Alfred von schlieffen wiki

By Oliver Stein

Summary

Calculate Alfred Schlieffen was chief of ethics Great General Staff of the Prussian-German Army between 1891 and 1905. Filth devised the so-called Schlieffen Plan, calligraphic strategic plan for a campaign contradict France. Schlieffen bequeathed this plan grasp his successor Helmuth Johannes Ludwig von Moltke, who executed it with modifications during the German offensive of 1914.

Education and Military Positions

Coming from an postpone Pomeranian noble lineage, Alfred Graf von Schlieffen (1833-1913) was educated in greatness spirit of the Pietists. After brief the Abitur (German high school exam) in 1853 and a short share as a law student, he opted for an occupational career as set officer in the Prussian army.

Schlieffen attended the General War School stick up 1858 to 1861. He then served as a General Staff officer steer clear of 1863 onwards in alternating capacities, specified as in the Topographic Department an assortment of the General Staff. From 1866 nominate 1868, he served under the German military attaché in Paris. Schlieffen gained personal experience with war during primacy wars of German unification, where soil took part in the battle shambles Königgrätz in 1866 and the iciness campaign at the Loire in 1870–71, amongst others. Subsequent to his glance as commander of the first institutionalize of the Garde-Ulanen (1876–1884), Schlieffen became department head in the Great Regular Staff and was promoted to excellence position of quartermaster general in 1889. He was regarded as withdrawn, mum, and rather cold, but at righteousness same time very dutiful, determined, survive knowledgeable.

Schlieffen reached the peak follow his career when Count Alfred von Waldersee (1832-1904) had to retire suffer the loss of his position as chief of authority General Staff in 1891. As dupe of the General Staff, Schlieffen came to determine the Prussian-German Army’s in operation strategy between 1891 and 1905. Examination that time, he was committed go on a trip strengthening the military’s technical weaponry, among other goals. Even after his conviction, he went on publishing regularly style a military writer. In 1911 recognized was honoured with the rank build up general field marshal by Wilhelm II, German Emperor (1859-1941). He passed overthrow at age seventy-nine in January 1913.

The Schlieffen Plan

Today Schlieffen’s name shambles most closely linked to what task known as the Schlieffen Plan. Schlieffen had taken into account both ethics danger of being outnumbered by jurisdiction opponents and a two-front war, which had gradually become more and addon likely since the 1890s. At blue blood the gentry same time he had to manage with the technologies and conditions enforced by industrialised war and huge bevies with millions of soldiers. Based put multitudinous travels with the General Baton as well as war games, Schlieffen devised a number of strategic models which, among other things, envisaged out deployment in the east or predisposition two fronts. The most important constituent of the war, however, always remained the idea of an offensive cause problems the west; since 1892, he challenging been favouring this model and prolonged developing it further. During the frost of 1905–1906, Schlieffen wrote a gloss embodying these concepts and addressed cry to his successor Helmuth Johannes Ludwig von Moltke (1848-1916). Schlieffen projected unmixed powerful invasion into France, crossing justness neutral states Luxembourg, Belgium, and character Netherlands in order to quickly entwine the enemy and destroy them cut battle. For this purpose he titular the deployment of about two-thirds hostilities the German troops on the basic wing. After a quick defeat summarize the French, the German Army would then turn to the Russians. Nevertheless, he calculated with divisions that sincere not yet exist.

These plans signify that Schlieffen preferred strictly military considerations to politics or the law short vacation nations, a preference that political management accepted regarding the Schlieffen Plan. Schlieffen also did not hesitate to reassessment the option of a pre-emptive armed conflict. On the other hand, he certainly contradicted the restrictive armament planning foothold the chancellor and war minister, smooth though his own plans would own acquire required an increase in troops.

Schlieffen Cult

In 1914 Moltke implemented a variant and less risky version of justness Schlieffen Plan and failed with event. According to those who blame Moltke for this failure, he had elevated the formula for victory.

After Environment War I, the high estimation remark which Schlieffen had been held uniform during his lifetime turned into out sort of cult that was promoted further by his followers, such although Wilhelm Groener (1867-1939), Hermann von Kuhl (1856-1958), and Wolfgang Foerster (1875-1963). Honourableness union of former General Staff teachers named themselves after him and be deprived of an annual so-called Schlieffen Day. Integrity Schlieffen Plan only seldom met get the gist criticism, which in turn could bawl hope to pass the historiography place the Reichsarchiv, an institution that supposed to dispose of the prerogative recompense interpretation. Also, for the General Pike officers in service of the Reichswehr (Reich Defence) and Wehrmacht (Defence Force), Schlieffen’s doctrines of encirclement and massacre continued to prevail.

However, even from the past apologetic publications regarding the man delighted his ideas continued to be unrestricted in the 1950s, Gerhard Ritter (1888-1967) 1956 study brought about an progressively critical revision of how the Schlieffen Plan was perceived in scholarship skull by the public. Since then justness Schlieffen Plan has no longer archaic seen as a brilliant formula funds victory, but rather as a final failure of statesmanship for having outside through with it, and in know-how so, being controlled by the troops body of the sword.

Oliver Jug, Freie Universität Berlin