AHC: Make the Schlieffen Plan successful

Belgium wasn't even making deals with the Britis, and they rejected German offers and threats even under pain of invasion and occupation. There's no way Belgium is moving into the German camp.
 

JAG88

Banned
The German right consisted of 5 armies the 1st through 5th. The French left was 3 armies - 3rd, 4th, 5th, plus the BEF. Assuming Moltke refuses his right wing then either Joffre advances into the Ardennes on his own or he does not. If he does not, then German forces go east and crush the Russian invasion.

If he does, then 3rd and 4th armies would have advanced in the general direction of Trier via the Ardennes and Luxembourg while French 5th and BEF provided flank protection. In this scenario, the status of the Belgian army would be unknown, as Germany will not have invaded Belgium while France has. The French far left would be advancing along the southern bank of the Meuse with the Belgian army concentrated to the north of it on the axis Brussels-Antwerp. Presumably French reserve divisions would have to be deployed to 'watch' the Belgians.

Once the French center reached the vicinity of Trier, the refused German right (still in its concentrations zones in Germany) would unleash the Schlieffen Plan. The French 5th army would be hit and defeated by German 1st and 2nd, and thrown back across the Ardennes in a meeting engagement. The German right then seeks to pocket the French 3rd and 4th by driving southwest to link up with the Metz-Thionville fortress line via Luxembourg. Since the French are now with the Ardennes at their backs,their LOC for retreat are curtailed.

That would be too much reliance by the Germans on what they thought the French would do, the French might wait for the Russians or for "the situation to clarify itself". The cult of the offensive was a new thing in France, they might reconsider on the day...

The right hook on the other hand forces the issue, AND the most sensible thing the French could do would be to attack the Germans while their strong enveloping wing is still walking through Belgium. Most German war games went that way, and it was always a close thing and often the German 1st and 2nd armies didnt get play any role at all.

But that also presented an opportunity, any French attack exposes itself to Metz-Thionville from where 5th army could strike and cutoff the French penetration from its frontier forts. Moltke was supposed to do that and almost did, but he was a mess, he yielded to pressure and allowed the 5th, 6th and 7th armies to counterattack frontally instead of feeding rope to the French so they could hang themselves.

It should have been a fairly easy victory for Germany but it is clear that no one, nor his subordinates nor the Kaiser had much respect from him and he kept being overruled and ignored.
 
If Belgium had caved in more easily -- and I agree that that's a big "if" -- then might the German advance have been hastened enough to make it impossible for a BEF landing at the same ports as IOTL (if it still could do so) to have linked up with the French in time? Would a BEF landing mainly at Le Havre, instead, still have been useful?
EDIT: Actually, if Belgium has already "gone", does the BEF get deployed to France at all?
 
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JAG88

Banned
If Belgium had caved in more easily -- and I agree that that's a big "if" -- then might the German advance have been hastened enough to make it impossible for a BEF landing at the same ports as IOTL (if it still could do so) to have linked up with the French in time? Would a BEF landing mainly at Le Havre, instead, still have been useful?
EDIT: Actually, if Belgium has already "gone", does the BEF get deployed to France at all?

Actually all you need to do is abort the "surprise" attack on Liege and only invade Belgium when ready to march through Belgium, that is a few days before the German mobilization is completed.

The army moves in with the big guns and blasts the place as IOTL, Britain can only react once Germany invades so their mobilization is thrown back 10 days, so by the time they are ready the French 5th Army is being surrounded and Britain is getting cold feet...
 

Anderman

Donor
The army moves in with the big guns and blasts the place as IOTL, Britain can only react once Germany invades so their mobilization is thrown back 10 days, so by the time they are ready the French 5th Army is being surrounded and Britain is getting cold feet...

Only if this had happened before the DOW of the UK after it the empire would lose to much face.
 

JAG88

Banned
Only if this had happened before the DOW of the UK after it the empire would lose to much face.

The DoW happened after the Germans sent an ultimatum to Belgium, in this case, there is no ultimatum until you are actually ready to roll through Belgium.

Before then you tell the British you will respect Belgian neutrality for as long as France does, then claim the French did it and invade.

Pretty much everyone lied by this point so no point in being squeamish, just remember that the Russians had lied about their mobilization and France did about everyone elses as well.

Hell, since the French were obliged to attack on the 15th day of mobilization that may get the whole thing to be called off and just deal with the French as per Schlieffen.
 
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