Mitchell Loughlin’s Reviews > The Guns of August > Status Update

The allied forces had great intelligence through the use of planes. Often their aviators gave them sufficient warning and accurate counts which was promptly ignored and waved aside as hyperbolic. They were so invested in plan 17 that the refused to adapt until after the first day of fighting was over in which the Germans pretty well dismantled the allied forces.

Meanwhile on the left the French and British army’s estaimated that the Germans marches with 17 or 18 battalions while they had a combined 20. On paper they believed they had the superior numbers. In reality the Germans had 42 battalions on the left.
On average the Germans outnumbered other troops 1.5 to one in active linesmen but also had reserves of equal numbers stationed behind the line. So 3-1 most often.

The battle for the center at Lorraine (France’s richest iron deposit) was taught in dense fog. Often soldiers could not see each other beyond a couple yards. The area was swampy, chosen by the French because of their light artillery giving them an advantage. Unfortunately the Germans dug in and fought defensively while the French, clad in bright red pants charged with bayonets and were incredibly easy to spot

The slug on the 450s weighed 2tons and was deceived by one American observer in Belgium as sounding as if it was aimed directly at you and landing within a yard of you regardless of where you stood.
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The French had a terrible plan and they refused to admit it. Their emphasis on offense offense offense led their troops to having no concepts of defensive strategy. The Germans on the other hand followed a mixed approach after seeing how Belgiums early entrenchment strategy would have worked if not for the 450s

The French artilierists believed that their 75in cannons were unmatched. The Germans used 110s, 350, &450

They were expected to attack like lions while obeying like dogs. An expedition many found hard to follow especially when the commands felt moronic at best.

British troops under the command of Major French (confusing name) were sluggish to commit to fighting. They were slow on reaching the meeting point and the French army became more and more distrustful of the support they would receive from England

This shifting of plans became common for the Germans who will further stray from the original carefully extrapolated plan. The debated shifting there strong right wing to the center when they realized that the French, unfathomably decided not to defend against envelopment.

Meanwhile damn near every French herbal on the ground was pissed that they kept being told to match in the corner leaving the flank exposed

The German army marched hundreds of thousands of men through the city and cheers could be heard throughout germanys homeland.


At the same time in the German “center” they have been luring the French into a “sack”. Slowly retreating they spread out there lined into a mini envelopment that will collapse upon the French all at once. France seems unwilling to march into the sack and plans needed to be shifted

Fells pretty damn obvious to me…..
In response the G army decreed any act of resistance will be met with capital punishment. Additionally each town or conjoining of towns via a road will be treated as an individual. basically if one person harms the army the whole town will be burned. This mentality was outlawed according the the accepted war doctrine at the time. Belgium was forced to retreat from Brussels

He also correctly assumed the German plan of coming in horse through Belgium to shatter the weak French right line. Due to this he begged the fellow leaders to not plunge quick so deep into France instead holding back about 70 miles. He was denied this right.

Frustrated with the pushback he disolved the j pity of the British army stating each general has absolute command of his battalion. This was disastrous