No Moltke

jeffking

Banned
Was the German victory in WWI inevitable if only they had followed the Schliffen PLan to perfection? The original plan outlined by Count Schliffen called for 53 divisions to drive across Belgium and Luxembourg into the heart of the French interior with the right wing strongest consisting over over half those troop stregth but when the plan was implemented only 34 divisions were used and fresh divisions were funneled into the defense of the Rhine and further strength was sapped when 4 divisions were sent to Prussia to deal with the Russian threat, then the plan was completely thrown away when Kluck instead of wheeling around Paris and trapping the French against their own borders decided to drive straight to Paris. It becomes clear then that the major impediment to this plan was Moltke himself who did not understand it and took every step possible to disobey it so what if a more able, daring, skilled and proactive German were to head the General Staff, would that person be able to win the war in 1914?
 
Was the German victory in WWI inevitable if only they had followed the Schliffen PLan to perfection? The original plan outlined by Count Schliffen called for 53 divisions to drive across Belgium and Luxembourg into the heart of the French interior with the right wing strongest consisting over over half those troop stregth but when the plan was implemented only 34 divisions were used and fresh divisions were funneled into the defense of the Rhine and further strength was sapped when 4 divisions were sent to Prussia to deal with the Russian threat, then the plan was completely thrown away when Kluck instead of wheeling around Paris and trapping the French against their own borders decided to drive straight to Paris. It becomes clear then that the major impediment to this plan was Moltke himself who did not understand it and took every step possible to disobey it so what if a more able, daring, skilled and proactive German were to head the General Staff, would that person be able to win the war in 1914?


Don't know about inevitable, but it would improve the chances.

If Moltke, or his replacement, sticks closer to the SP, he won't place Kluck under Bulow's orders. This means that Kluck wil swing further west than OTL, and at Mons will probably take the BEF in flank rather than striking it head on. That puts borh it and the French Vth Army in grave danger of being cut off and destroyed - probably the Germans best chance for a KO in 1914. That said, though, there's still "many a slip" and inevitable is not a word I'd use.
 
SP was logistically unsound, Moltkes changes improved it from a logistical perspective.

However as Mikestone says, if Kluck and Bulow had managed to get their shit together and cut off and encircle Lanzerac France would be in all manner of trouble.
 
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