WW1 Content

• Schlieffen Plan

  • The Schlieffen Plan was a strategy developed by German military strategist Alfred von Schlieffen to avoid fighting a two-front war. The plan aimed to quickly defeat France in the west before turning to face Russia in the east.

    • The plan relied on the assumption that Russia would take around six weeks to mobilize its forces, giving Germany enough time to defeat France.
    • The plan also took into account the fact that Belgium, which was neutral at the time, was allied with Britain. This meant that Germany did not need to worry about defending Belgium and could focus its efforts on attacking France.

  • The plan was modified by Helmuth von Moltke, who made the decision to only invade Belgium and not the Netherlands.

  • However, the plan faced several problems during its execution:

    • Belgium blew up railways and bridges, making it difficult for the German army to advance.
    • Russia mobilized its forces faster than expected, taking only around four weeks to prepare for war.