Alfred von Schlieffen

thumb|A man is born, and not made, a strategist. Graf Alfred von Schlieffen (28 February 1833 – 4 January 1913) was a German and Prussian officer and strategist, eventually reaching the rank of field marshal. He served as chief of the Imperial German General Staff from 1891 to 1906. His name is most known for the 1905–06 "Schlieffen Plan", then Aufmarsch I, a deployment plan and operational guide for a decisive initial offensive operation/campaign in a two-front war against the French Third Republic and the Russian Empire. Quotes thumb|Flank attack is the essence of the whole history of warfare. Um zu siegen, müssen wir versuchen, an der Stelle des Zusammenstoßes die Stärkeren zu sein. Dazu haben wir aber nur Aussicht, wenn wir die Operation bestimmen, nicht wenn wir in passiver Aufstellung abwarten, was der Feind über uns beschlossen hat. To win, we must endeavour to be the stronger of the two at the point of impact. Our only hope of this lies in making our own choice of operations, not in waiting passively for whatever the enemy chooses for us. In Gerhard Ritter, Der Schlieffenplan: Kritik eines Mythos (Munich: Rudolf Oldenbourg, 1956) p. 36. Translated by Andrew and Eva Wilson, The Schlieffen Plan: Critique of a Myth (New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1958) pt. 1, sec. 2, p. 38 Der Angriff gegen die Flanke ist der wesentlichste Inhalt der ganzen Kriegsgeschichte. Flank attack is the essence of the whole history of warfare. In Gerhard Ritter, Der Schlieffenplan (1956) p. 49. Translated by Andrew and Eva Wilson, The Schlieffen Plan (1958) pt. 2, sec. 3, p. 50 A man is born, and not made, a strategist. In Herman Foertsch, The Art of Modern Warfare (New York: Oskar Piest, 1940) ch. 4, p. 23 The principles of strategy remain unchanged. The enemy's front is not the objective. The essential thing is to crush the enemy’s flanks...and complete the extermination by attack upon his rear. In Barbara W. Tuchman, The Guns of August (New York: The Macmillan Co, 1962) ch. 2, p. 20 When you march into France, let the last man on the right brush the Channel with his sleeve. In Barbara W. Tuchman, The Guns of August (1962) ch. 2, p. 41 A victory on the battlefield is of little account if it has not resulted either in breakthrough or encirclement. Though pushed back the enemy will appear again on different ground to renew the resistance he momentarily gave up. The campaign will go on. In Barbara W. Tuchman, The Guns of August (1962) ch. 21, p. 396 The modern commander-in-chief is no Napoleon who stands with his brilliant suite on a hill. Even with the best binoculars he would be unlikely to see much, and his white horse would be an easy target for innumerable batteries. The commander is farther to the rear in a house with roomy offices, where telegraph and wireless, telephone and signalling instruments are at hand, while a fleet of automobiles and motorcycles, ready for the longest trips, wait for orders. Here, in a comfortable chair before a large table, the modern Alexander overlooks the whole battlefield on a map. From here he telephones inspiring words, and here he receives the reports from army and corps commanders and from balloons and dirigibles which observe the enemy's movements and detect his positions. In Hajo Holborn, "8. Moltke and Schlieffen: The Prussian-German School", Makers of Modern Strategy: Military Thought from Machiavelli to Hitler, ed. Edward Mead Earle (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1943) p. 194 It must come to a fight. Only make the right wing strong. Dying words, in B. H. Liddell Hart, "Reputations: Ten Years After—I. Joffre", The Atlantic Monthly, vol. 140 (July–December 1927) p. 83 External links Category:1833 births Category:1913 deaths Category:Military leaders from Germany Category:People from Prussia