France Campaign, 1914

By André Geraque Kiffer

Both the French and the Germans followed offensive plans. The French offensive in the Ardennes was to be the largest Plan XVII, consisting initially of the Third, Fourth, and Fifth armies. But on 15 August the latter was allowed to advance at the angle formed by the Meuse and Sambre rivers, meeting the part of the main German offensive - Second and Third armies - in the Schlieffen Plan. Soon, reduced in force, the French attack found the Fourth and Fifth German armies in the Ardennes forests, being defeated. This Battle of the Ardennes, together with the Battle of Alsace-Lorraine, ended Plan XVII, forcing the French armies to a general retreat that was only interrupted at the Battle of the Marne. The scenario of the wargame that will be used will reinforce four key factors for the campaign s success, and if the original Schlieffen Plan had been maintained, they would certainly have been thought and executed: more siege artillery for the early phase of the maneuver of attack on the Belgian forts; better preparation and use of communications; logistics with more support troops, particularly to the far right wing, and with the possibility of tapping into enemy sources of conquest; and fewer troops withdrawn to serve the Russian front.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Clube de Autores
• Release date: Feb 2, 2024

Book preview

ANDRÉ  GERAQUE  KIFFER

France  Campaign,  1914.

A  German  Historical  Simulation

Author’s  Edition

Resende

2019

---  Kiffer,  André  Geraque.

France  Campaign,  1914.  A  German  Historical  Simulation. André  Geraque  Kiffer.

Author’s  Edition,  Resende,  2019.

Bibliography:  224  p.  28  im.  21  cm..

1.  History.  2.  Art  of  War.  3.  War  Science.  4.  Wargames.  I. Author.  II.  Title.

ISBN  978-85-9136-875-4

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My  story  will  be  less  certain  than  history;  but  whoever  wants to  relive  the  past  to  study  the  similarities  and  analogies between  human  conflicts  in  the  present  is  enough  for  me  to find  it  useful.  This  War  History  of  mine  is  a  definite achievement  and  not  an  ostentatious  work  for  a  current audience.

(André  Geraque  Kiffer)

4 PROLOGUE

I  was  inspired  to  build  this  work  by  reading  Arnold Toynbee's  book,  A  Study  of  History,  and  Trevor  N. Dupuy's  Future  Wars.  Between  2005  and  2007  I acquired  a  collection  of  board  wargames  in  New York,  and  reading  the  book  Wargame  Design published  by  Strategy  &  Tactics  Magazine consolidated  a  Matrix  for  A  Study  of  Military History.  Thus,  from  2008,  I  was  able  to  begin  an analysis  of  the  wars,  campaigns,  and  battles  of history  of  a  particular  time  and  /  or  civilization described  in  the  Smithsonian  Institute's  Atlas  of Military  History.  So  far  I  have  published  the  following series:  I.  Historical  Simulation  of  the  First  Empire Wars  in  2010;  VIII.  World  War  I  Historical Simulation  in  2011;  II.  Historical  Simulation  of  the Wars  in  Classical  Greece  in  2012;  III.  Historical Simulation  of  the  Roman  Wars  in  2016;  and  IV. Historical  Simulation  of  Wars  in  the  Medieval  Era  in 2018.  In  2014,  to  continue  my  work"  A  Study  of

Military  History  ,  I  read  the  book  Japanese  and

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Chinese  Chess  -  The  Science  and  Art  of  War  and added  a  new  book  The  Study  of  Wars  and  Chess Games  to  my  planned  study,  associating  the foundations  of  chess  games  with  the  principles  of Art  and  Science  of  War.  In  each  book  of  the  work  a selected  war,  campaign,  or  battle  is  studied  at  any of  the  applicable  decision  levels,  namely  the Political,  Strategic,  Operational,  Tactical,  and Technical.  Based  on  a  summary  of  the  historical  fact I  seek  to  highlight  the  decisive  fact  (s)  causing  the negative  result  (s)  before  playing  the  simulation through  a  board  wargame  -  the  actions  on  the  other side  of  the  hill  (from  the  enemy)  are  studied through  a  parallel  electronic  war  game.  In  the simulation  all  the  possibilities  of  the  purpose  of  the study  are  completed  when  the  past  of  history  is analyzed  on  the  basis  of  present  theory  and projected  into  the  future  or  revived  as  a  what  if schematic  case.  When  we  play  we  will  follow  the maxim  WIN  ALWAYS  BUT  WITH  THE  LOWEST

POSSIBLE  COST".

