That plan again
Sir: In answer to Mr Damant (Letters, 5 April), I believe that I am not alone in arguing that my great-grandfather's plan would have triumphed had it not been fatally weakened by von Moltke. At the crucial point of decision, during the Battle of the Marne, the German right flank of 13 divisions found itself facing 27 Allied divi- sions, all due to the 'gambler's throw' men- tality of the vacillating von Moltke.
As to the political disaster of bringing Great Britain into the war, this was fully allowed for in the Plan, (although the BEF was somewhat larger than the army that Bismarck would have had 'arrested by a policeman' some 40 years earlier!).
I agree with Colonel Mallinson (Letters, 5 April) that some of the troops 'existed only on paper', but there would still have been enough had the Plan been followed correctly, particularly in view of the near- lunatic French Plan XVII. As to morality, and Colonel Mallinson congratulating von Moltke on the respect- ing of Holland's neutrality, I find this hard to comprehend. The capture of the rather topically named 'Maastricht pocket' was absolutely essential to the smooth running of the Plan. Without it much time was wast- ed dealing with those 'jolly unsporting' Bel- gian forts.
Finally I have not 'written off' the BEF, but do feel that its antics have been some- what exaggerated. I am certain my great- grandfather was not impressed by its per- formance in the Boer War, and I imagine he would have been shocked by its perfor- mance in 1914-18, particularly how it was led by a small cabal of cavalry officers.
Alice von Schlieffen
57 Cumberland Place, London W1
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