At the start of World War I, Germany's military strategy was primarily based on the Schlieffen Plan, which was developed by General Alfred von Schlieffen in the early 20th century. The plan aimed for a quick victory in a two-front war against France and Russia. Here are the key components of Germany's strategy:
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Rapid Defeat of France: The Schlieffen Plan called for Germany to invade France through Belgium, bypassing French defenses, with the goal of capturing Paris quickly. This was based on the belief that France would be defeated within a matter of weeks.
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Focus on the Eastern Front: After defeating France, Germany would then redirect its forces to the Eastern Front to deal with Russia, which was expected to take longer to mobilize.
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Use of the Element of Surprise: Germany hoped that by invading through Belgium, it would catch both the French and the British off guard. The violation of Belgian neutrality would also be used as a justification for Britain joining the war against Germany.
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Rapid Mobilization: The plan relied on precise timing and rapid mobilization of German forces, alongside well-coordinated logistics to ensure that troops could be moved effectively between the fronts.
However, the execution of the Schlieffen Plan did not go as intended. The resistance from Belgium was stronger than expected, and Russian forces mobilized more quickly than Germany had predicted. Ultimately, the war became prolonged and turned into a stalemate, leading to trench warfare on the Western Front.