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Keywords:  History.  Art  of  War.  War  science.  War

games.

7 SUMMARY

CHAPTER  1  –  FRANCE  CAMPAIGN,  1914…….....9 CHAPTER  2  –  GERMAN  OPERATIONAL STRATEGIC  ANALYSIS........................................34 CHAPTER  3  –  OPERATIONAL  STRATEGIC SIMULATION….....................................................53

REFERENCES.................................…................220

8 CHAPTER  1

FRANCE  CAMPAIGN,  1914

Five  large  armies  were  formed  in  France  and eight  in  Germany.  One,  the  Eighth,  focused  on  East Prussia,  where  it  prevented  Russia  from  accessing Berlin.  The  other  seven  headed  for  their  proper positions  on  the  western  frontier,  from  where  they advanced  toward  Paris  and  toward  victory.

In  August  1914,  the  importance  of  Paris  as  a strategic  objective  was  such  that  its  capture  was regarded  in  many  circles  as  capable  of  provoking the  military  collapse  of  France.  Thus,  at  that  time, decisively  decaying  almost  only  the  earthly  powers of  France  and  Germany,  the  possession  of  Paris identified,  for  many  German  generals,  as  the  very

objective  of  German  warfare.

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The  study  will  begin  by  characterizing  the  main aspects  of  theater  operations  involved  in  the campaign.

The  Western  European  Theater  of Operations  occupied  an  area  of  just  under  300,000 km²,  delimited  by  the  following  polygon:  from  the Cologne  region  in  Germany  to  the  Antwerp  region  in Belgium,  along  the  Dutch  border,  at  a  distance  of about  300  km;  from  the  Antwerp  region  and  the mouth  of  the  Escalda  river  in  Belgium  to  the  Le Havre  region  and  the  mouth  of  the  Seine  river  in France,  along  the  North  Sea  coast  and  the  English Channel,  approximately  350  km  away;  from  the  Le Havre  region  and  the  mouth  of  the  Seine  to  the Orleans  region  of  France,  about  300  km  away;  from the  Orleans  region  of  France  to  the  Mulhausen region  of  Alsace  Lorraine,  some  500  km  away;  from the  Mulhausen  region  of  Alsace  Lorraine  to  the Cologne  region  of  Germany,  about  400  km  away.

For  a  better  understanding  of  the  study,  at  this strategic  operational  level,  the  Theater  of

Operations  will  be  divided  into  strips,  from  north  to

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south,  corresponding  to  spaces,  width,  compatible with  the  movement  of  armies  -  the  so-called strategic  directions  -  towards  the  political-military objective,  Paris.  In  each  of  these  strips  the characteristics  of  the  terrain  will  be  described  based mainly  on  capital  accidents  and  obstacles  and  the main  climatic  characteristics  for  the  period considered.

Im  1:  The  dimensions  of  the  Western  European  Theater  of

Operations.

The  Northern  Strip,  starting  on  the  Antwerp- Ostend  line  (Belgium)  and  ending  on  the  Le  Havre- Rouen  line  (France),  where  it  reaches  the  Seine about  80  km  west  of  Paris,  is  characterized  by

capital  accidents  -  the  city  of  Antwerp,  ports  on  the

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North  Sea  coast  and  the  English  Channel,  cities  of Amiens  and  Rouen  -  and  by  obstacles  -  strong  in Antwerp,  the  Somme  and  Seine.  The  climate  for  the period  from  August  to  November  is  oceanic,  which reflects  the  greater  influence  of  the  wet  polar  mass and  the  winds  from  the  west,  the  rainfall  is  regularly distributed  and  the  temperatures  mild.

Im  2:  The  geography  of  the  Western  European  Theater  of

Operations.

The  Center-North  Strip,  starting  on  the  Aachen (Germany)  -  Louvain  (Belgium)  line  and  ending  on the  Evereux-Paris  (France)  line,  where  it  reaches the  Seine  river  in  the  Paris  region,  is  characterized

by  capital  accidents  -  cities  of  Brussels,  from

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Soissons  and  Paris  -  and  the  obstacles  -  Maubeuge fort,  Somme  river  and  Oise  river.  The  climate  for  the period  from  August  to  November  is  of  the  transition type,  the  Parisian  basin  (continental,  with  maximum rainfall  in  Summer  and  Autumn).

