World War One was one of the bloodiest conflicts the Earth has ever known. After the first few months trenches were dug and the front lines did not change more than thirty miles for the entirety of the war. The Germans however believed that the war itself would be short, lasting only six weeks, due to the Schlieffen plan, a fast maneuver that would quickly incapacitate France. Obviously, the plan failed. The reasoning behind this failure can be attributed to the failure in following an original battle plan and the limitations in supplies and communication the German Army faced. The Schlieffen Plan itself was a combination of military movements intended to quickly, and decisively dispose of France, and therefore avoid a war on multiple fronts. The Schlieffen plan as accepted today actually refers to a revised version of a plan originally created by German Chief of General Staff Alfred von Schlieffen. Von Schlieffen’s original plans consist of a need for an early decisive battle, in order to win a war with France. In order to do this, a group of soldiers would invade Northern France through …show more content…
British and Belgian troops effectively slowed the German advance. The introduction of the Belgian army caused significant issues for the German forces as this unexpected fighting led to casualties, but more importantly used up valuable time. The Schlieffen Plan needed to be quick and with Belgian forces intervening the plan immediately faced significant problems. With England and Russia then mobilizing as fast as they did the German’s six weeks were effectively cut down. Belgian and British interference persists in England today as one of the main reasons for the plans failure. However, this interpretation is not only one sided but does not account for the various mistakes in the implementation of the plan, which ultimately led to a slower advance and therefore the failure of the Schlieffen