.)

Russia mobilised in just 10 days and Germany was forced to withdraw troops from the Schlieffen Plan to defend her eastern border.

Germany did not take the chance to take Paris, instead decided to attack east of the capital.  They were met by French at the battle of the Marne (5th -19th Sept) which halted the German advance.

And the Great War goes on and on and on and on……….

The failure of the German plan meant there would be no quick end to the war as expected. In fact, the war dragged on for over another 4 years.

The German commander, General Erich von Falkenhayn, decided that his troops must hold onto those parts of France and Belgium that Germany still occupied. He ordered his men to dig trenches that would provide them with protection from the snipers and shell fire of the advancing French and British troops.

The Allies soon realised that they could not break through this line and they also began to dig trenches. For the next three years neither side advanced more than a few miles along this line that became known as the Western Front.

December 1914

November 1918