The War of 1914
The War of 1914
At the outbreak of the War of 1914, the German armies were organized into a right wing, a center, and a left wing. The right consisted of the First, Second, and Third armies; the center consisted of the Fourth and Fifth armies; and the left consisted of the Sixth and Seventh armies. The design was that in twenty-two days, the German line would have passed Brussels, and taken most of Belgium. By thirty-one days, the line would have advanced to the Somme, and by day thirty-seven, the First Army should have reached the Seine and been ready to take Paris.
Meanwhile, the French were organized into five armies, with the First at Epinal, the Second north of Charmes, the Third at Verdun, the Fourth at Saint-Merehould, and the Fifth at Sedan.
Upon the outbreak of war, the French began Plan XVII, engaging the Fourth and Fifth German Armies at the Frontiers. At the same time, the Germans used the First, Second, and Third to attack Belgium, catching the French off guard. On 7 August the campaign began. On August 26, the Germans captured Brussels. While the Second Army engaged the French at Charleroi, beating them at Namur, the Fifth Army fell back to Maubourg. After having arrived at Calais in early August, the British engaged the Germans at Mons.
On 22 August, the true surprise of the German war plan was revealed. The Third Army burst out of the Ardennes, and made a direct push for Paris. On September 4, the Second and Third armies approached the French capital. They were opposed by the Third and Fifth French armies, and the British Expeditionary Force. At the same time, the First Army encircled the city, and bent eastward toward Chartres.
Two days later, the Battle of the Seine began. On the third day of the battle, the Second Army managed to unravel the western flank of the French defenses, and routed the remaining Entente forces toward a fallback position on the edge of Paris. After days of shelling, punctuated by German charges, the line broke. German troops entered the city as they had done in 1870, and forced a surrender from the French Third republic.
With the fall of France, the Germans opened negotiation with Russia in October of 1914. The German Eighth Army had managed to take Lithuania and Poland from the Russians previously, and the Russians realized that without France to carry most of the force of the German armies, they had neither the resources nor the will to carry on an attritional war against the combined forces of the Central Powers. Russia agreed to an armistice on October 5.
During 1915, delegates from the Central Powers and Entente met in Munich to discuss the terms of peace. Present as the delegates of the Central Powers were Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary and Wilhelm II of Germany, along with a host of diplomats from their empires. Raymond Poincare, George V, and Nicholas II were present as delegates for the defeated Entente.
The End of the War
The decisions of the Munich Peace Conference were as follows: German troops would withdraw from Belgium and France by June 1917. Britain was to cede British East Africa, New Guinea, and North Borneo, and limit the Royal Navy to 10 dreadnoughts. Furthermore, Britain was to cede the Union of South Africa to an independent South African Republic. Britain was also expected to withdraw from Egypt, and cede it to an independent Egyptian sultanate associated with the Ottoman Empire. France was to cede the remainder of Lorraine, French Indochina, and much of French Equatorial Africa (though the French were allowed to retain Chad). Russia was to release an independent Kingdom of Poland and cede Lithuania to Germany. Austria-Hungary annexed Serbia. Russia was made to pay the heaviest reparations of all, to Austria-Hungary and Germany.
Immediately following the armistice, France and Britain experienced social upheaval. As they had in 1871, Parisians took up arms against the government, once more championing the cause of socialism. This time they were joined by defeated soldiers returning from the front, seeking to remake the peace so that it favored the people. French veterans formed into a National Guard and staged armed protests against the Third Republic. In March of 1915, the French Army put down the revolution, restoring order under the legitimate authorities.
The case was different in the more stable Britain, where the worst of the instability was in Ireland. Once the armistice was signed, the Irish Republic rose up against the British. The conflict would continue as a guerilla war until 1921, when the British agreed to a treaty with the Irish, recognizing their independence.
At the outbreak of the War of 1914, the German armies were organized into a right wing, a center, and a left wing. The right consisted of the First, Second, and Third armies; the center consisted of the Fourth and Fifth armies; and the left consisted of the Sixth and Seventh armies. The design was that in twenty-two days, the German line would have passed Brussels, and taken most of Belgium. By thirty-one days, the line would have advanced to the Somme, and by day thirty-seven, the First Army should have reached the Seine and been ready to take Paris.
Meanwhile, the French were organized into five armies, with the First at Epinal, the Second north of Charmes, the Third at Verdun, the Fourth at Saint-Merehould, and the Fifth at Sedan.
Upon the outbreak of war, the French began Plan XVII, engaging the Fourth and Fifth German Armies at the Frontiers. At the same time, the Germans used the First, Second, and Third to attack Belgium, catching the French off guard. On 7 August the campaign began. On August 26, the Germans captured Brussels. While the Second Army engaged the French at Charleroi, beating them at Namur, the Fifth Army fell back to Maubourg. After having arrived at Calais in early August, the British engaged the Germans at Mons.
On 22 August, the true surprise of the German war plan was revealed. The Third Army burst out of the Ardennes, and made a direct push for Paris. On September 4, the Second and Third armies approached the French capital. They were opposed by the Third and Fifth French armies, and the British Expeditionary Force. At the same time, the First Army encircled the city, and bent eastward toward Chartres.
Two days later, the Battle of the Seine began. On the third day of the battle, the Second Army managed to unravel the western flank of the French defenses, and routed the remaining Entente forces toward a fallback position on the edge of Paris. After days of shelling, punctuated by German charges, the line broke. German troops entered the city as they had done in 1870, and forced a surrender from the French Third republic.
With the fall of France, the Germans opened negotiation with Russia in October of 1914. The German Eighth Army had managed to take Lithuania and Poland from the Russians previously, and the Russians realized that without France to carry most of the force of the German armies, they had neither the resources nor the will to carry on an attritional war against the combined forces of the Central Powers. Russia agreed to an armistice on October 5.
During 1915, delegates from the Central Powers and Entente met in Munich to discuss the terms of peace. Present as the delegates of the Central Powers were Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary and Wilhelm II of Germany, along with a host of diplomats from their empires. Raymond Poincare, George V, and Nicholas II were present as delegates for the defeated Entente.
The End of the War
The decisions of the Munich Peace Conference were as follows: German troops would withdraw from Belgium and France by June 1917. Britain was to cede British East Africa, New Guinea, and North Borneo, and limit the Royal Navy to 10 dreadnoughts. Furthermore, Britain was to cede the Union of South Africa to an independent South African Republic. Britain was also expected to withdraw from Egypt, and cede it to an independent Egyptian sultanate associated with the Ottoman Empire. France was to cede the remainder of Lorraine, French Indochina, and much of French Equatorial Africa (though the French were allowed to retain Chad). Russia was to release an independent Kingdom of Poland and cede Lithuania to Germany. Austria-Hungary annexed Serbia. Russia was made to pay the heaviest reparations of all, to Austria-Hungary and Germany.
Immediately following the armistice, France and Britain experienced social upheaval. As they had in 1871, Parisians took up arms against the government, once more championing the cause of socialism. This time they were joined by defeated soldiers returning from the front, seeking to remake the peace so that it favored the people. French veterans formed into a National Guard and staged armed protests against the Third Republic. In March of 1915, the French Army put down the revolution, restoring order under the legitimate authorities.
The case was different in the more stable Britain, where the worst of the instability was in Ireland. Once the armistice was signed, the Irish Republic rose up against the British. The conflict would continue as a guerilla war until 1921, when the British agreed to a treaty with the Irish, recognizing their independence.