Failure of the Schlieffen Plan
In just over a month of fighting, two deeply disturbing features of
the war were evident even to the generals who had unleashed the first
campaigns: a quick victory was impossible, and the human and material
losses incurred as a result of the industrialization of war
preparation were on a scale never before seen. The Schlieffen plan had
at first seemed to go according to schedule. Although the Belgians had
declared war rather than allow the Germans passage across their
borders, their great fortresses had not proved a big obstacle. The
right wing had swung along the Channel coast to enter France on August
27, and at one time were within forty miles of Paris. But the British
had supplied an unexpectedly large expeditionary force, which helped
strengthen the French center; the Russians penetrated into East
Prussia and thus compelled the Germans to detach part of their forces
from the western to the eastern front; and the poor leadership of Von
Moltke had allowed his two armies on the Belgian front to lose
contact. The French commander Joffre seized his opportunity to
counterattack, and threw in his reserve against the dangerously
extended German line to the east of Paris. In the first Battle of the
Marne, the Germans were forced to retreat to the line of the river
Aisne, where they were able to establish a strong defense line. By
November, when the winter rains began and operations literally bogged
down, the war of rapid movement originally planned by the generals had
turned into a slogging match between entrenched armies, disposed in
double lines of ditches behind barbed wire barriers along a front that
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...ternate fire-bays and traverses.
Duck-boards were also placed at the bottom of the trenches to protect
soldiers from problems such as trench foot. Soldiers also made dugouts
and funk holes in the side of the trenches to give them some
protection from the weather and enemy fire.
The front-line trenches were also protected by barbed-wire
entanglements and machine-gun posts. Short trenches called saps were
dug from the front-trench into No-Man's Land. The sap-head, usually
about 30 yards forward of the front-line, were then used as listening
posts.
Behind the front-line trenches were support and reserve trenches. The
three rows of trenches covered between 200 and 500 yards of ground.
Communication trenches, were dug at an angle to the frontline trench
and was used to transport men, equipment and food supplies.
The prelude to the Battle of the Bulge began on a winter day in mid-December of 1944. Three powerful German divisions, were the last German offensives in the west at that time during World War II. They began after the Normandy invasion in June 1944. Allied had forces swept rapidly through France but became stalled along the German border earlier that year in September. On December 16, 1944 taking advantage of the weather, which kept the Allied aircraft on the ground, the Germans launched a counteroffensive through the semi-mountainous and heavily-forested Ardennes region in Germany, and advanced 31 miles into Belgium and northern Luxembourg near the Meuse River. Their goal was to trap four allied armies, divide the Americans and the British to force negotiated peace along the western front, and retake the vital seaport of Antwerp in Belgium. Thinking the Ardennes was the least likely spot for a German offensive, American staff commander chose to keep the thin line, so that manpower might concentrate on offensives north and south of the Ardennes known as the "bulge" in the Allied lines. These American lines were thinly held by three divisions in the Allied Army and part of a forth division, while fifth division was making a local attack and the sixth division was in reserve. Division sectors were more than double the width of normal defensive fronts, therefore there were more men scattered along a larger area. The German advance was halted near the Meuse River in late December. Even though the German Offensive achieved total surprise, nowhere did the American troops give ground without a fight. Within three days, the determined American stand and the arrival of powerful reinforcements insured that the ambitious German goal was far beyond reach. In snow and sub-freezing temperatures the Germans fell short of their interim objective- to reach the rambling Meuse River on the edge of the Ardennes. But they managed to avoid being cut off by an Allied Pincer movement.
criticized for this, he stood by his decision stating that he knew the Russians would force the army into the cold harsh, Russian winter, such as the case of Napoleon. Even though Schlieffen came up with this wonderful and well thought out plan, his successor, General von Moltke, changed the plans entirely.
Assessment of the Reasons for Allied Victory in 1918 During 1918, the effect of Stalemate along the Western Front saw 4 years of war trying to break it. Ideas and technology were outdated and often tactics were unrealistic. A stretch in German supplies, the intervention of the USA, the strategic strength of the allies along with the deteriorating German homefront effort due to the naval blockade saw the collapse their war effort. From the failure of the Schlieffen Plan due to poor planning and heavy reliance of the 42-day deadline, the German army also had the difficulty of fighting a war on two fronts. These factors reflected poorly on the leadership of the German high commanders.
