Why did the Schlieffen Plan fail? Mr Field The Cotswold School

Germany declared war on France and Belgium on 3 August 1914, and the Schlieffen Plan went into operation the next day. German forces marched into Belgium in order to invade and quickly defeat France before Russia had time to mobilise, or make ready, her armies for war.

What had gone wrong with the Schlieffen Plan? By 8 September 1914, the Plan had failed, and the armies began to dig trenches to hold on to what land they held. What had gone wrong with the Schlieffen Plan?

When was the Schlieffen Plan made? In 1905, the General Staff, commanded by Alfred Graf von Schlieffen, was ordered by the Kaiser, Wilhelm II, to make up a plan that would defend Germany from a simultaneous attack from both Russia and France. By December of that year, they had created the Schlieffen Plan.

Composed of about 600 junior officers, the General Staff believed that if war broke out, it was vital that France was defeated quickly. If this happened, Britain and Russia would be unwilling to carry on fighting. They believed that it would take Russia six weeks to organise its large army for an attack on Germany. Therefore, it was vitally important to defeat France before Russia was ready to use all its forces.

The Schlieffen Plan involved using 90% of Germany's armed forces to attack France. Fearing the French forts on the border with Germany, he suggested a scythe-like attack through Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg. These troops would be moved by railway to the frontier to launch the attack. The rest of the German Army would take up defensive positions in the east to stop the expected Russian advance. Once they began moving by railway timetable, there was no stopping them!!!

When Helmuth von Moltke replaced Alfred von Schlieffen as German Army Chief of Staff in 1906, he weakened the Schlieffen Plan by stating that Holland need not be invaded. The main route would now be through the flat plains of Belgium. Moltke argued that Belgium's small army would be unable to stop German forces from quickly entering France.

Right wing Left wing Moltke also made the left, or defensive, wing of the German Army in Alsace and Lorraine stronger than Schlieffen planned. This weakened the important right wing which, in swinging round, was to sweep the French armies against the back of their eastern frontier fortresses and against the Swiss frontier.

On 3rd August 1914, the Schlieffen Plan was put into operation when the German Army invaded Luxembourg and Belgium. The problem was that if any thing went wrong with it, there was no alternative plan!                                                                               In the first months of the war the roads in Northern France were choked by troop transport and fleeing civilians.

However, the Germans were held up by the Belgian Army which offered a heroic resistance. Belgian General Leman refused to surrender the Liège forts despite German threats of reprisals. Repeated massed German attacks were repelled. The presence of 80,000 Belgian troops in Antwerp's ring of 48 outer and inner forts distracted Germans troops that should have been involved in the attack on France.

The Germans were also shocked by the rapid advance of the Russian Army into East Prussia. The German response was to rush troops to the Eastern Front that should have been used to attack France!

Moltke rejected a proposal by the German Navy to sink the ships carrying the BEF as they crossed the Channel, preferring to “settle” with it on land, saying “The more English, the better.” The BEF retreating from Mons & Le Cateau. Furthermore, the Germans were surprised by how quickly the British Expeditionary Force reached France and Belgium. The resistance they offered at Le Cateau and Mons held up the German advance.

The Germans also extended their supply lines too far and their troops became hungry as well as short of ammunition. Many of the German volunteer soldiers were teenage students who were not used to marching and the outdoor life. Also the Germans had out-of-date maps and, at times, elements of their army did not know where they were in France. Tired German troops somewhere in France!

The Schlieffen Plan had failed! As a result, the 2nd German Army Corps, commanded by General Karl von Bulow, turned south too soon and failed to encircle Paris. The Schlieffen Plan had failed!

Sir John French Joseph Joffre On 3rd September, Joseph Joffre, the Commander-in-Chief of the French forces, ordered his men to retreat to a line along the River Seine, south-east of Paris and over 60km south of the Marne. Sir John French, commander of the British Expeditionary Force agreed to join the French in attacking the German forces.

The French 6th Army, under General Maunoury, arrived in Paris from the frontier forts. The Governor of Paris, Gallieni, ordered the taxi cabs and buses of Paris to take them to the battle front. They arrived on the right wing of the German 1st Army on the morning of 6th September.

The Germans retreated and dug in behind the River Aisne. General Alexander von Kluck wheeled his entire force to meet the attack, opening a 50km gap between his own forces and the German 2nd Army led by General Karl von Bulow. The British forces and the French 5th Army now advanced into the gap that had been created splitting the two German armies. The German army was forced to retreat to the River Aisne. Paris was saved, and the Schlieffen Plan had finally failed. The Germans retreated and dug in behind the River Aisne.

So - the Schlieffen Plan failed for the following reasons: The original Plan was changed & weakened by Moltke The Russians mobilized more quickly than expected Belgian resistance delayed the German army at the Liège forts The British Expeditionary Force also held up the German advance at Mons & Le Cateau The Germans over-extended their supply lines Many German troops were raw conscripts The German army lacked modern maps and were sometimes “lost” in France Von Bulow’s 2nd Army Corps turned too soon and “missed Paris.” The French & British armies fought and won the Battle of the Marne and saved Paris.