It seems that the "masters" of the forces, Joffre, French, Moltke, Foch, were very much in the dark during this period.
It also looks as though the confusion upset the plans for offensive and resulted in retreats an non-adherence to some fo the bigger plans for the war.
Despite all the calculations made leading up to 1914, it just fell apart.
It is easy to blame French (but he had just had a severe heart attack and was told to go easy). Easy to blame Joffre as he reacted to his imagination rather than to facts, etc.
However, even if French was not there (Haig instead?) then what?
The whole thing seems to come down to communications. Without any knowledge about the actual situation, the generals did make some rather bad decisions.
What if they had flawless communications, enabling them to have a "grip" on the battle?
- Could it have been achieved?
- Would they have known what to do even?
- Should the younger generation have had a chance to manage the battles?
Comments?