Strategies of World War One

Many countries throughout the war used many strategies to advance themselves towards victory. France adopted a tactic to regain Alsace and Lorraine, territories taken by Germany with Plan 17. While Germany used the Schlieffen plan to avoid a two-front war against France and Russia, and they schemed to decrease the supplies Britain was getting by launching unrestricted submarines in secret attacks. Lastly all the countries that fought in the war used trench warfare; tunnels dug into the ground where most battles took place. Tactics used during World War One including Plan 17, the Schlieffen plan, blockades, and Trench Warfare limited the success of the countries in the war and were major components on the large number of deaths and injuries.

Plan 17 was a great setback for France and did not help them succeed at the beginning of the war because of the soldiers they lost and it’s outcome that resulted in failure. Plan 17 was done in August of 1918 and it consisted of an advance by four French Armies into Alsace and Lorraine on either side of the Metz-Thionville fortresses, occupied by the Germans since 1871. The southern wing of the invasion forces would first capture Alsace and Lorraine, in that order, while the northern wing would, depending upon German movements, advance into Germany via the southern Ardennes forests, or else move north-east into Luxembourg and Belgium (Godl). The French were quickly repelled by German armies and their pursuit to conquer Alsace and Lorraine was not successful. “It is clearly evident that the French were oblivious to the gigantic German offensive that was being aimed at their left (northern) wing. Plan XVII gravely underestimated the strength that the Germans would deploy against France.” (Royde-...

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