The Start of the War

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  • Created by: alexda
  • Created on: 09-06-14 22:08
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  • The Start of World War One
    • On August 3 1914, the rivalries between Britain and Germany over trade, colonies and military power finally resulted in a war.
      • The British government sent the BEF to try to stop the German invasion of France through neutral Belgium.
        • The strong force first encountered the advancing German army at Mons in Southern Belgium on 22 August 1914. The BEF was heavily outnumbered and the Germans had twice as many artillery guns as the British.
          • The BEF could do no more than hold up the German advance and was then ordered to retreat back to the River Marne.
    • According to the Schlieffen Plan the Germans intended to invade France not through the heavily fortified Franco-German border, but instead through undefended Belgium.
      • German forces would sweep through Belgium, round Paris and cut off the French capital from the main French forces in the east of the country. At the same time, a German force would fight the main French army on the border.
        • The plan didn't work out because it took longer for the Germans to proceed through Belgium so they changed the plan and drove east of Paris to meet the French army defending its capital.
          • By September the exhausted German army finally retreated back 60km to the River Aisne. The Schlieffen Plan, which relied on the defeating the French by capturing Paris before the main French forces could defend it, had failed.

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