Schlieffen

British  

/ ˈʃliːfən /

noun

1. Alfred (ˈalfreːt), Count von Schlieffen. 1833–1913, German field marshal, who devised the Schlieffen Plan (1905): it was intended to ensure German victory over a Franco-Russian alliance by holding off Russia with minimal strength and swiftly defeating France by a massive flanking movement through the Low Countries. In a modified form, it was unsuccessfully employed in World War I (1914)

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Example Sentences

The Schlieffen Plan called for a rapid advance into France to knock the French forces out of the war within six weeks.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2020

The defeat of the Germans left the Schlieffen Plan in ruins.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2012

Nonetheless, speed was vital to the Schlieffen Plan.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2012

The Germans had violated almost every cardinal doctrine of their cherished idols�Clausewitz, Schlieffen, Frederick the Great�and they were paying a fearful price.

From Time Magazine Archive

This was not the conception of Count von Schlieffen, who had intended to impose his will on the campaign and to make the enemy conform to his movements.

From The War in the Air; Vol. 1 The Part played in the Great War by the Royal Air Force by Raleigh, Walter Alexander, Sir