French and Prussian animosity have been swelling in the background since the German Wars of Unification started in the 1860s. The French Duc de Gramont hopes that a victory over Prussia could restore French prestige while Prussian Chancellor Bismarck needs a reason to fulfill his dream of German unification from above. When the crisis about the Spanish throne escalates with the Ems Dispatch, the die is cast and the Franco-Prussian War begins.
Poster Comment:
Those who fail to know history are doomed to repeat it.
Helmuth von Moltke sent military officers to the US to learn modern warfare from Ulysses S Grant. He had Prussian troops lay wire for telegraph lines so generals could instantly communicate with troops on the front lines. He should have bought the Gatling gun and also improved upon the Union's repeating rifles. A longer barrel and a 10 round clip would have been great.
The Prussians had a superior military Staff college. When the French soldiers were called up, they got on trains and arrived en masse at a forward camp where everyone walked around for 3 days to get organized into combat units. The Prussians were assembled into combat units by their sergeants at the railroad stations before boarding the trains.
When the French soldiers were called up, they got on trains and arrived en masse at a forward camp where everyone walked around for 3 days to get organized into combat units. The Prussians were assembled into combat units by their sergeants at the railroad stations before boarding the trains.
That was the German attention to details. The frog eaters were always sloppy about this.
Hitler had the French sign the Armistice in the same rail car Germany signed the Versailles Treaty. He really stuck it to them. ;)