Week 2 - 7 August 1914 - Germany In A 2 Front War and The Schlieffen Plan Flashcards
1
Q
Germany and Russia
A
- In Russia, there were real fears that Austria’s Plans might extend to more than just Serbian Occupation or Punishment as Russia thought that Serbia might actually lose her independence
- This is because Austria had mobilised 3/4 of their army which was more than enough to deal with Serbia
- On 29th July 1914 as Austria began bombarding Belgrade ( Capital of Serbia ), Russia began partially mobilising their troops
- The Tsar ( Emperor ) however did not want war with Germany who had pledged to support Austria and so The Tsar telegraphed his cousin Kaiser Wilhelm II in English with the following message :-
” To try to avoid such a calamity as a European War, i beg you in the name of our old friendship to do what you can to stop your allies from going too far. “
- Signed as “ Nicky “
- The Kaiser ( Emperor ) was telegraphing back with the message :-
” I am exerting the utmost influence to induce The Austrians to deal straightly to arrive at a satisfactory understanding with you. “
- Signed as “ Willy “
- However, that same day The German Fleet began to mobilise and in response, The British Fleet was sent to its war stations in The North Sea in case of a possible attack
- In Russia on 29th July 1914, there was no declaration of war but a draft of nearly 6 Million Men began and The Army was already moving towards The Austrian Border and it was at 5 pm on 30th July that The Russian General Mobilisation began
- The Tsar finally signed this order because of Partial German Mobilisation and his worries about being unready on the Polish Front
- The confusion arose because :-
1) German Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg telegraphed Vienna ( Capital of Austria ) not to mobilise against Russia
2) On the same day, German Chief of Staff Moltke “ The Younger “ telegraphed his opposite Austrian Number Franz Conrad to mobilise at once
- Who was really in charge ?
- This was followed by Germany sending Russia an Ultimatum to stop all war measures of any kind against Austria and Germany within 24 hours which was rejected by Russia
2
Q
Germany and Britain
A
- At that point, the allied pair France and Russia were putting pressure on Britain to declare that in case of a German Attack on Russia’s Ally France, Britain would join the war but Britain especially The Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey would not commit
- Germany told Britain in a secret message that if Britain remained Neutral, Germany would take no territories from France except her colonies
- This provoked the opposite effect though showing Grey that once and for all, Germany was committed to going to war no matter the consequences
3
Q
The Schlieffen Plan
A
- Alfred Von Schlieffen had been The German Army Chief from 1891 to 1905 and here was his big idea in case of war with both Russia and France
- France would have to be knocked out immediately so that all the troops could focus on the more daunting task of attacking Russia
- So Germany would make a swift attack through Holland and Belgium into Northern France completely bypassing the heavily defended Franco-German Border and sweeping down into Paris from the north
- Moltke “ The Younger “ streamlined the idea by skipping Holland but the idea was to take Paris within 6 Weeks and thus avoid a 2 Front War
- And so, on 29th July, Germany sent an Ultimatum to Belgium
- However, Belgium was Neutral and Britain had a treaty with her and on 31st July 1914, Britain asked France and Germany if they would respect Belgian Neutrality to which France said yes but Germany did not respond
- Britain eventually sent an Ultimatum of her own which was that if Belgium were attacked, Britain would go to war
4
Q
Nationalistic Fever
A
- In all of the aforementioned Countries, people were enlisting to go to war and Nationalistic Fever was going off the rails
- In France, for example, Jean Jaures ( Leader of The French Socialist Party Who Was Appealing To All The Europeans Working Classes To Stop The War ) was assassinated on 31st July 1914
- Ironically, this caused more shock around Europe than the assassination of Franz Ferdinand but it showed that in. France there was a great deal of enthusiasm for the war
- Many people wanted revenge for the loss against Prussia over 40 years earlier
5
Q
Germany Declares War On Russia
A
- The day after Russia mobilised, Germany also mobilised
- This was presented in The Reichstag ( Germany’s Lower House of Parliament ) as purely defensive
- On the evening of 1st August 2024, The German Ambassador gave Russia 2 Versions of The German Declaration of War :-
1) One that claimed Russia refused to respond to Germany
2) One that said The Russian response was unacceptable
- The Kaiser at first ordered an attack on only Russia but Moltke “ The Younger “ convinced him that this was not possible as most of The Army was already committed in The West
6
Q
Germany Invades Luxembourg
A
- On the evening of 2nd August 2024, German Troops entered Luxembourg to secure The Telegraph and The Railways
7
Q
Germany Invades France
A
- On 2nd August 1914, German Troops crossed into France for the first time in over 40 years and there were several small border Skirmishes
- On 3rd August 1914, Germany declared war on France and on that same day occupied 3 Towns in Russian Poland
8
Q
Germany Invades Belgium
A
- On the evening of 2nd August 1914, Germany gave Belgium an Ultimatum to give free passage through Belgium to which Belgium refused
- On 4th August 1914, German Troops entered Belgium and Britain declared war on Germany
9
Q
The Ottoman Empire
A
- In The Mediterranean, The Ottoman Empire began mining the Dardanelles ( A Narrow 60 Mile Long Strip of Water That Divides Europe From Asia ) on 3rd August 1914
- Although The Turks were not yet going to war, we will see more of them in a few weeks
10
Q
European Reaction To The War
A
- In much of Europe, there was huge optimism about the war since everyone thought that they were going to win
- Eventhough, by this time, there were several Million Soldiers marching across Europe, this was still the war that would be over by Christmas
- Because of this, everyone’s Military Tactic’s called for huge immediate attacks as there seemed to be no point saving resources for later when you can win right now
- However, the wars people looked back on were short wars such as The Franco-Prussian War but they really should have looked at the American Civil War to get an idea of how long and bloody Modern Warfare was going to be
11
Q
The Battle of Liege
A
- On 5th August 1914, The German Empire reached her first serious Military Obstacle, Leige
- That day, The Germans failed to take any of the 12 Forts of the city
- Erich Ludendorff managed to enter Liege on 7th August 1914 but taking the Forts was necessary for the German advance
- Germany brought in her big guns and this was accomplished in only a few days
- France and Belgium had strategically placed Fortresses all over them and they were very expensive and heavily defended
- But one of the first things the war showed was the Technological Advance in Artillery
- Heavy Howitzers ( An Artillery That Falls Between A Cannon and A Mortar ) could bombard Fortresses from 10 Miles away without fear of retaliation and The Fortresses were just sitting ducks
- Thus, all of The Fortresses attacked in 1914 fell very quickly and all the money and effort to build them up was for nothing
12
Q
Austria-Hungary Declared War On Russia
A
- On 6th August 1914, Austria-Hungary officially Declares War on Russia
13
Q
Serbia Declares War On Germany
A
- On 6th August 1914, Serbia officially Declares War on Germany
