• Communication broke down between German armies; commanders argued & lacked good reconnaissance.
6. Russian Invasion (17 Aug)
• Russian Army attacked East Germany.
• German intelligence knew it was possible but still caught off guard.
• Gen. forced to divert 2 army corps east (25 Aug), weakening the attack on France.
7. Decision to Divert from Paris
• By Sep, German commanders saw the plan was failing.
• Instead of attacking Paris, 1st Army moved
seeking battle w. the French = disastrous decision.
8. French Counterattack & Battle of the Marne (5–12 Sep)
• French ‘’ (to invade Alsace) had been defeated at Frontiers, (7 Aug -6 Sept)
• ∴ on 24 August the French abandoned Plan 17 & transferred armies to Marne; mobilised reservists via taxis; formed new 6th Army.
• British War Sec. Lord
ordered BEF to hold line w. French.
• Germans caught off guard by French 6th Army attacking their exposed flank.
• French ordered not to retreat – Gen.
famously stated: “My centre is giving way, my right is in retreat. Situation excellent. I shall attack.”
• French & British forced Germans into retreat—Schlieffen Plan collapsed.
Significance of the Schlieffen Plan
1. Germany into War
• Overconfident generals convinced govt that Germany could win vs superior Entente forces.
2. Germany the War
• Turned a Balkan war into a world war, drained German military strength, & set up Germany for eventual defeat.
3. Germany
• Showed them as aggressors & militarists; blamed for war crimes in Belgium.
• Historian Gerhard Ritter (1956): Plan was “cataclysmic for German politics.”
4. on Western Front?
• Some claim Schlieffen failure ‘caused’ trench warfare, but stalemate resulted from broader military realities.
• However, failure did mark the end of movement-based warfare & start of 4-year attrition.
5. Long-term effect on military strategy
• Myth of a ‘perfect encirclement’ strategy influenced Nazi tactics in WW2 & NATO Cold War plans.
• Even today some believe ‘we can win if we strike NOW’ – a dangerous illusion.
Why did the Schlieffen Plan Fail?
1. Schlieffen Plan
• Historians once saw it as a detailed ‘Doomsday Plan’ to encircle Paris & defeat France quickly.
• In reality, it was rushed, untested, designed only for a war vs France, & relied on unrealistic conditions.
• German generals overestimated their strength & ignored flaws → BOUND TO FAIL from the start.
2. Belgium
• Germany demanded passage through Belgium; Belgians refused & fought.
• LIEGE (5–16 Aug) delayed Germans 11 days and only feel after Germans brought up ‘BIG BERTHA’; Namur (20–24 Aug) & Antwerp (28 Sep–9 Oct) also resisted.
• Some historians call this a ‘bump in the road’ but it still delayed the advance by 3-4 days.
3. Schrecklichkeit (‘Frightfulness’)
• Germans retaliated vs Belgian resistance w. mass killings & destruction (e.g. Louvain, where they burned 2k buildings & executed leaders).
• 24k civilians killed, 18k orphans.
• Created Allied propaganda ‘RAPE OF BELGIUM’; stories of German atrocities encouraged British men to enlist.
4. Britain & Battle of Mons (23 Aug)
• British entry into war (4 Aug) surprised Germans. BEF (80k men) sent to help Belgians.
• Faced 320k Germans w. twice as much artillery but held line for 6 hrs.
• BEF rifle fire so fast Germans mistook it for MACHINE GUNS.
• Forced to retreat when French allies withdrew, exposing BEF flank.
5. Exhaustion, Supply & Communications
• ¾ million Germans forced to march & fight 10 miles a day in corridors at some points only 12 miles wide.
• Reservists EXHAUSTED; by Sept, German 1st Army at 50% strength due to casualties, hunger & fatigue.
