Von Kluck Does not make the turn early.

After the battle of Mons in 1914 the German General took a left turn pursuing the retreating French army. This allowed the British to smash into his now exposed right flank and deflecting the German encirclement of Paris. So what if Von Kluck kept in accords with the Schleiffen Plan and encircle the majority of aliied forces inside Paris. Would this have won the war? Or just delayed the inevitable.

1...2....3..... DODGEBALL!
 
The "Schlieffen-Plan" didn't exist. There was no fixed scheme of advance, there only was a fixed plan of initial deployment which required Liège to be taken early. Once the advance started, the trick was to find the enemy's flank and rear. - Thus the German armies marched in pursuit of the enemy armies.
Had Kluck kept direction Paris, after it had become known that the enemy armies were marching south, Moltke would have stopped him.
 
The "Schlieffen-Plan" didn't exist. There was no fixed scheme of advance, there only was a fixed plan of initial deployment which required Liège to be taken early. Once the advance started, the trick was to find the enemy's flank and rear. - Thus the German armies marched in pursuit of the enemy armies.
Had Kluck kept direction Paris, after it had become known that the enemy armies were marching south, Moltke would have stopped him.

Well Molkte's underconfidence pretty much ruined it anyway. So what would happen if he didn't stop Kluck.
 
Kluck - or better his chief of staff, Kuhl - were obsessed with beating the BEF.
Kuhl had spoiled it at Mons and Le Cateau by faulty troop dispositions.
If not stopped by Moltke they'll do what they tried IOTL: Try to find and beat the Brits. Kluck/Kuhl were not interested in Paris, they wanted John French's head on a platter.
If Moltke does not force them to cover the right flank, the whole army will be down south casing the BEF - and Maunoury's army cuts unopposed through the German supply lines.
 

Deleted member 1487

I am actually planning a TL based on this that will cover the whole war with massive butterflies. Stay tuned....
But basically this cannot happen unless Moltke knew what was going on and countermanded the order. But that would require a different Moltke or perhaps a different commander....
 
I am actually planning a TL based on this that will cover the whole war with massive butterflies. Stay tuned....
But basically this cannot happen unless Moltke knew what was going on and countermanded the order. But that would require a different Moltke or perhaps a different commander....

Molkte did not really believe in the Schleiffen plan anyway. He did not keep the right flank anywhere near as strong as it would have had to have been to encircle Paris. He not only kept taking divisions away to supply the Eastern Front but he was much more caucious then the plan needed him to be.

After all a caucious gambler rarely loses. But he also rarely wins...
 
Molkte did not really believe in the Schleiffen plan anyway. He did not keep the right flank anywhere near as strong as it would have had to have been to encircle Paris. He not only kept taking divisions away to supply the Eastern Front but he was much more caucious then the plan needed him to be.

After all a caucious gambler rarely loses. But he also rarely wins...

That was because the Schleiffen plan was fundamentally unworkable. Logistics simply didn't exist for it and Schleiffen handwaved them away with "Well, the troops will just have to march faster!" The right flank was, if anything, stronger since Moltke added to it the troops that would have been involved invading and occupying yet another nation (Denmark if memory serves).
 
Top