I mean, the idea was to strike France to take the western front before the Russian forces finished mobilization and left Germany in a two-front war.
I think it was shit to attack Belgium, who had no beef with anyone (well, Belgian colonies excepted) but strategically it wasn’t necessarily a terrible idea.
Russia had declared war on the Austrian-Hungarian Empire already, and Germany was an ally of Austria-Hungary, so… determining who the aggressor was is a bit murky, IMHO.
Regardless of whether it was a strategically sound decision or not, or the broader issue of the start of the war BEFORE Britain’s involvement, between the UK and Germany, Germany’s invasion of Belgium left them unambiguously the aggressor between the two empires.
I mean, the idea was to strike France to take the western front before the Russian forces finished mobilization and left Germany in a two-front war.
I think it was shit to attack Belgium, who had no beef with anyone (well, Belgian colonies excepted) but strategically it wasn’t necessarily a terrible idea.
Russia had declared war on the Austrian-Hungarian Empire already, and Germany was an ally of Austria-Hungary, so… determining who the aggressor was is a bit murky, IMHO.
Regardless of whether it was a strategically sound decision or not, or the broader issue of the start of the war BEFORE Britain’s involvement, between the UK and Germany, Germany’s invasion of Belgium left them unambiguously the aggressor between the two empires.