The Potsdam Conference occurred from July 17th to August 2nd, 1945. The conference took place between US president Harry Truman, Soviet’s Joseph Stain, and England’s Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The major goal of the Potsdam meeting was what would happen with Germany postwar. They wanted to be able to ensure the “eventual reconstruction of Germany’s democracy and peace.” At that time, the Soviet Union occupied a lot of the Eastern part of Germany and wanted a “unified, but unarmed Germany.” However, President Truman did not trust Stalin’s motives. In addition, Truman had found out that they had tested their atomic bomb and it was ready to be used in battle. Truman seeing the immense advantage the US had from a military standpoint knew he had leverage.
With the German failure at the Battle of the Marne in September 1914 and the subsequent Allied counterattacks, the "Race to the Sea" began. This so called race ended at the North Sea coast after each army. attempted to outflank the other by moving north and west. This area of Flanders, described by one historian as having the dreariest. landscape in Western Europe, contained the last gap through which either side could launch a decisive thrust.
"Feature Articles - Life in the Trenches." Firstworldwar.com. First World War, n.d. Web. 05 Apr.
The Generals and politicians thought the war was going to end very quickly where every I gets to go home on Christmas. Generals and Politicians said “A few quick campaigns and a few decisive victories would “bring the boys home by Christmas, “perhaps even by the fall” (Overfield, James H. Sources of Twentieth-century Global History. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2002. Print.) , p74. They were definitely wrong on that note. The war lasted 4 years in the hell the soldiers called the battlefield. One of the first major battles on the western front was called the Battle of Marne. The battle that halted the Germans from entering France into a long standing stalemate. The trench warfare started here, where soldiers dug deep into the ground and settled down to fight off the enemy soldiers. It was a stalemate for man...
Thus, a prolonged occupation of either of the combatant’s trench systems would be untenable: It is said that a single Stokes 2 in. Mortar projector on the hands of a well-trained mortar squad could have fifteen rounds in the air before the first one hit the target. Imagine the effect of a sustained barrage of this ferocity on even a lightly manned trench. Obviously, then, some form of compromise must have developed, on some occasions, between the warring sides; at least during the inevitable prolonged periods of inactivity in the majority of the sector... ... middle of paper ... ...
Warfare was in a state of transition. Older commanders and generals in the French and British militaries were very cavalry and infantry focused. These commanders believed that cavalry, infantry, and artillery would assure victory in any circumstance, against any foe. They clung to the static tactics of the bygone World War I era. World War I had been fought primarily on French soil, and the military as well as the government never wanted that to happen again, therefore they wanted to reinforce their main border against any future German. Little did they know that only twenty two years later they would be bested by German forces in a way that would shock the world. This research will be analyzing many important assumptions, oversights,...
plan would be made in order to avoid this. The man who was asked to
the lower grounds they could have used the trenches to take cover and have better aim of the adversary Union army.
Hitler then ordered the attack on Belgium, Holland and France. The British and French had predicted that the German attack would come through Belgium. So the British and French forces moved north into Belgium to meet the German advance. The Germans again used overpowering blitzkrieg tactics and quickly overwhelmed Holland. The main German attack began further to the south, as...
"First World War.com - Feature Articles - Life in the Trenches." First World War.com - A Multimedia History of World War One. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2011. .
It was military plan for outlined to tackle with a threats of Russia and France if Russia declared war on Germany. Germany had fear because France was militarily stronger at that time. First, Germany would set up a defensive line of military on the Russia and German border to secure their eastern side. This plan involved German troops entering France through its more lightly defended northern borders—but most would instead invade via the small nations of Belgium, Luxemburg, and Netherlands. The plan was strategically important to play a defensive role in the
During the fall of 1944, the “Atlantic Wall” had diminished after the invasion of Normandy and the American and allied forces were making their way towards Germany. One of the offensives directed to counteract this; Adolf Hitler focused in on and was attacking the inadequately defended Ardennes front. Had this plan succeeded, through the capture of Antwerp, the Germans would have divided the American and British forces in the area, depriving the American Soldiers and allies of a seaport for resupply.