Britain offered to stay out of the conflict, provided Germany respected Belgian neutrality. Germany had defeated France in 1870 without invading Belgium and was in a much better position to do so in 1914 with Alsace-Lorraine under its control. Most importantly, Belgium provided extremely efficient resistance and caused the Germans to arrive in France later (allowing the French and British time to mobilize), exhausted and with little artillery ammunition.
Moreover, although the modified Schlieffen plan specified invading Belgium with almost all the force to defeat the French, after forcing Belgium into the war the Kaiser sent 3 army corps and a cavalry division destined for the west to Luddendorf in the east (who didn't need or want them) to face the Russians, who had rushed inexperienced and ill supplied troops into East Prussia and German Poland, precisely in order to save France by forcing the removal of German forces from the west.
Had Germany invaded only France and left Luddendorf with minimal force, Germany would not have lost invaluable time, troops, cavalry and ammunition in Belgium and French soldiers would have started dying from the beginning. In contrast, no Germans would have fallen to either Belgians or British troops. Most importantly, without time to mobilize and the British expeditionary force, French defenses would have collapsed and Paris soon fallen.
Moreover, although the modified Schlieffen plan specified invading Belgium with almost all the force to defeat the French, after forcing Belgium into the war the Kaiser sent 3 army corps and a cavalry division destined for the west to Luddendorf in the east (who didn't need or want them) to face the Russians, who had rushed inexperienced and ill supplied troops into East Prussia and German Poland, precisely in order to save France by forcing the removal of German forces from the west.
Had Germany invaded only France and left Luddendorf with minimal force, Germany would not have lost invaluable time, troops, cavalry and ammunition in Belgium and French soldiers would have started dying from the beginning. In contrast, no Germans would have fallen to either Belgians or British troops. Most importantly, without time to mobilize and the British expeditionary force, French defenses would have collapsed and Paris soon fallen.
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