The Imperial French army might've been able to briefly penetrate into the Rhineland if it had held its ground at either Spicheren or Froeschwiller, both of which started with French troops magnificently deployed, only to be squandered by some of the most terribly sluggish, overly cautious, and/or just plain stupid officers in army. Had Napoleon III's army managed to continue forward into Germany without any embarrassing defeats of that sort (and improvised a supply system that mostly worked), there's a small but notable chance that either Denmark, Italy, and/or Austria-Hungary may have joined in the fight on France's side.Without a much earlier POD, this is really difficult. The French were outnumbered, out-generaled, and just about out-everything by the Germans, and little could be done about it without a POD at the latest c. 1867.
Inspired by a documentary that I watched early today,how could the French won the war?
Alternatively, get the Germans to get more artillery on the field at a rate slower than the French. If memory serves, there were only three or so major German rail lines that ran towards the French border. If some sort of franc-tireur unit (or natural disaster or rail accident or anything) could muck up any of the lines, the German ability to ship men and material to the Rhine could be affected.Artillery. Its all about the artillery. French loss is essentially attributed to being outgunned by German artillery. The Huns were able to deploy more of it faster than the French could. If you could somehow get the French logistics to get more artillery on the field at a rate faster than the Germans.
Without a much earlier POD, this is really difficult. The French were outnumbered, out-generaled, and just about out-everything by the Germans, and little could be done about it without a POD at the latest c. 1867.
Im not disagreeing with you, you are the military expert after all, but I wonder then why on the field of diplomacy most people expected a French victory?
Im not disagreeing with you, you are the military expert after all, but I wonder then why on the field of diplomacy most people expected a French victory?