Plan XVII was the name of the battle plan adopted by the French General Staff in 1913, to be put into effect by the French Army in the event of war between France and Germany. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. When Germany declared war a year later, France riposted with five initiatives, now collectively known as the Battle of the Frontiers:
- Battle of Mulhouse - (8-10 August 1914)
- Battle of Lorraine - (14-25 August 1914)
- Battle of the Ardennes - (21-23 August 1914)
- Battle of Charleroi - (21- August 1914)
- Battle of Mons - (23-4 August 1914)
The battles relied on the principle of élan ("dash", in the sense of prompt, spirited and vigorous action). The Battle of the Frontiers was a series of Battles fought along the eastern frontier of France and in southern Belgium shortly after the outbreak of The Battle of Mulhouse (or Mülhausen, which began on August 9, 1914, was the opening attack of World War I by the French army against Germany The Battle of Lorraine was fought in August 1914 between France and Germany. For the World War II Battle of the Ardennes see Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Ardennes was one of the opening battles of World The Battle of Charleroi, or the Battle of the Sambre (1914 was fought on August 21, 1914, between French and German forces and was part For the ancient Roman campaign see Battle of Mons Algidus. The Battle of Mons was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force The French commander in chief, General Joseph Joffre, was one of the main architects of Plan XVII. Joseph Jacques Césaire Joffre (12 January 1852 - 3 January 1931 was a French General who was Commander-in-Chief of the French Army between
Background
Following the defeat of the French armies during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, the French military had to adapt to a new balance of power in Europe. The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War ( 19 July, 1870 — 10 May, 1871 The emergence of the German Empire on the other side of the Rhine, combined with the loss of the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, had the effect of putting France at a disadvantage. The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification The Rhine (Rhein Rijn Rhin Reno Rain Rhenus is one of the longest and most important Rivers in Europe at 1320 kilometres (820 mi with an average discharge Alsace-Lorraine (Reichsland Elsaß-Lothringen generally Elsass - Lothringen) was a territorial entity created by the German Empire in 1871
In 1898, the French General Staff adopted Plan XIV. Taking into account the numerical inferiority of the French Army, plan XIV was a defensive strategy along the Franco-German border. Besides the increasing disparity in population (by the turn of the century France had a stagnant population of around forty million, compared to fifty million Germans) there was also the problem of reserves. The war of 1870-71 had demonstrated ability of the German General Staff to make use of the German railroad network to deploy its armies and its capability to quickly mobilize its reservists into front-line units. While the French General Staff began to apply the lessons of the use of railways, the question of using reservists in frontline units was not resolved. Plan XIV didn't take reserves into account.
In 1903, Plan XIV gave way to Plan XV. While defensive in character Plan XV considered using reserve formations but in a subordinate role.
The offensive French military strategy in World War I known as Plan XVII was created by Ferdinand Foch. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Ferdinand Foch OM GCB (2 October 1851 – 20 March 1929 was a French soldier military theorist and writer credited with possessing "the most original The offensive plan used brute force and a mystical belief in "élan" or "fighting spirit. " General Joseph Joffre adopted this plan upon becoming commander-in-chief in 1911. Joseph Jacques Césaire Joffre (12 January 1852 - 3 January 1931 was a French General who was Commander-in-Chief of the French Army between
After the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, the French had lost the provinces of Alsace-Lorraine to the German empire. The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War ( 19 July, 1870 — 10 May, 1871 Alsace-Lorraine (Reichsland Elsaß-Lothringen generally Elsass - Lothringen) was a territorial entity created by the German Empire in 1871 The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification This created a spirit of revanchism amongst some people in France. Revanchism (from French revanche " Revenge " is a term used since the 1870s to describe a political manifestation of the will to reverse territorial One aim of Plan XVII was to recapture Alsace and Lorraine. Four French armies would advance on either side of Metz and Thionville. Metz (mɛs in French) is a city in the northeast of France, capital of the Lorraine région and Préfecture Thionville (Diedenhofen Diedennuewen Diedenhoven is a town and commune in the Moselle département, in the Lorraine This left only one army to defend northern France but French planners were convinced that Germany would not invade through Belgium, as this would lead to British involvement (in the Treaty of London, the United Kingdom had guaranteed Belgian neutrality). The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Treaty of London, also called the First Treaty of London or the Convention of 1839, was a Treaty signed on 19 April 1839 between For other uses of Neutral and Neutrality see Neutral A neutral country takes no side in a War between other parties
The Germans regarded the Treaty of London as a mere "scrap of paper" (and thought the British would do so as well). Their strategy, the Schlieffen plan, was an attack through Belgium and northern France to encircle Paris. For the French counter-plan see Plan XVII The Schlieffen Plan was the German General Staff 's early 20th century overall strategic Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Unfortunately for the French, a reconnaissance by the French Cavalry Corps under General Sordet, confirmed Joffres belief that the Germans couldn't be strong in Alsace-Lorraine, and defend against the Russians, yet still invade in strength through Belgium. Reconnaissance (also scouting) is a military and medical term denoting exploration conducted to gain information So Joffre discounted this, not realizing that it was the Russian frountier which was relatively weak, and that the invasion of Belgium was still developing.
Plan XVII failed. The German defense of Alsace-Lorraine turned out to be much better than expected and within a few weeks, the French were back in their starting positions, while the Germans had advanced almost unopposed through Belgium and northern France and were threatening Paris, executing the Schlieffen Plan. For the French counter-plan see Plan XVII The Schlieffen Plan was the German General Staff 's early 20th century overall strategic Only the fact that the German high command diverted troops to the Eastern Front and to a counterattack in Alsace-Lorraine (which was in turn repulsed by the French), allowed the French and their British allies (who had adhered to the Treaty of London and thus declared war on Germany after the German invasion of Belgium) to halt the German advance in the First Battle of the Marne. The Eastern Front was a theatre of war during World War I in Central and primarily Eastern Europe. The First Battle of the Marne (also known as the Miracle of the Marne) was a World War I battle fought from 5 September to 12 September 1914 With hindsight, the failure of Plan XVII may not have been an entirely bad thing. The original Schlieffen Plan had little defense in Alsace-Lorraine in order to lure French forces away from Paris into Germany, then to be double-enveloped and destroyed. For the French counter-plan see Plan XVII The Schlieffen Plan was the German General Staff 's early 20th century overall strategic The failure of the French to take Alsace-Lorraine might have eventually earned them their victory on the Marne.
External links
- First World War.com A map of the French and German war plans
- First World War.com French and German war plans
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