re: OT History "What If" Discussion: Germany Wins WWI in 1914

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But what if Von Kluck had not made this mistake? Which this mistake was not entirely on him to be fair. What if the "Miracle on the Marne had never happened? What if the Germans had followed Count Alfred von Schlieffen's dying words of "remember to keep the right flank strong" and thus defeated the French & Brits in the summer of 1914? What would our world look like today?

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This or a negotiated peace settlement of the Great War sometime in 1915 or 1916 could very well have brought very positive results for Europe and the world. The hypothetical doesn't really require a German victory -- some kind of negotiated peace agreement would have brought something better than what actually happened.

Minor point of military history. Just before the Battle of the Marne, Kluck's 1st Army was probably too weak to make any correct decision with regard to placement of his forces. The German Right Wing had already been weakened by more than two infantry corps worth of strength.

It would have been possible for Germany to win in the West in 1914, but, IMHO, it would have taken another five fresh German infantry corps deployed on von Kluck's right to accomplish that. Five corps was an Army-level unit.

Some historians argue that even that would not have worked, because there was no way to keep such a large right wing logistically supported. The supply railheads were not close enough to Kluck's front line to provide good supply and replacements flow.

Great question to ponder. Saving Europe from the destruction of WW2 is something to dream about.