Page 21 - History of War - Issue 01-14

THE SCHLIEFFEN PLAN
Cologne
Ypres Brussels Antwerp
BELGIAN
ARMY
Lille Liege Aachen Cologne
Mons Ypres FIRST
Namur ARMY
Coblenz
Maubeuge Brussels
Liege
La Fere Luxembourg SECOND GERMAN
Mons HQ
Namur ARMY
Laon Coblenz
Maubeuge Lille THIRD
SECOND ARMY
ARMY Rheims
Paris GER MANY
FOURTH
FRANCE ARMY
Toul
FIRST Strassburg Meuse
ARMY Laon Luxembourg
Epinal Aisne FIFTH
ARMY
Langres
Rheims Diedenhofen
Metz
SIXTH
ARMY Marne Verdun SIXTH
ARMY
THIRD
Paris ARMY
Toul Strassburg
BRITISH NINTH FOURTH
ARMY
ARMY
The German attack EXPEDITIONARY FIFTH SECOND
ARMY
FORCE
ARMY
in August 1914 SEVENTH
German positions 17 August
ARMY
To be reached by 23 August FRANCE Epinal
KEY
German positions 17 August FIRST
To be reached by 1 Septem-
To be reached by 23 August ARMY
ber
To be reached by 1 September Langres
Allied positions 5 September
Allied positions 5 September Belfort
a result, on 24 August, even as von Kluck moved but also because the German heavy artillery
to surround Mons, the BEF began to retreat. outranged the standard French 75mm artillery THE GERMAN HEAVY
Thus in the north, the “Battle of the Frontiers” piece, and thus rained death down on French
came to an end as a resounding German victory. units with relative impunity. Making matters
Both the French and British forces in the area worse, German Commanders – and in particular ARTILLERY OUTRANGED
were in full retreat, and the Schlieffen Plan Prince Rupprecht – placed pressure on von
ground remorselessly on, ahead of schedule. Moltke to allow them to attack. Here, von THE STANDARD
On the southern part of the battle front, Moltke’s resolve crumbled in the face of such
Joffre put into action the French offensive, a royal request, and he gave a German attack in
designed to seize the lost states of Alsace- Alsace-Lorraine his blessing. This fundamentally FRENCH 75MM
Lorraine. On 14 August, even as the Germans altered the Schlieffen Plan; French forces would
moved into contact with Lanrezac in the north, not be enticed forward to their doom. Instead,
the French First and Second Armies launched on 20 August, the German forces in Alsace- ARTILLERY PIECE,
the main portion of Plan 17. The French found Lorraine rushed forward, and by 22 August the
AND THUS
AND THUS RAINED
the going diffi cult, partly because von Moltke French had been forced to relinquish all land
had reinforced the German armies in the area, that they had conquered in Plan 17. AND THUS
in Plan 17.
that they had conquered
DEATH DOWN ON
DEATH DOWN ON
DEATH DOWN ON
M-GERÄT (“BIG BERTHA”), GERMANY DEATH DOWN ON
Calibre 420mm
FRENCH UNITS
FRENCH UNITS
FRENCH UNITS WITH
Barrel length 6.72m
Weight 42,600kg FRENCH UNITS WITH
Maximum range 9300m
RELATIVE IMPUNITY
RELATIVE IMPUNITY
Shell weight 810kg

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HISTORY
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