The Guns of August 1914 - The Outbreak of First World War

``William Bache presented the Guns of August, Barbara Tuchman's great history of how a war between European royals and their empires started and morphed into a world war. Why mass mobilization, nationalism, military doctrine, political alliances, new technologies and railroads facilitated a transition to military violence that lasted for four years in which millions of soldiers, civilians and horses were slaughtered. The Schlieffen Plan called for a massive German attack on France, with a priority to the their right flank so it could steam roll over neutral Belgium and then envelop and defeat the French Army. 

The heroic Belgian Army and the arrival of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) prevented the Germans from seizing the Belgium English Channel coastline and saved the left flank of the French from being overwhelmed. The valiant Belgian Army, under the direction of King Albert, delayed the Germans long enough for the BEF to move forward to Mons and the French Fifth Army to change the direction of its attack. All together they slowed down the massive German onslaught enough to prevent decisive defeat of French Army and capture of Paris. All in the first month of the war. But, there is much more to the story,