Mission Command Analysis of Helmuth Johannes Ludwig Von Moltke

Operational leaders down to the platoon and squad level have recently faced increasingly complex missions in uncertain operational environments. Accordingly, Army doctrine has shifted to officially recognize mission command, which enables leaders at the lowest level feasible to “exercise disciplined initiative” in the accomplishment of a larger mission. The operational process consists of six tenants: understand, visualize, describe, direct, lead, and assess. During the battle of Fallujah, LtGen Natonski understood the intent two levels up, visualizing courses of action for both allies and the enemy, and leading his organization into combat while directing his officers and soldiers to meet his intent. He visualized that Marines alone could not accomplish the mission. He understood that without the support of Iraqi police and a task force from the Army with

The Schlieffen Plan was a German battle plan to fight a two front war devised in 1905 by Alfred von Schlieffen as the Chief of the General Staff for Germany. The plan called for the German army to apply overwhelming force in France to capture the capital of Paris within six weeks before changing focus to Russia. The plan intended to achieve a quick and decisive victory by sweeping a line of armies through neutral Belgium and into France. In actuality, Helmuth von Moltke made significant changes to Schlieffen’s original plan before and during World War I. Ultimately, the plan ended in failure when the German advance halted at the First Battle of the Marne (Limbach, 2014).

The Allies rallied an offensive for the liberation of France in late September 1915. This resulted in a stalemate between the powers, inflicting heavy casualties on the Allied and Central Powers. This fierce battling with no progression continued into late 1916, when the Germans became concerned at the amount of the allied forces on the western front and the invention of the tank - technology that Germany

The Battle of the Marne, Plan 17 and the Race to the Sea and the defensiveness of

It has since become “one of the most examined battles of the Civil War, and possibly of

In March 1918, with nearly 50 additional divisions freed by the Russian surrender on the Eastern Front, the German Army launched a series of attacks on the Western Front, hoping to defeat the Allies before U.S. forces could be fully deployed. In the north, the British 5th Army was virtually destroyed by two major offensive operations, Michael and Georgette around the Somme. A third offensive launched in May against the French between Soissons and Reims, known as the Third Battle of the Aisne, saw the Germans reach the north bank of the Marne river at Château-Thierry, 95 kilometres (59 mi) from Paris, on 27 May. Two U.S. Army divisions, the 2nd and the 3rd, were thrown into the Allied effort to stop the Germans. On 31 May, the 3rd Division

destroyed and German forces reached had some North Bank near the Marne River near the end

The US had over "one million" troops now available to fight. While the US troops were not battle tested, the introduction of over "one million" well armed troops into a battle that had exhausted armies for four years would prove decisive. The battle began on "September 26th, 1918" with a massive artillery attack. German resistance was strong, but the sheer numbers of the Americans slowly forced the German back. The final stage of the battle lasted until the Armistice of "November 11, 1918" when American forces advanced on "Metz", while French forces conquered the goal of the campaign Sedan.

7000 men, from Australia, Britain, and America came together as an allied force to stop the invasion of Northern France. Two Australians were put at the helm, and led the combined forces against German units in Le Hamel. For the allies to lose this battle meant that they would give vital positions which would help construct each steps of the German force invasion into France. Amiens, which was 17km away from Le Hamel, was the German unit’s next objective. The commanders, Ewen Sinclair Maclagan and John Monash led the troops with cunning tactics, such as combined arms, to penetrate through German frontiers.

The battle of Mons began on 23 August 1914 in the early morning hours. The British Expeditionary Forces (BFE) attempted to hold the line of the Mons-Conde Canal against the German 1st Army. This battle took place as a part of the Battle of Frontiers, in which the German armies and the Allied armies clashed along the France/ Belgian and France/ German borders. The BEF were stationed to the left of the Allied line stretching from Alsace-Lorraine in the east to Mons and Charleroi in the south. The BEF in this area consisted of II Corps lining the Mons-Conde Canal and I Corps positioned to the right along the Mons–Beaumont Road. The German 1st army was in position to invade

In the spring of 1918 the German army began an offensive to break through allied lines and ultimately end the war. The spring offensive was meant “to push the [British Expeditionary Force] off the continent and then deal with France separately before significant numbers of Americans could arrive in Europe and tip the manpower balance decisively in the Allies favor.” (Zebecki 43) In order to successfully accomplish this task Germany decided that it needed a diversion in the south in order to draw French reserves out of Flanders and weaken the Allies in the north. The original plan of the Germans was that of a limited attack of only 13 miles. The Germans “[were] certain that the French would panic and pull their reserves out of Flanders.” (Zebecki 43) When the Germans advanced 13 miles on May 27th, Pétain ordered 16 division to block

The Joint Force Commander (JFC) utilizes command and control to exercise authority over assigned and attached forces within his or her command. Command provides direction and motivation to individuals and units, whereas control is the task of managing forces and the associated tasks required to accomplish the mission. Effective command and control successfully balances the art of command with the science of control and strengthens the commander’s ability to make and execute decisions. Mission command advances command and control

Prior to the invasion of France there had been 7 months of “Phoney war”; However the French had anticipated the attack and established “The Maginot line” which was a line of defence designed to hold the German army back. Despite this the Battle of France began on the 10th May 1940 when German Army group B subdued Holland and advanced rapidly westwards through

Leading into the Fall of 1914, tactics on both sides of the line involved the rapid mobilization, maneuver and envelopment of the opposing side.10 Pre-1914 doctrine took little into account the effects of emerging new technology and their impact on both defensive and offensive operations. This disconnect between doctrine and technology contributed to the failure of early offensive operations in the Fall of 1914 and resulted in staggering casualties.11 Both sides developed doctrine that took into effect the unique terrain and technology that had been developed prior and during World War I. However by the end of the war, a combination of flexibility, decentralized control, and counterattack at every echelon made the German defensive system the most effective.12 This “elastic defense” had three unique characteristics; dedicated counter-attack force at all levels, decentralized command and control, fluid defensive belts and integrated artillery support at the Division level. Under this new doctrine, Corps headquarters had the role sustaining subordinate units, but not directing their actions during battle.13 This defense-in-depth and the lessons learned during the Verdun battles of 1918 were so successful that British forces adopted many of the German tactics with a special emphasis on their counterattack capability.10 Utilizing the new doctrine, by August 1918, Germany had made substantial gains, however had

The Schlieffen Plan was a battle plan, created by Germany, to secure victory against France and Russia. The French had produced many forts, defences, and concrete pillboxes along the eastern border of Germany. These forts made an invasion of France almost impossible to prospect. The Germans incorporated a workaround called the Schlieffen Plan. It was named after its inventor, Count von Schlieffen, who created the Plan. His mind set was on finding a way to invade France, capturing Paris, and forcing French surrender. Schlieffen’s battle plan intricated some German troops entering France through its less defended border, northern borders. Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands were neutral, they did not have sizeable military forces or borders