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This is a presentation delivered by Dr Robert Foley at the RUSI World War I Conference 2014.
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The German Army, 1914-18:
Strategic Perspectives
Dr. Robert T. Foley
Strategic Leadership
Strategic Leadership
Strategic Assumptions 1914
Rapid and decisive victory brought about by defeat of French in West, followed by redeployment East (if need be)
Naval power superfluous
Diplomacy superfluous
Strategic Assumptions 1914
Heavily fortified Franco-German border
Lightly fortified Belgian-German-French borders
Good rail and road communications through Belgium
Strategic Plans 1914
Westaufmarsch 1914
Outflank French fortress line from north
But also potential for encirclement with southern wing
Active defence in East
Strategic Plans 1914-1916
Convinced war could not be won on battlefield alone
Enemy alliance would have to be split
West or East?
Strategic Plans 1914-1916
Verdun 1916
Attempt to use battlefield success to political ends
Goal was to influence French public opinion through battlefield attrition
Strategic Plans 1916-1918
Decisive battlefield victory still possible
Weapons should take the place of men
East then West
Strategic Plans 1916-1918
Hindenburg Programme
Triple production of artillery
Triple production of machineguns
Double output of munitions
Strategic Plans 1916-1918
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
Aimed to knock Britain out of war within 5 months
Strategic Plans 1916-1918
Kaiserschlacht 1918
New tactics & concentration of forces would allow British to be decisively defeated in West
Failures of Strategy
Manpower
Lost by 31 July 1918:
126,500 killed
527,000 wounded
‘Exempted’ men Aug 1918:
2.4 million
1.1 million k.v.
Failures of Strategy
Lack of cross-governmental organizations for strategy formulation
Competing strategic visions
Army officers lacked knowledge necessary to perform all strategic roles
Questions?