User:Ctoal21/sandbox

The French Plan XVII (17) was created by Ferdinand Foch and was used by French Commander in Chief Joseph Joffre. Plan XVII was supposed to recapture the land of Alsace and Lorraine. The plan needed four French armies to advance into the territory on either side of the Metz-Thionville fortresses, which the Germans occupied since 1871. The south wing of the attacking forces would first capture Alsace and Lorriane, while the north wing of attacking force would advance into Germany to the southern Ardennes forest, or move north-east into Luxembourg and Belgium depending on German movement. While the French had accurately estimated the strength of German forces at the opening of the war, they did not think so much about Germany's overuse of reserve troops, not having much faith in their own. Plan XVII had been a failure within weeks of the wars start, repelled by a waiting German forces. With the Schieffen Plan also occurring, the French were forced to use defense.



Video= https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LfW9LI4bzzU