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The Crisis of 1905 and the Franco-German War
During the second half of 1905, tensions between France and Germany had reached a boiling point. Germany’s alliance with Poland, the Baltic States, and Ukraine had been met with substantial protest with France, who had only backed down from war due to Russia’s instability. However, although war had appeared to have been averted, another crisis arose. France had been pressuring Morocco to establish a French protectorate over the country. However, the Kaiser flatly declared that there would be war with France if France established a protectorate on Morocco. War appeared to be on the horizon, and both Germany and France mobilized. Then came the spark.
On the border of France and Germany, near the town of Belfort, a German patrol and a French patrol happened to chance upon each other at the same time. In the Belfort incident (14 August 1905) it was unsure of who fired first, but by the time night fell, five French and two Germans were dead and several more wounded.
Everything spiralled out of control. Germany blamed France for war mongering. France struck back, shouting at how the Germans were barbaric imperialists and wanted to conquer the globe. Despite calmer heads on both sides attempting to prevent a war, the wheels were turning, and upon the outbreak of civil war in Russia, the Germany declared war on the French republic on October 6, followed by Austria-Hungary declaring war on France the day later.
When it was clear that the Russo-French alliance was breaking, chief of staff Alfred Von Schlieffen devised two plans regarding a war solely against France. The first plan, Ausmarsch IV, detailed a massive swing through Belgium, which would outflank the French in Lorraine and destroy them, thus winning the war quickly. However, Schlieffen acknowledged that in 1905, Germany did not have the troops nor the light artillery necessary for an invasion of Belgium at that time, and so Ausmarsch IV was put aside for a later date. The second plan, Ausmarsch V, was more suited for 1905. Due to the overwhelming German superiority in numbers and heavy artillery, Ausmarsch V outlined a massive attack all along the border with France, with numbers concentrated around Metz, forcing a breakthrough at Longwy, where the fortifications were old and in need of upgrading, and pour towards Paris while the rest of the French army was pinned in place.
In contrast, the French had formulated “Plan XV”, in which upon a German attack, the French would thrust with the bulk of its army from Nancy into Alsace to pin the Germans in place while other army’s would flank the Germans. However, this plan had several flaws. In order to have enough men to pin the Germans down in the Nancy army, the armies on the flanks were made of reserves and thus poorly trained and not as well equipped. Further, the French hadn’t counted for a general German offensive all along the line.
At dawn of the 6, the same hour Germany declared war against France, the Germans unleashed a heavy artillery barrage concentrated west at Metz. The barrage ceased after three hours and the Germans surged forward all along the front. Over 200,000 men, having marched into Luxembourg the day earlier, were attacking Longwy alone.
The Battle of the Frontiers lasted eleven days, but by the 18, huge holes had been created in the French line, and the famed French fortifications had been largely blown to pieces by German Heavy Artillery. The simple fact was that the French did not have enough men or machine guns, to prevent a German breakthrough and halt the German advance in 1905. Further, aerial reconnaissance was not a thing in 1905 and did not have the effect it would have on war like it would in the future. By the 23, the Germans had taken Verdun and Montmedy, while Nancy was taken on the 25. With the Germans swarming west, the French had to retreat, or face being annihilated.
And retreat they did. The French attempted to establish a defensive line at the Moselle, but the Germans had taken St Menehould on the 30 and this line had already been flanked, and so the French retreat continued. It quickly became apparent that the French could not retreat fast enough, and the reserves that had been called up to stop the German advance did not have the training or machine guns to stem the German advance and could only slow the Germans before being overrun.
By this time, the Germans had suffered heavy casualties, and although the German advance began to slow due to a lack of supplies, they nevertheless continued to advance. With the bulk of the French army disorganized and panicking far to the south of Verdun, the Germans took Reims on the 15 of November, and German troops entered Paris on the 30. The French government capitulated shortly after and an armistice was requested.
It is widely agreed by historians and members of the popular alternatehistory.com that if the French had regrouped and attacked the south of the salient, the German advance would have been stopped and, if the French were lucky, quite possibly destroyed. Great Britain was already sending supplies to the French and could have possibly joined the war if the Germans hadn’t advanced so swiftly as well. However, the French were in disarray and were completely pinned down, and so could not counterattack at all, and it is widely up to speculation on what could have happened if the French had halted the German advance.
Next: The Treaty of Brussels