Page 24 - History of War - Issue 01-14

THE SCHLIEFFEN PLAN

Christmas truce which would be the scene of desperate
The shattered Belgian city of Ypres,
fighting throughout World War I.

As Christmas approached on the British sector of the
Western Front, the weather turned clear and cold.
Huddled in their trenches, the combatants – British
and German alike – readied themselves for their

first Christmas in the trenches. Late at night on 24
December 1914, lit Christmas trees began to appear
in the German trenches. Men on both sides began
to sing Christmas carols, and were stunned to find

their enemies – dug in only a short distance away
– joining in to sing the familiar songs.

When morning came, nobody fired, lending the dawn
an eerie calm. Men from both sides began to emerge General Joffre assesses his French
from their trenches – under flags of truce – and made troops. His confidence and calmness

their way across no-man’s land to meet the enemy. were instrumental in the Allies’
All across the line, fraternisation broke out among victory at the Battle of the Marne
men who had recently been trying desperately to kill
one another. Germans and British soldiers shook hands,
exchanged gifts, sang more songs, played football, The situation for the Germans was becoming Germany was now doomed to fi ght a two-front
took photographs and buried the dead. One British desperate. Von Moltke, out of touch and losing war of attrition. The Battle of the Marne was
soldier remembers his experience: his nerve in his HQ in Luxembourg, had no not decisive in the most conventional sense, for
“A German NCO with the Iron Cross started his true idea of the developing situation or how the Germans were not defeated or even driven
fellows off on some marching tune. When they had done, to control it. As a result, the Commander sent from French soil. In some ways, though, it was
I set the note for The Boys Of Bonnie Scotland, Where Richard Hentsch, a mere Colonel, to take control one of the most decisive battles in history.
The Heather And The Bluebells Grow, and so we went of the situation on the front. Hentsch, struggling It forced Germany to fi ght a war that they could
on, singing everything from Good King Wenceslas down
to the ordinary Tommies’ songs, and ending up with to fulfi l his task, met with both von Bülow not win; a war that would soon settle down into
Auld Lang Syne, which we all – English, Scots, Irish, and von Kluck, and found that only von Kluck a siege that ran the entire length of France.
Prussian, Württembergers – joined in. It was absolutely retained any confi dence in victory at the Marne.
astounding and if I had seen it on a cinematograph film, On 9 September, after the discussions closed, Savage battles

I should have sworn that it was faked!” Hentsch made the most important decision Kaiser Wilhelm replaced von Moltke with General
In some areas of the front, the Christmas truce of his life and ordered the German armies to Erich von Falkenhayn. The new Commander
never took hold, but in many areas it lasted for up to retreat. The Battle of the Marne was over. noticed, as did Joffre, that there remained to the

three days. It ended only when astounded Officers The Schlieffen Plan had failed, partly due north of the combatant forces an open fl ank –
heard what was happening and ordered their men to to von Moltke’s ineptitude and partly thanks to and the possibility of victory. Even as German
recommence hostilities. Often, the firing began again

only after warnings and apologies had been issued to Joffre’s steady hand. Though many historians forces near Paris fell back to the Aisne River,
the enemy. In the end, the Christmas truce did not hold contend that it was doomed to failure from its von Falkenhayn began quickly to remove troops
and would not be repeated as the ferocity of the war inception, von Moltke had contributed to its from Alsace-Lorraine in an effort to outfl ank the
grew apace. But for one brief, beautiful moment, the fi nal ruination by steadily weakening the right Allies in the north. Joffre, for his part, sought to
common men in the trenches had bridged a growing fl ank. He would pay by losing his position as press his advantage and launched an attack on
gap of hatred to recognise each other’s humanity. Commander-in-Chief. the rudimentary German positions on the Aisne.
On 14 November, French forces attacked the
German positions on the Chemin des Dames
Ridge. Though the Germans had had little time
to prepare their defences, they were able to call
down withering fi re upon the French and rebuffed
the assault. The Battle of the Aisne was the fi rst
example of trench warfare on the Western Front
and served as a portent of the future.
After this French failure, the Allies, too,
began to shift forces to the north. As a result,
both forces moved north at roughly the same
speed. Although several savage encounter
battles raged during this period, neither side
was able to turn the enemy’s fl ank and gain a
true strategic advantage. However, the Germans
seized several important ports along the English
Channel, including Antwerp and Zeebrugge. Von
Falkenhayn thought that he saw an important
opportunity near the Belgian city of Ypres. Here,
the depleted BEF held a very thinly defended
portion of the Allied line. Von Falkenhayn hoped
to mass troops in the area, break through the
British lines and advance to the coast, possibly
forcing the BEF to quit the war. After some rather
inconclusive probing attacks, he unleashed the
full weight of his offensive on 31 October.
Once again, the BEF found itself outnumbered.
Seven German divisions struck three under-
strength divisions of the British I Corps under
the command of General Douglas Haig. The
Germans, making use of raw but enthusiastic
recruits, came forward in waves. The British
German soldiers decorate line threatened to break under the stress but,
a Christmas tree, 1914 once again, the BEF relied on its discipline and
controlled fi repower to save the day. In the end,
Haig had to call upon cooks and clerks to man
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