The  Center  Strip,  starting  on  the  Cologne- Hillesheim  line  (Germany)  and  ending  on  the Chateau  Thierry-Epernay  line  (France),  where  it reaches  the  Marne  river  about  80  km  east  of  Paris, is  characterized  by  capital  accidents  -  cities  of Liège,  Dinant,  Givet,  Mezieres,  Rheims,  Chateau Thierry  and  Epernay  -  and  obstacles  -  strongholds in  Liège,  Ardennes  forest,  Namur  fort,  Meuse  river, Aisle  river,  Vesle  river  and  Marne  river.  The  climate for  the  period  from  August  to  November  is  of  the transition  type,  the  Parisian  basin  (continental,  with maximum  rainfall  in  Summer  and  Autumn).

The  Center-South  Strip,  starting  on  the Hillesheim-Trier  line  (Germany)  and  ending  on  the Chalons-Bar-le-Duc  line  (France),  where  it  reaches the  Marne  river  about  160  km  east  of  Paris,  is

characterized  by  capital  accidents.  -  cities  of

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Luxembourg,  Saint  Mihiel,  Chalon  and  Bar-le-Duc  - and  obstacles  -  Moselle  river,  Ardennes  forest, Metz,  Verdun  and  Saint  Mihiel  forts,  Meuse  river and  Marne  river.  The  climate,  from  August  to November,  is  continental,  resulting  from  the influence  of  the  dry  polar  mass,  with  strong  annual amplitudes,  the  precipitation  is  less  abundant  and poorly  distributed,  occurring  the  maximum  in Summer.

And  the  South  Strip,  starting  on  the Saarbrucken-Strasbourg  line  (Germany)  and  ending on  the  Saint  Dizier-Langres  line  (France),  where  it reaches  the  Marne  river  about  240  km  east  of  Paris, is  characterized  by  obstacles  -  the  Vosges Mountains,  forts  in  Nancy,  Epinal,  Belfort  and Langres.  The  climate,  from  August  to  November,  is continental,  resulting  from  the  influence  of  the  dry polar  mass,  with  strong  annual  amplitudes,  the precipitation  is  less  abundant  and  poorly  distributed, occurring  the  maximum  in  Summer.

We  will  now  continue  to  address  the  key

features  of  our  forces  in  the  campaign.

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As  it  was  in  infantry  divisions  (or  simply divisions)  that  conventionally  counted  a  nation's combat  troops,  it  is  worth  describing  precisely  what that  formation  consisted  of.

Most  were  infantry:  12  battalions,  each  with about  1,000  men,  gathered  in  four  regiments  of  3 battalions.  Two  regiments  formed  a  brigade  -  a  large tactical  unit  whose  existence  facilitated  command  in action.  To  support  the  infantry,  the  division  included 4  field  artillery  groups,  each  with  three  6mm  77mm field  cannon  batteries  or  field  howitzers  -  out  of  72 pieces  -  to  which  the  heaviest  artillery  must  be added,  controlled  at  the  corps  level.  The  corps  also distributed  to  each  of  their  divisions  a  cavalry regiment,  two  combat  engineering  companies,  the pioneers,  and  one  of  pointers.

In  the  Summer  of  1914  the  German  Campaign Army  had  85  infantry  divisions  and  11  cavalry divisions,  totaling  2,019,470  men,  1,700,000  of them  in  the  seven  western  armies.

The  organization  of  armies  groups,  which

should  have  been  adopted  in  both  the  left  wing  -

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Alsace-Lorraine  -  and  the  right  wing  -  Belgium,  were not  known,  thus  creating  an  intermediate,  closer echelon  on  the  ground  between  the  General  Staff  of the  Army  in  the  rear  zone,  and  the  command  of  the armies  in  campaign.

Im  3:  Moltke.

In  addition,  the  troops  in  charge  of  telephone transmission  services  were  deficient  and  had  few modern  elements  for  this  purpose.  With  the  speed of  the  marches,  it  was  not  always  possible  for  the army  command  to  connect  to  the  most  advanced antennas  of  the  transmission  service,  and  it  was necessary  to  use  vehicles  as  intermediaries  to  the nearest  station.  However,  once  this  was  reached,

the  links  had  often  been  destroyed  or  severed.

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Germany,  as  the  forerunner  of  the  modern  staff system,  had  maintained  its  highest  standard  of training  and  work,  so  the  army  staff  and  field headquarters  could  function  with  superb  efficiency under  pressure.

The  Germans  were  able  to  appreciate  the growing  importance  of