The Franco Prussian War: what would you do?

How would you ensure French victory in the Franco Prussian War? You may not do anything before the war starts-so no equipping the French artillery with Krupp guns, for example.
 
Can't do anything before the start of the war? Pity, because there goes my first choice, which would've been to mimic the Prussian General Staff system and actually get the military into gear before starting a war.

I'd've also liked to completely reform logistics and the quartermaster corps. The lack of ammunition, food, and other basic necessities needed for campaigning were shockingly absent in OTL, and that is probably one of the biggest factors that led to France's defeat, in my opinion.

The general gist is, I would've tried to do more planning before the war. None of this improvisation claptrap.
 
some quick thoughts...

- mobilize as fast as possible, try to defeat the germans before they can fully mobilize. Make Prussia fight on my terms. If this does not work, fight a war of attrition to allow my own nation to gear up for war

- the mitraileusse is not artillery; it will be deployed to the front lines

- sack most of the high command. bazaine, macmahon, the lot. maybe have Niel survive to fight the war. For field command, i'm not sure whom is best: maybe canrobert or frossard?

- this would really be best with at least a year of full-on preparations, better more.
 
The battle of Saarbrucken on August 2nd. The French occupied the Town, with the French Chassepot rifle far superior to the German rifles, but after occuping it, the French re-treated. They should have occupied the twon and pushed on. The Prussians where worried by this, and it would have completly messed up there invasion plan. Molkte later said the French made that fatel error and it changed the course of the war and in-fact the entire course of European history.
 
Does it count if France had some allies? Austria, Italy and Denmark come to mind. If you stretch things, you may get the southern German states stay neutral, or even ally with France too. Then instigate a Welf uprising in recently annexed Hannover...

And yes, the mitrailleuse would be useful. I heard they kept it so much a secret that they wouldn't even distribute manuals for it.
 
And yes, the mitrailleuse would be useful.

Unlikely IMHO, as it was an ergonomic nightmare:

Firing a Gatling basically required turning a handle at a constant speed in one direction. A French gunner had to turn the handle clockwise, then counterclockwise (or vice-versa), pushing a lever, cranking the handle again ... a very non-intuitive sequence of actions to load and fire ... under enemy fire ... with too little training for the limited number of gunners, often not involving life fire exercises.

Yes, there were a few successes with well-deployed mitrailleuses, but nothing that could not have been achieved with well deployed field guns AFAIK.
 
A minimum of training should solve that. After all, any soldier today is supposed to able to pick his gun apart and put it together again in, essentially, his sleep. Learning a few un-intuitive moves aren't really that hard.
 
A minimum of training should solve that.

Tell that to the French:

They wanted to keep this alleged super weapon secret, so they deliberately limited the number of personal trained in its use and maintenance, largely avoiding field training to avoid the non-existing Prussian spy network.

They kept its ballistic performance classified from the commanding officers, who were to command their deployment!

The original poster also stipulated no pre-war changes, this should preclude better training.
 
Well lets see I'd give the Prussian more troops, more ammo, more, oh wait. Did you say French victory? Well I'm afraid I won... I mean can't do anything about that.
 
I'm going to have to agree with this one. After all, the French were taking on Germans, and not the liberal ones that run around these days, but hardcore 19th Century ones.
I dunno about that- some of the generals on the German side were downright stupid, and others were old enough to have faint memories of the eighteenth century. They had their fair share of mistakes, too-- it's just that the French didn't capitalize on them.
 
I'm thinking of assassinating Napoleon and his fsamily in the first days of the war. The French military could have won if ithad been ably led and managed, but the problem seems so intractable as to be insoluble in the few days or weeks allowed until the issue is decided. So - kill the emperor. Enter Red Revolution (stage left).

Seriously - this produces a political headache of monumental proportions. Bismarck's allies were an unequal and unwilling bunch, and while they may have gone along fighting an overweening empire bent on humiliating the German nation, they might have thought twice about invading a country in the process of building up a liberal republican government with the actual culprit for the conflict dead. Bavaria, Wurttemberg and presumably, some others might well push for an early, negotiated peace. Also, Bismarck has good reason to be leery of fighting a Republic. Thing is, if the Fremnch win (as well they may) that would not just threaten his political plans, but also his system, his conceprtion ofwhat German states ought to be like. Add thev fact that he was paranoid about revolutionaries, and that could well give him pause. Any victories won by the German armies will be felt to be owed more to the opponent's sudden weaknesas than their own strength, which would encourage a more moderate and early settlement before France comes back roaring, as she was wont to do ineartlier conflicts (the revolutionary wars aren't ancient history for these guys, the reigning king of Prussia met Napoleon I in person as a child).

You pull the carpet out from under Bismarck. France might come to the table early and negotiate a moderate 1866-style settlement - keeping Alsace-Lorraine - ot, if the reviolutionary government decides to stick to its guns, might find the fervour and drive to throw out the boche in the second year of the war. Either way, the iron chancellor is more likely to try and salvage his unification project and let France off the hook than to thrust for Paris and stick his head in the noose.

Not exactly a military victory, but it would have all the effects of one.
 
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