Guns Of August -

Germany is afraid of launching a two front war. Their greatest fear was that

Russia would attack from the east and France would attack from the west.

They developed the Schlieffen Plan to avoid that situation.

Schlieffen Plan - Genera Schlieffen had developed a plan to avoid fighting a two

front war. This plan called for Germany to attack France first then get the German

troops across Germany on railroad and attack Russia before they could even

mobilize their armies. The plan was to attack France through Belgium and not

right across Germanys border to France. The decision to invade through Belgium

drew Britain into the war. Belgium had been guaranteed neutrality, when

Germany invaded Britain declared war on Germany.

Problems with the Schlieffen Plan - 1. Russia mobilized faster than Germany

had considered. 2. Belgium put up a fight which slowed the Germans down in

their march in France. 3. German tanks had trouble getting through the forests in

Belgium. 4. Germany was forced to move some of their troops to the eastern front

to fight the Russians.

Western Front - French and British troops fought Germans in trenches that

stretched hundreds of miles across France. For four years the troops dug in and

more than a few hundred yards.

 Eastern Front - Death tolls were even higher on the eastern front and the battles

swung back and forth between the Russians and the Germans. Russia was poorly

equipped since they were the least industrialized.