Changes

When the Japanese defeated the Russians in 1905, the kaiser expressed interest in the plan. Schlieffen had to confess that the German army was not in fact ready for war with France. The French had recoilless artillery, which the Germans lacked.<ref>Röhl, p. 416.</ref> The plan contemplated a significantly larger army than the one Schlieffen commanded.<ref>"There was a Schlieffen Plan" by Gerhard P. Gross in ''[https://books.google.fi/books?id=IVjCBAAAQBAJ&hl=fi&source=gbs_navlinks_s The Schlieffen Plan: International Perspectives on the German Strategy for World War I],'' (2014), pp. 100-101.</ref>

When the Japanese defeated the Russians in 1905, the kaiser expressed interest in the plan. Schlieffen had to confess that the German army was not in fact ready for war with France. The French had recoilless artillery, which the Germans lacked.<ref>Röhl, p. 416.</ref> The plan contemplated a significantly larger army than the one Schlieffen commanded.<ref>"There was a Schlieffen Plan" by Gerhard P. Gross in ''[https://books.google.fi/books?id=IVjCBAAAQBAJ&hl=fi&source=gbs_navlinks_s The Schlieffen Plan: International Perspectives on the German Strategy for World War I],'' (2014), pp. 100-101.</ref>

Schlieffen may have seen his plan a tool for obtaining weapons and more soldiers rather than as a practical battle strategy.<ref>Gross, pp. 103-104. Schlieffen's memorandum is, "A program for further expansion of the army and its mobilization," according to the archive's official description.</ref> It is also possible that the plan was more diplomatic than military. Wilhelm was attempting to woo Tsar Nicholas away from France at this time. A treaty of alliance between Germany and Russia was briefly concluded at a summit in Björkö, Sweden in 1905. The kaiser would not have wanted spies to report that Germany was planning an offensive against Russia.

Schlieffen may have seen his plan a tool for obtaining weapons and more soldiers rather than as a practical battle strategy.<ref>Gross, pp. 103-104. Schlieffen's memorandum is, "A program for further expansion of the army and its mobilization," according to the archive's official description.</ref> It is also possible that the plan was more diplomatic than military. Wilhelm was attempting to woo Tsar Nicholas away from France at this time. A treaty of alliance between Germany and Russia was briefly concluded at a summit in Björkö, Sweden in July 1905. Despite the opportunity presented by the Russo-Japanese War, the kaiser would not have wanted spies to report that Germany was planning an offensive against Russia.

When Schlieffen retired in 1906, Wilhelm replaced him with Moltke, the emperor's former adjutant. "The personal favour of the emperors...coupled with his great name, elevated him to offices for which he was completely unqualified," as ''Britannica'' puts it.<ref>"Moltke, Helmuth (Johannes Ludwig) von." ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 2013.</ref> Schlieffen himself strongly advised against the appointment.<ref>Röhl, p. 660.</ref> In 1912, Ludendorff, who later served as figurehead for Hitler's "Beerhall putsch" of 1923, was appointed to the No. 2 position in the General Staff.

When Schlieffen retired in 1906, Wilhelm replaced him with Moltke, the emperor's former adjutant. "The personal favour of the emperors...coupled with his great name, elevated him to offices for which he was completely unqualified," as ''Britannica'' puts it.<ref>"Moltke, Helmuth (Johannes Ludwig) von." ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 2013.</ref> Schlieffen himself strongly advised against the appointment.<ref>Röhl, p. 660.</ref> In 1912, Ludendorff, who later served as figurehead for Hitler's "Beerhall putsch" of 1923, was appointed to the No. 2 position in the General Staff.