This is a presentation delivered by Dr Robert Foley at the RUSI World War I Conference 2014.

1. The German Army, 1914-18:
Strategic Perspectives
Dr. Robert T. Foley

2. Strategic Leadership

3. Strategic Leadership

4. Strategic Assumptions 1914
Rapid and decisive victory
brought about by defeat of
French in West, followed
by redeployment East (if
need be)
Naval power superfluous
Diplomacy superfluous

5. Strategic Assumptions 1914
Heavily fortified Franco-
German border
Lightly fortified Belgian-
German-French borders
Good rail and road
communications through
Belgium

6. Strategic Plans 1914
Westaufmarsch 1914
Outflank French fortress
line from north
But also potential for
encirclement with southern
wing
Active defence in East

7. Strategic Plans 1914-1916
Convinced war could not
be won on battlefield alone
Enemy alliance would have
to be split
West or East?

8. Strategic Plans 1914-1916
Verdun 1916
Attempt to use battlefield
success to political ends
Goal was to influence
French public opinion
through battlefield attrition

9. Strategic Plans 1916-1918
Decisive battlefield victory
still possible
Weapons should take the
place of men
East then West

10. Strategic Plans 1916-1918
Hindenburg Programme
Triple production of artillery
Triple production of
machineguns
Double output of munitions

11. Strategic Plans 1916-1918
Unrestricted Submarine
Warfare
Aimed to knock Britain out
of war within 5 months

12. Strategic Plans 1916-1918
Kaiserschlacht 1918
New tactics &
concentration of forces
would allow British to be
decisively defeated in West

13. Failures of Strategy
Manpower
Lost by 31 July 1918:
126,500 killed
527,000 wounded
‘Exempted’ men Aug 1918:
2.4 million
1.1 million k.v.

14. Failures of Strategy
Lack of cross-
governmental
organizations for strategy
formulation
Competing strategic visions
Army officers lacked
knowledge necessary to
perform all strategic roles

15. Questions?