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

German tactics centered on the “Schlieffen Plan,” named after its author, Field Marshal Alfred von Schlieffen, who had devised it in the first years of the twentieth century.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2020

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

While the first few weeks of the German invasion seemed to match the ambitions of the Schlieffen Plan, they soon ground to a halt.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2020

Their Schlieffen plan, a wheel through Belgium toward Paris, was expected to knock out France in six weeks.

From Time Magazine Archive

I was sitting by the Countess Schlieffen, a delightful person, who is much interested in all our proceedings.

From Elizabeth Fry by Pitman, Mrs. E. R.