Battle of the Frontiers

Quick Facts: Who was Battle of the Frontiers?

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Battle of the Frontiers

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A series of battles fought along the eastern frontier of France and in southern Belgium during WWI.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The Battle of the Frontiers (French: Bataille des Frontières; German: Grenzschlachten; Dutch: Slag der Grenzen) comprised battles fought along the eastern frontier of France and in southern Belgium, shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. The battles resolved the military strategies of the French Chief of Staff General Joseph Joffre with Plan XVII and an offensive adaptation of the German Aufmarsch II deployment plan by Helmuth von Moltke the Younger. The German concentration on the right (northern) flank, was to wheel through Belgium and attack the French in the rear. The German advance was delayed by the movement of the French Fifth Army under General Charles Lanrezac towards the north-west to intercept them and the presence of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the French left. The Franco-British troops were driven back by the Germans, who were able to invade into northern France.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

French and British rearguard actions delayed the Germans, allowing the French time to transfer forces on the eastern frontier to the west to defend Paris, culminating in the First Battle of the Marne. Belgian military planning assumed that other powers would fulfil their obligations under the Treaty of London (1839), to assist the Belgian Army to eject an invader. The British and French had not formed a formal alliance despite the Anglo-French Entente (1904). The Belgians judged that the British attitude towards their country had changed and that Belgium had come to be seen as a British protectorate. A Belgian General Staff was formed in 1910 but the Chef d'État-Major Général de l'Armée, Lieutenant-Général Harry Jungbluth was retired on 30 June 1912 and not replaced by Lieutenant-General Chevalier de Selliers de Moranville until May 1914.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Moranville began planning for the concentration of the army and met Belgian railway officials on 29 July. The Belgian army was to be massed in central Belgium, in front of the National redoubt of Belgium, ready to face any border, while the Fortified Position of Liège and Fortified Position of Namur were left to secure the frontiers. On mobilisation, the King became Commander-in-Chief and chose where the army was to concentrate. Amid the disruption of the new rearmament plan, disorganised and poorly trained Belgian soldiers would benefit from a central position to delay contact with an invader but it would also need fortifications for defence, which were on the frontier. A school of thought wanted a return to a frontier deployment, in line with French theories of the offensive.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1839: 1839 Milestone — Belgian military planning assumed that other powers would fulfil their obligations under the Treaty of London (1839), to assist the Belgian Army to eject an invader.
2. 1904: 1904 Milestone — The British and French had not formed a formal alliance despite the Anglo-French Entente (1904).
3. 1910: 1910 Milestone — A Belgian General Staff was formed in 1910 but the Chef d'État-Major Général de l'Armée, Lieutenant-Général Harry Jungbluth was retired on 30 June 1912 and not replaced by Lieutenant-General Chevalier de Selliers de Moranville until May 1914.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Battle of the Frontiers

True or False: “The Battle of the Frontiers was solely a German offensive designed to overwhelm French defenses immediately after war started.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While heavily involving German advances, the battles also featured significant rearguard actions by both French and British forces that delayed the enemy.

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