World War I: The Schlieffen Plan and the Early Conflict (1914)

This set covers the initial stages of WWI, the details of the Schlieffen Plan, the role of neutrality, key figures, and the transition into trench warfare.

The Schlieffen Plan

A German military strategy devised in 1905 to avoid a two-front war by defeating France within six weeks via neutral Belgium before turning to fight Russia.

Von Schlieffen

The head of the German army who decided in 1905 that the best way to handle war on two fronts was to attack the French first through neutral territory.

Treaty of London (1839)

An agreement signed by all main European powers declaring Belgium a neutral country, which the British government took a stand to defend.

4 August 1914

The date Britain declared war on Germany after the expiration of an ultimatum for German troops to withdraw from Belgium.

British Expeditionary Force (BEF)

A small but well-trained force of professional British soldiers led by Sir John French that landed in France to meet the German advance.

Mons

The site where the BEF first met the advancing German army on 23 August 1914, providing a shock to the Germans despite being outnumbered.

Lee Enfield .303

A bolt action rifle used by the BEF at Mons that was so fast and accurate that German reports suggested they were facing machine-gun fire.

Lieutenant-General Douglas Haig

The leader of the British troops at Mons who later played an important part in the Allied victory in 1918.

Moltke

The German Supreme Commander who pulled 100,000 troops from the French front because the Russians mobilized faster than expected and invaded Germany.

Von Kluck

The German commander who attempted to advance straight toward Paris and later expressed surprise at the French soldiers' resilience at the Marne.

Battle of the Marne

A turning point in September 1914 where combined British and French forces stopped the German advance and pushed them back to the River Aisne.

Stalemate

A condition reached by 8 September 1914 where neither side could make progress, resulting in the development of trenches, machine guns, and barbed wire.

The Race to the Sea

An outflanking maneuver started on 12 October 1914 where both sides attempted to get around the end of the enemy's lines toward the west.

Alsace-Lorraine

The disputed area where the French launched a direct attack on Germany at the start of the war, resulting in the loss of over 200,000 men in 12 days.

Russian Mobilization

A process that the Schlieffen Plan assumed would take a long time, but instead happened quickly, forcing Germany to transfer troops to the east.