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

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

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

Nonetheless, speed was vital to the Schlieffen Plan.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2012

And if Germany's Brilliant Mind Schlieffen had been alive to prevent the weakening of the right wing the War might have ended with the capture of Paris in October 1914.

From Time Magazine Archive

It is true that there were such provisions in the earlier Brunswick and Hanau Treaties, but Schlieffen had them struck out of the new Hessian Treaty of 1775.

From A Defence of the Hessians by Rosengarten, J. G. (Joseph George)