Military Plans

• Due to the Franco-Russo alliance, the Dual Entente, in 1894 Germany’s fears of encirclement were now enhanced
• Count Alfred von Schlieffen, Chief of the German General Staff, began work on what became known as the Schlieffen Plan in 1897
• Despite her formidable military and economic strength it was clear that fighting both Russia and France at the same time on two fronts would be risky for Germany as it would stretch her resources thin
• The Schlieffen Plan was too detailed it was not completed until 1905, it was also modified a lot before 1914
• The Schlieffen plan aimed to destroy the French army in one enormous battle
• The Schlieffen plan involved deploying 7/8 of the Germany army between Metz and Aachen, on the right flank of Germany, and 1/8 in Lorraine, the left flank
• No forces would be sent to protect East Prussia against the Russian
• The right flank would sweep through Belgium and northern France, swinging east to Paris if needed, continually pushing the French army left, to Switzerland
• Germany would then focus the strength of its army on Russia
• The Schlieffen Plan was an almost infallible plan that Schlieffen’s successor, Helmuth von Moltke, would merely have to execute

  ▪ However, Moltke didn’t understand the idea of the plan and modified it

  • He strengthened the forces on the left flank at the expense of the main attack on the right meaning the German army didn’t destroy the French
• After Germany offered help to Austria-Hungry against Russia in 1908-9 as a result of the Bosnian Crisis the Russian War Military drew up their own military plan called ‘Plan No. 19’
• Russian Plan No.19:

  • This was developed by General Yuri Danilov in 1910
  • Danilov argued that on the outbreak of war, Germany would focus their forces on France
  • The Russian plan was to provide a speedy invasion of East Prussia during the opening phase of a potential conflict and thus diverting some German troops away from France
  • France provided a loan for the construction of railways needed for Plan No. 19