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Alsace-Lorraine
Area of northeast France, lying west of the River Rhine. It forms the French regions of Alsace and Lorraine, and corresponds to the three French dpartements of Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, and Moselle. As a political entity, Alsace-Lorraine was created by the Treaty of Frankfurt, which ended the Franco-Prussian War in 1871. The former iron and steel industries are being replaced by electronics, chemicals, and precision engineering. Although the official language is French and most place names have been gallicized, much of Alsace's population and part of Lorraine's are still German-speaking. The German dialect spoken there is not considered on a par with French, and there is autonomist sentiment. History Alsace-Lorraine formed part of Celtic Gaul in Julius Caesar's time, was invaded by the Alemanni and other Germanic tribes in the 5th century, and remained part of the German Empire until the 17th century. In 1648 part of the territory was ceded to France; in 1681 Louis XIV seized Strasbourg. The few remaining districts were seized by France after the French Revolution. The region was conquered by Germany 187071, chiefly for its iron ores); the great prosperity and power built up by Germany after 1871 was largely due to its exploitation of the iron mines of Alsace-Lorraine. Without these resources Germany would, long before 1918, have exhausted its capacity for turning out the essential materials of war. Alsace-Lorraine was regained by France in 1919, then again annexed by Germany from 1940 to 1944, when it was liberated by the Allies.

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Brief History of Alsace-Lorraine

Written by GFS Susanne Alsace-Lorraine is now a region in eastern France on the German and Swiss boarders, and the Rhine River. It had been made from two former provinces, Alsace and Lorraine. The Germans call this area Elsass-Lothringen. France and Germany have been in conflict over control of the region for centuries. Alsace (Elsass), originally called Alsatia, was part of the Frankish Empire in the 9th century, and then part of Swabia. In 1648 it was made up of many independent cities which were incorporated into the Frence province of Alsatia. In 1790 it was divided into the counties of Haut-Rhin and Bas-Rhin. Haut-Rhin was further divided in 1871 into a third county, Belfort. Lorraine became part of France in 1766 and includes the counties of Moselle, Meurtheet-Mosell, Meuse and Vosges. With the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871, Alsace and Lorraine were taken by Germany and called Elsass-Lothringen. The area would stayed under German control until the end of WWI in 1918. Belfort remains part of France. France once again gained control of the region in 1919, but with German dominance in WWII, it was once again under German occupation in 1939. At the end of the war the two provinces went back to France in 1946.

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The Schlieffen Plan Overview In 1914, Germany believed war with Russia was extremely likely. If war broke out, Germany assumed France would also attack as she was both an ally of Russia and keen for revenge for her defeat in the Franco-Prussian war. If this happened, Germany would face a war on two fronts. Germany wanted to avoid this at all costs. Germany planned to defeat France rapidly and then turn to the eastern front for a major offensive on Russia. This was the basis for the Schlieffen Plan.

Diagram

Background The Germany Army Chief of Staff, Alfred von Schlieffen was asked to plan a way of preventing a war on two fronts. His initial plan was produced late in 1905. He believed that it was a priority to defeat France quickly, forcing them to surrender before Russia had a chance to mobilize her armed forces.

Von Schlieffen

In full knowledge of French defences, Schlieffen proposed attacking France through Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg the Benelux countries. Schlieffen planned to use 90% of German military forces to deliver a knock out blow to France. The remaining 10% would defend the eastern border of Germany against Russian attack.

Von Molkte replaced Von Schlieffen in 1906, and made some alterations to the plan. His version avoided invading Holland, instead concentrating attack through Belgium. According to Von Molke, the Belgium army would be unable to resist a powerful German military, and German forces would rapidly enter France.
Von Molkte

Assumptions

Russia would take at least 6 weeks to mobilise. France would be easily defeated in 6 weeks. Belgium would not resist any German attack. Britain would remain neutral.

The Reality On 2nd August 1914, the German army invaded Luxembourg and Belgium according to the Schlieffen Plan. The Germans were held up by the Belgium army, backed up by the BEF (British Expeditionary Force) which arrived extremely quickly. Russia mobilised in just 10 days and Germany was forced to withdraw troops from the Schlieffen Plan to defend her eastern border. Germany did not take the chance to take Paris, instead decided to attack east of the capital. They were met by French at the battle of the Marne (5-11 Sept) which halted the German advance.