1. Objectives Problem Statement Decisive Points
Defeat French Armies
Limit French power
Favorable peace for Prussia
Problem Statement
How to employ Prussian armies to defeat and equivalently sized French army to prevent French interference with the political unification of the northern and southern German states, using a well trained active army of 300,000 with an equally well trained reserve force of 900,000 and a distinctive advantage in artillery systems in both quantity and quality, against an French force of around 400,000 poorly trained troops who lacked morale and effective artillery but with far superior rifles.
Decisive Points
Defeat of Army of the Rheine
Defeat of Army of Chalons
Isolation of Paris
Defeat remaining French vic Orleans 1 2 3 4
Operational Approach: Direct Approach utilizing a rapid mobilization of forces to attack with three Prussian armies to isolate and flank French forces. Once isolated, a Prussian force will maintain the siege of French forces while the remainder of the Prussian army continues the attack in order to maintain the initiative and tempo of operations to overwhelm French capability forcing piecemeal employment of forces and to prevent massing. The operation consists of four phases. Phase I consists of the mobilization and movement of military forces and supplies to the border. Phase II (ME: 1/2 Armies) is the defeat the French Army of the Rheine and isolation of the French army at Metz. Phase III (ME: 3/Meuse Armies) is the defeat of the French Army of Chalons and the occupation of northern France. Phase IV (ME: Tann/Mecklenburg) includes the isolation of Paris, area security for occupied areas of Northern France, and destruction of remnants of resistance in central France to set conditions for the unification of Germany.
Risks: Failure of the attack grows French prestige and influence, and enables interference/prevention of German unification
Opportunities: Defeat/humiliation of France prevents interference in German unification, Germany is preeminent power in Europe