Editing German Empire (section)

====Western Front====
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R19231, Berlin, Mobilmachung.jpg|thumb|German troops being mobilized, 1914]]

Germany did not want to risk lengthy battles along the Franco-German border and instead adopted the [[Schlieffen Plan]], a military strategy designed to cripple France by [[Rape of Belgium|invading Belgium]] and [[Luxembourg]], sweeping down to encircle and crush both Paris and the French forces along the Franco-German border in a quick victory. After defeating France, Germany would turn to attack Russia. The plan required violating the official neutrality of Belgium and Luxembourg, which [[British Empire|Britain]] had guaranteed by treaty. However, the Germans had calculated that Britain would enter the war regardless of whether they had formal justification to do so.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Schlieffen Plan {{!}} German military history |url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Schlieffen-Plan |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190802075838/https://www.britannica.com/event/Schlieffen-Plan |archive-date=2 August 2019 |access-date=18 May 2021 |website=Encyclopædia Britannica |language=en}}</ref> At first the attack was successful: the [[German Army (German Empire)|German Army]] swept down from Belgium and Luxembourg and advanced on Paris, at the nearby river [[Marne (river)|Marne]]. However, the evolution of weapons over the last century heavily favored defense over offense, especially thanks to the machine gun, so that it took proportionally more offensive force to overcome a defensive position. This resulted in the German lines on the offense contracting to keep up the offensive timetable while correspondingly the French lines were extending. In addition, some German units that were originally slotted for the German far-right were transferred to the Eastern Front in reaction to Russia mobilizing far faster than anticipated. The combined effect had the German right flank sweeping down in front of Paris instead of behind it exposing the German Right flank to the extending French lines and attack from strategic French reserves stationed in Paris. Attacking the exposed German right flank, the [[French Army]] and the [[British Army]] put up a strong resistance to the defense of Paris at the [[First Battle of the Marne]], resulting in the German Army retreating to defensive positions along the river [[Aisne (river)|Aisne]]. A subsequent [[Race to the Sea]] resulted in a long-held stalemate between the German Army and the Allies in dug-in [[trench warfare]] positions from [[Alsace]] to [[Flanders]].
[[File:Karte Brigadestandorte des Deutschen Heers 1914.png|thumb|left|German Army positions, 1914]]{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}

German attempts to break through failed at the two battles of [[Ypres]] ([[First Battle of Ypres|1st]]/[[Second Battle of Ypres|2nd]]) with huge casualties. A series of allied offensives in 1915 against German positions in [[Second Battle of Artois|Artois]] and [[Second Battle of Champagne|Champagne]] resulted in huge allied casualties and little territorial change. German [[Chief of Staff]] [[Erich von Falkenhayn]] decided to exploit the defensive advantages that had shown themselves in the 1915 Allied offensives by attempting to goad France into attacking strong defensive positions near the ancient city of [[Verdun]]. Verdun had been one of the last cities to hold out against the German Army in 1870, and Falkenhayn predicted that as a matter of national pride the French would do anything to ensure that it was not taken. He expected that he could take strong defensive positions in the hills overlooking Verdun on the east bank of the river Meuse to threaten the city and the French would launch desperate attacks against these positions. He predicted that French losses would be greater than those of the Germans and that continued French commitment of troops to Verdun would "bleed the French Army white." In February 1916, the [[Battle of Verdun]] began, with the French positions under constant shelling and poison gas attack and taking large casualties under the assault of overwhelmingly large German forces. However, Falkenhayn's prediction of a greater ratio of French killed proved to be wrong as both sides took heavy casualties. Falkenhayn was replaced by [[Erich Ludendorff]], and with no success in sight, the German Army pulled out of Verdun in December 1916 and the battle ended.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}